This is on the list for my wife and I as well. Let me know what tricks you learn so I don't destroy mine! HA.
Also, I hated changing the garbage disposal. My shoulders don't like fitting underneath sinks. An extra set of hands while not necessary helps.
fortunately, regarding the disposal, i've changed this one out before so i know what to expect, and i can just re use the attachment to the sink...so that's the hardest part imo....
on the cabinets, i told my wife last night we should do the drawer faces first on the island.....that way we can at least make a bit of a test run before we get to the main cabinets and drawers....i was like, we've never even taken a quiz and we're jumping right in to the final exam!! lol.....
i've done a lot of reading up on it and a neighbor does stuff like this on the side, so he's been helpful in giving us some tips.
i can go ahead and tell you some that i think will be very important:
1. paint the backs of the doors first
2. map your cabinets and drawers on a sheet of paper and number them. number the hinges as well...if your cabient door has 2 hinges, then #1 basically has 3 pcs: 1, 1a, and 1b...bag each door's hardware seperately, and # the door/drawer ...
3. time...time is the biggest factor doing it far as i can tell. this isn't something you can do in a weekend, so prepare to alter how your life operates in your kitchen for at least a week, maybe more depending on how long per day you can actually work on it.
4. read up on the different types of paint and primer...some are not compatitable w/each other, and just get your mind around spending some money on some good paint. this isn't drywall paint you can get for $15-$30/gal.
5. cleaning the cabinet frames and doors....use degreaser, good degreaser. apparently cleaning the doors, prior to sanding, and then re cleaning after sanding are the most important parts of hte process.....so read up on those two things if nothing else.....
6. you don't necessarily have to remove all contents from your cabinets. you can tape plastic sheets of a drop cloth or garbage bags inside the cabient, behind the door, to protect contents from paint/dust. just up to you, could be a big time saver if you do that right.
7. let hte primer cure completely. let each coat of paint cure completely before you start the next coat....depending on the type of paint you use, you're talking at least 24, up to 48 hours for the paint to cure properly....so, again, forgetting all the prep work, you're probably looking at 3 days just to prime and paint...and that's if you can paint all the drawers/doors at the same time....
8. sanding...use fine grit...this is a bit of a gray area, cause some folks will tell you to sand it pretty good, especially if you have darker cabinets and you're going lighter coloer, others will tell you just to scuff the surface so the primer will take, if you use good primer, you won't need to kill yourself sanding....and if you sand to far down, the wood will just soak everything up. the key....cleaing after sanding removing all dust, and using good primer, and letting it set up before you paint.
9. check your drawers, some are whole assemblies that have to be removed completely, some have drawer fronts that can be removed w/out taking the whole drawer out....just a couple screws, and the face comes off seperately....can make it easier to deal with.
plenty of articles, blogs and videos out there about it...i saw one video that was time lapsed, it was pretty cool. you realize pretty quick with all the drawers and cabinet doors, you start to realize, where the heck am i gonna paint all these things? can't do them all at the same time.....so plan out where you're gonna paint, and about how many doors/drawers you can paint at one time.
lastly, if you're changing the door/drawer pulls, and you're going from a single screw pull to a two screw pull/handle, to make that easier, cause you're gonna have to drill, make a template for the 2 hole handle, with the center marked. that way when you go to mark/drill the new holes, you can just put the center mark on your template over the old hole, and mark/drill the two new ones. that way you don't have to go mark/measure each one. could save some time. do that beofre you sand/prime/paint....
get woodfiller too. inevetiablly while taking hinges off or pulls off something will not work right. check the woodfiller you get that it can be drilled/screwed again if needed, and that it can be stained/painted.
anything else we figure out the hard way, i'll let you know. but those are the things i've picked up on that seem relatively important.
, then we were fortunate to find our first home and took a leap of faith & bought it here in north Knoxville. We’ll only be moving 5 miles away but we’re building twice the house we live in now in a fenced off community with a 10 acre & 55 ft deep lake that’s stocked with all the good stuff! Life will be good. They’ve even got a huge gazebo that you can reserve to have celebrations & cookouts. It’s quite the set up. Blessed beyond what I’m deserved.
