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 day-after-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 coloration 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 as if 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 simply don’t need to sand earlier than portray. You may simply slap that paint proper over any end, and it might look stunning, 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 available on the market with that very same declare. No sanding obligatory!

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 manner, 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 venture (it’s boring for me, so I do know it’s boring to observe!), 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 accurately and take note of the main points, the completed venture will appear to be an affordable DIY venture. 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 to be 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 bit extra priming. And nearly the entire sanding I used to be doing yesterday was by hand. My aim was to take off the sharp edges from the entire trim items. And I don’t know in the event you’ve seen, however there are a number of cabinets on this room, which signifies that there are a complete 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 to be like higher. However second, the manufacturing unit reduce edges on this pre-primed lumber is so sharp that it might actually reduce 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 to be like.

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 venture. And whereas I often is 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 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 might additionally take off an excessive amount of of the nook too quick and depart uneven corners. I’ve rather more management if I do it by hand. And this step must be finished after the entire cabinets and shelf trim have been hooked up. 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 depart a spot 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 a complete lot of cabinets and a number of cupboard trim on this room.

The excellent news is that I lastly obtained that lengthy and boring course of completed at about 9:00 final night time, after which I spent the remainder of the time till I went to mattress priming the proper aspect of the room. I needed to giggle as a result of I ran out of primer earlier than I might get that final shelf primed. I nonetheless have to prime the entire corners with a brush, however I obtained (nearly) the entire areas primed that may very well be finished with a 6-inch curler.

I’ve one other full, uninterrupted workday forward of me right this moment, and now that each one of that preliminary sanding is completed, my aim is to get the remainder of the priming finished 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 nearly 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 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 once 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 an important. 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 venture could be very more likely to find yourself trying like a DIY venture. In my 30+ years of DIYing, I’ve simply come to appreciate that sanding is among the most essential steps in portray cupboards and furnishings, and in the event you skip that step, it’ll present. It’s boring however obligatory.

UPDATE: I’ve had just a few 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 manner I wish to maintain up progress on this venture whereas I anticipate that to reach. So I’ll proceed engaged on the cupboards and get them painted first. I spent a very good 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 during which 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 during which I might have finished these issues. However because it stands, with one flooring 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 rework and beautify 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.