Changed my mind about painting cabinets after watching a video

I was dead set on just slapping paint over my kitchen cabinets. Thought sanding was a waste of time. Then I watched this guy on YouTube show close ups of his failed paint job from skipping the prep. Peeling in spots. Bubbles everywhere. He said $200 worth of paint ruined in 3 months because he got lazy. Made me rethink everything. So I spent last weekend sanding and priming properly. Took 6 hours for just the upper cabinets. But the finish is actually smooth now. Has anyone else done the full prep work and regretted how long it takes?

2 comments

2 Comments

max_ross1mo ago

Man I feel this in my bones. I actually laughed out loud when you said 6 hours for just the uppers because I spent basically a whole weekend on my lower cabinets and wanted to cry by Sunday night. But here's the thing that gets me - everyone acts like sanding is optional until they see that video of paint literally sliding off the wood like a cheap toupee. That's the part nobody talks about when they tell you to just paint over everything. The prep work sucks and it takes forever but at least your cabinets won't look like a disaster in three months. I guess the real question is whether you value your weekends or your sanity more.

emery191mo ago

Thing is, paint CAN stick without sanding IF you use a good deglosser and a high-bond primer. But you're right that most people skip that step and then wonder why it peels off.