Never Skip The Sanding!! (The Boring Part Is The Most Important Step)

I do know we’re all anxious to see my closet painted, and I’m getting nearer and nearer to that every single day. I’ve been caught in these paint prep steps for days now, and I’d love nothing greater than to see that lovely blue-green colour go on these cupboards. However all of those steps I’ve to do earlier than portray actually are crucial elements of the method.

Sadly, it looks like these are the steps that most individuals wish to skip over. I’ll always remember when the Chalk Paint craze took over years in the past. One of many promoting factors was that you just don’t should sand earlier than portray. You would simply slap that paint proper over any end, and it could look stunning, or so we have been informed. And since that Chalk Paint debut these a few years in the past, so many different paints have come in the marketplace with that very same declare. No sanding essential!

That drives me loopy, if I’m being sincere, as a result of the actual fact of the matter is that in the event you slap paint on a tough floor or a floor that hasn’t been prepped in any approach, your paint end is simply not going to look all that nice. The painted floor can solely look pretty much as good because the floor beneath it. Paint doesn’t magically make cracks, holes, uneven surfaces, tough surfaces, or different imperfections disappear.

Anyway, all of that to say that I do know I’m caught within the tremendous boring a part of this mission (it’s boring for me, so I do know it’s boring to look at!), however it’s not a part that I can rush by means of. Neither is it a part that I wish to rush by means of as a result of if I don’t take the time to do these steps appropriately and take note of the main points, the completed mission will appear like an affordable DIY mission. And that’s the very last thing I would like. I could also be a DIYer, however I by no means need my tasks to appear like apparent DIY tasks.

So yesterday, I labored all day lengthy, from round 10:00am to 10:30pm, with a 40-minute break to make a pot of chili, after which an hour break for lunch with Matt. And I spent that entire time sanding after which doing a little bit extra priming. And nearly all the sanding I used to be doing yesterday was by hand. My purpose was to take off the sharp edges from all the trim items. And I don’t know in the event you’ve observed, however there are loads of cabinets on this room, which implies that there are an entire lot of trim items that wanted to be sanded.

I take the time to do that on all of my tasks that I construct for 2 causes. First, I feel it appears higher. However second, the manufacturing unit lower edges on this pre-primed lumber is so sharp that it will possibly actually lower you in the event you run your hand throughout it quick sufficient. Ask me how I do know that. 😀 However actually, I simply don’t like the way it appears.

So I begin with 80-grit sandpaper to knock down these tremendous sharp corners after which observe up with 120-grit after which 220-grit sandpaper to get a softer rounded-over edge, which you’ll see beneath.

It’s a type of small particulars that I feel makes an enormous distinction within the completed mission. And whereas I could be the just one who ever notices, that’s sufficient for me. It’s usually onerous to inform the distinction earlier than it’s primed and painted. Right here’s what it appears like after doing all of that sanding however earlier than priming…

However the cause it took so lengthy is as a result of I do all of this by hand. Utilizing a sander for this course of can go away gouges within the items subsequent to the piece I’m sanding, and it will possibly additionally take off an excessive amount of of the nook too quick and go away uneven corners. I’ve rather more management if I do it by hand. And this step must be performed after all the cabinets and shelf trim have been connected. You don’t wish to spherical over the perimeters of the cupboard trim after which add the trim on entrance of the cabinets as a result of that can go away a niche between the 2 items that then needs to be crammed and sanded.

And it additionally took so lengthy as a result of there’s simply a lot of it. I sand each single one of many uncovered edges. And once more, I’ve an entire lot of cabinets and loads of cupboard trim on this room.

The excellent news is that I lastly bought that lengthy and boring course of completed at about 9:00 final evening, after which I spent the remainder of the time till I went to mattress priming the correct aspect of the room. I needed to snort as a result of I ran out of primer earlier than I might get that final shelf primed. I nonetheless have to prime all the corners with a brush, however I bought (nearly) all the areas primed that could possibly be performed with a 6-inch curler.

I’ve one other full, uninterrupted workday forward of me in the present day, and now that every one of that preliminary sanding is completed, my purpose is to get the remainder of the priming performed by the tip of the day. And sure, as soon as the primer is dry, I’ll sand each single bit of each floor with 220-grit sandpaper by hand earlier than I paint. As a result of, once more, the painted end can solely look pretty much as good because the earlier end. As soon as the primer is on, dry, and sanded, I’ll nonetheless have to caulk, which is able to in all probability be an all-day job with this many cabinets. After which, lastly, paint!

So I’m nearly to the half that all of us wish to see, however in actuality, I’m nonetheless no less than two full work days away from paint, if not three or 4. I nonetheless have to construct my glass-top shelf as effectively. The glass is out for supply proper now, and as quickly as I’ve that in hand, I’ll construct the body for it in order that it may be prepped, primed, and painted after I do the remainder of the cupboards.

Anyway, all of that to say that in the event you’re going to go to the difficulty of constructing cupboards, don’t rush the boring steps. They are surely crucial. And in the event you’re wanting to color cupboards or furnishings, and your first query is, “How can I do that with out sanding?”, simply know that your completed mission could be very prone to find yourself trying like a DIY mission. In my 30+ years of DIYing, I’ve simply come to understand that sanding is likely one of the most essential steps in portray cupboards and furnishings, and in the event you skip that step, it’ll present. It’s boring however essential.

UPDATE: I’ve had a number of folks ask me why I don’t do my flooring earlier than portray the cupboards. Whereas that may be the logical order, the Bona Pink Out is on backorder, and I nonetheless don’t have a transport date for it. There’s no approach I wish to maintain up progress on this mission whereas I await that to reach. So I’ll proceed engaged on the cupboards and get them painted first. I spent a superb 90 minutes yesterday cleansing off all the mud from the cabinets and cupboards and getting them prepared for primer, so I’m undoubtedly going to color first. After which as soon as the paint is dry, I’ll cowl the cupboards with plastic earlier than doing the ground in order that they don’t get dusty once more.

It’s not the best order wherein to do issues. It actually would have been simpler, and would have made rather more sense, to do the flooring first, after which clear the cabinets and cupboards and get them painted. If I had all of my flooring merchandise in hand, that’s the order wherein I’d have performed these issues. However because it stands, with one flooring product on backorder, I can’t cease working and whereas I await it.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.