Not really fixing anything, but figured I'd post about my latest projects, in case it inspires someone to save $ and do it themselves. We bought our house in 2005, and stained millwork was the thing. Builder messed up- kitchen cabinets were supposed to be maple, almost neutral stain. He put in alder, and with the stain we picked, it came out WAY too dark. He gave us a big credit, which we took rather than delay closing to replace them. Wife hated it from day one, and I wasn't too fond of it either. But I was really hesitant to paint over beautiful wood, even if it wasn't what I wanted. But then I saw how much better a neighbor's kitchen looked after going white, and it made me think it'd be like hanging on to the "beautiful" wood paneled dens of the 60's and 70's.
Anyway, I got a quote a couple of years ago to paint the cabinets. About $5,800!!! I wasn't about to pay anyone that much to paint anything smaller than a house. So I researched best paints, and an affordable
HVLP sprayer. Did it myself, and it came out better than what neighbors were paying for. Cost me about $250, with a $100 sprayer, $50
spray tent, and another hundred in paint, primer, tape, sanding sponges, etc. And with what was left over, I was also able to do my master vanity last week, which was finished poorly to begin with.
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A couple of things I learned:
- Sherwin Williams Pro Classic waterborne acrylic is an awesome product. Even on the parts that were brushed or rolled, it truly came out like a factory finish. Flows beautifully. Easy to work with (but you have to work fast and then leave it alone). Tough as nails, too, after curing. Kitchen has been done over a year, and still looks perfect.
- Roll the primer (I didn't in the kitchen). It doesn't flow like the paint, and will be the source of any brush marks if you don't spend a lot of time sanding it. And BIN is much easier to work with than Zinsser Cover Stain, which I used first in the kitchen. Never needed to sand it- just a wipe with green abrasive pad to take off any boogers.
- TSP, then deglosser, and only sand any areas with chips or damage. Then I vacuumed, and microfiber has become the choice of woodworkers over tack cloth.
- Whizz rollers work fantastic for jobs like this. Honestly, if I'd have know how well they work, I probably wouldn't have even bought a sprayer. Incredibly fast, too- and you only need to brush crevices and tight areas when using these.