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 daily. 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 an important elements of the method.

Sadly, it looks like these are the steps that most individuals need 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 might simply slap that paint proper over any end, and it will look lovely, or so we had been instructed. 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 crucial!

That drives me loopy, if I’m being sincere, as a result of the very fact of the matter is that when you slap paint on a tough floor or a floor that hasn’t been prepped in any means, your paint end is simply not going to look all that nice. The painted floor can solely look nearly 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 undertaking (it’s boring for me, so I do know it’s boring to observe!), but it surely’s not a part that I can rush by means of. Neither is it a part that I need 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 undertaking will appear like an inexpensive DIY undertaking. And that’s the very last thing I would like. I could also be a DIYer, however I by no means need my initiatives to appear like apparent DIY initiatives.

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 complete time sanding after which doing a little bit extra priming. And virtually the entire sanding I used to be doing yesterday was by hand. My objective was to take off the sharp edges from the entire trim items. And I don’t know when you’ve observed, however there are a number 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 initiatives that I construct for 2 causes. First, I believe it appears to be like higher. However second, the manufacturing unit lower edges on this pre-primed lumber is so sharp that it could actually actually lower you when 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 to be like.

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

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

However the purpose it took so lengthy is as a result of I do all of this by hand. Utilizing a sander for this course of can depart gouges within the items subsequent to the piece I’m sanding, and it could actually additionally take off an excessive amount of of the nook too quick and depart uneven corners. I’ve far more management if I do it by hand. And this step must be achieved after the entire cabinets and shelf trim have been hooked up. You don’t need to spherical over the sides of the cupboard trim after which add the trim on entrance of the cabinets as a result of that can depart a niche between the 2 items that then needs to be stuffed 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 a number of cupboard trim on this room.

The excellent news is that I lastly received 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 suitable facet of the room. I needed to chortle as a result of I ran out of primer earlier than I may get that final shelf primed. I nonetheless must prime the entire corners with a brush, however I received (virtually) the entire areas primed that may very well be achieved with a 6-inch curler.

I’ve one other full, uninterrupted workday forward of me immediately, and now that each one of that preliminary sanding is completed, my objective is to get the remainder of the priming achieved by the top 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 nearly as good because the earlier end. As soon as the primer is on, dry, and sanded, I’ll nonetheless must caulk, which can in all probability be an all-day job with this many cabinets. After which, lastly, paint!

So I’m virtually to the half that all of us need to see, however in actuality, I’m nonetheless a minimum of two full work days away from paint, if not three or 4. I nonetheless must construct my glass-top shelf as nicely. 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 when you’re going to go to the difficulty of constructing cupboards, don’t rush the boring steps. They are surely an important. And when 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 undertaking could be very more likely to find yourself wanting like a DIY undertaking. In my 30+ years of DIYing, I’ve simply come to understand that sanding is among the most necessary steps in portray cupboards and furnishings, and when you skip that step, it’ll present. It’s boring however crucial.

UPDATE: I’ve had just a few folks ask me why I don’t do my flooring earlier than portray the cupboards. Whereas that might 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 means I need to maintain up progress on this undertaking whereas I anticipate that to reach. So I’ll proceed engaged on the cupboards and get them painted first. I spent an excellent 90 minutes yesterday cleansing off the entire mud from the cabinets and cupboards and getting them prepared for primer, so I’m positively 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 perfect order wherein to do issues. It definitely would have been simpler, and would have made far 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 might have achieved these issues. However because it stands, with one ground product on backorder, I can’t cease working and whereas I anticipate it.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and enhance 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 nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can be taught extra about me right here.