A quick overview of the cleaning process when we’re refinishing cabinets. We’re going to take the cabinets off, bring them to the shop. we’re going to use a Degreaser, we’re going to use a solvent cleaner, from there we’re going to scrape the cabinets to get any large debris off or heavy oils that the degreaser couldn’t remove. From there we will hand sand everything thoroughly, with 220 usually, and after that it will be cleaned again. Usually just with the solvent cleaner at that point. From there we move into putting two to three coats of clear lacquer on the cabinets before we do anything, before they received any color. This is going to seal the grain and also let us know if we need to do some additional cleaning. At that point once that clear coat on there and it looks good then we start the color process which again involves putting coats of lacquer with color added into it and then once those are sealed and dry we go back with just the color to tone the color up to whatever desired finished a client has chosen. Once again it’ll get the final two top coats with the clear and then once it’s dry we will go and reinstall them but that’s the basic process.
So once the doors and drawers are removed and taken to the shop we’re going to start working in the kitchen area and we go to great lengths to ensure that the work we’re doing is contained to that area only. Even as far as putting plastic on the ceiling to ensure that any of the paint or stain that we’re spraying doesn’t get anywhere. The whole area is masked off. The interior of the cabinets are masked off. We will set up a way to exhaust from the area as to make sure nothing gets in the house, just anything that we can do to protect the home.
So one of the questions that we get asked is how long is it going to take and am I going to be able to live in my home. People want to know if they’re going to be able to use their kitchen. the overall process of refinishing the kitchen takes about 7 to 10 days. With that being said there’s only one day that we would ask that you would not be in the kitchen that’s the day were spraying.