Some homeowners would rather repaint their kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts than add new veneer. The process can take time and muscle. The stripping chemicals can be highly toxic, so it’s vital that you work safely and give yourself sufficient time to do the job right.
The first step, of course, is in taking the cabinet doors and fronts apart, marking them carefully with tape to ensure you put them back where they belong. You can move the marker as you work, opening up the wood face where you’re going to apply the stripper.
Caution: Danger Ahead
Paint stripping agents like methylene chloride emit caustic fumes. Be sure to work your cabinet doors in a well-ventilated area, wearing chemical-resistant gloves, goggles, and a mask. Be sure your arms are covered down to the wrist.
You can apply cabinet door stripper with a brush or cloth. The old paint will bubble up and blister almost instantly. That’s when to use a putty knife to peel off the layer of old paint.
Repainting Kitchen Cabinet Doors
After stripping the old paint, you can use a fine grain paper to sand the wood into a smooth surface. Some contractors prefer priming the kitchen cabinet doors with an oil-based top coat, although sprayed-on latex works well, too, if you can do the job in a garage or open area where stray paint won’t land on kitchen walls.
Doing it yourself takes patience. If your cabinets are in poor shape, consider other alternatives including veneer or complete replacements.
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[...] The same debate seems to circle around the use of deglossers. There’s hardly an argument that these so-called “liquid sanders” can remove the gloss from old cabinets. The question is, does exposure to the naphtha and toluene chemicals in the deglossers offset the elbow grease it takes to get out some TSP and sandpaper and do the work by hand? Many people insist on paint stripping with chemicals. [...]