1.Clean with Dawn Dish Soap

An important part of painting cabinets, just like any other job, is the prep. If they have residue built up on them, chances are that the lacquer isn’t going to adhere correctly and you will run into several different problems. Because of this, we always make sure to clean them thoroughly with a  residue free cleaner. What we have found works best for us is actually just your average blue Dawn dish soap, a Scotchbright heavy duty sponge, and some warm water. In a pinch you can also use denatured alcohol if you need something that dries quickly. But Dawn dish soap will take care of most contaminants, and this is the process we like to use about 95% of the time.

Start by filling either a rubbermaid container or an 18” roller pan with warm water and Dawn dish soap, just as if you were about to wash a load of dishes. If you have never washed dishes… then now might be a good time to learn. I am sure someone in your life will thank you for it. To wash the cabinet doors, you do not want to submerge them in the water. This will make the drying time last longer. Not to mention that you could possibly damage the wood. Just set them on top of the bucket and scrub thoroughly with your sponge. The bucket will catch any access water that runs off. Next you will rinse them over a separate bucket of clean warm water without soap.

Now all you need to do is set them out to dry. You can either hang them (if you are using our spray rack method this is the best way to go) or set them where air can flow easily between both sides. One of many perks of using the spray rack system is that during this, and really any step of the cabinet painting process, they will dry faster. Not only that, but they will store in a safe place where you don’t have to worry about them getting knocked over or recontaminated with another residue. But we will talk more about this system later on. For now just focus on getting those cabinet doors and drawers fronts as clean as a whistle.

2.Caulk with Bolt Caulking for Same Day Painting

Idaho is a fairly dry climate. Who am I kidding… it’s the freaking desert! Well, the high desert anyways. Yes, we do get every season. And Idaho terrain varies greatly across the state. But for the majority of Idaho, and especially for where we live, it is dry and dusty most of the year. Because of this, we can get away with caulking the front panel on our cabinets, without worrying about it cracking down the road. Now, if you live somewhere more humid, I might not recommend doing this. Please always keep in mind that your climate is a huge factor in which methods will and will not work well for you.

We here at The Idaho Painter do love this method, though, because it produces a more seamless finish. However, it can be timely if you do not use the right products. Most caulking requires a 12 hour cure time before you are able to paint over it. This eats into our bragging rights about finishing the job up in a day and a half… and the pocket book… both are important, I suppose. To speed up this process we use Bolt Caulking by White Lightning. This caulking is paintable within 20 minutes… 20 MINUTES! How incredible is that?! Remember that in this industry, time IS money. Don’t ever compromise the quality of your work, but the quicker you can get a job wrapped up, the more money you will bring home from it. Save yourself some time and make your cabinet job more efficient by trying this caulking out. We do not think it will disappoint.

3.Spray with the PSDR Spray Rack

Over the years we have developed what we consider to be the top of the line, most innovative way to paint cabinets efficiently. We have tried many different systems and we find that the spray rack systems gives us the best finish and completes the job at a quicker rate. Specifically, we use the ProDrying Rack by Paint Line. This system allows you to spray your doors vertically, from hangers, and hang them up to dry. What is so great about this is that you can spray both sides at once AND multiple coats in one day.  No more worrying about giving doors enough time to cure before flipping them over and spraying the other side. We also use Sherwood Hi-bild Pre-cat Lacquer. This makes the cabinets dry quickly, and also creates a hard surface for longer lasting, more durable cabinet repaints. With this technique of using  lacquer and the spray racks, we have been able to paint a large kitchen in about a day and a half. Saves time, which makes me more money.  The PSDR is now available in our Paint Life Store CLICK HERE to view and get pricing.

In this kit you receive 50 hangers, 18 feet of durable drying line (3 drying racks), a spray rack that allows you to spin doors while spraying, and three storage cases. This system is easy to set up and only takes about 10 minutes to assemble. To see this baby up close and in action you can visit: CLICK HERE

People often ask how we hang the doors on the hangers. Well, we screw little hooks into the tops of the upper cabinets, and the bottoms of the lower cabinets. This is an area where no one will ever see the holes. But you can also go back and fill the holes afterwards if you feel better about it. We explain the process to our clients prior to beginning this process, and we have had zero complaints about the holes since they are nearly invisible. I mean unless standing on a ladder above the cabinets… or laying on the floor below…. an unlikely scenario for your customers day to day activities.

We have used this spraying system for years, but just recently started using Paint Line’ s equipment after meeting the creator of the PSDR, Kyle, in the UK. He actually took the idea from the system we were using and perfected it by creating high quality equipment for it. This system really has taken our old system to the next level. We used to use a mix of PVC pipes, cheap wooden hangers, and ladders to achieve what the Pro Drying Rack can achieve with less. This system is compact and comes in just 3 bags. It is much sturdier than our old system, AND it sets up in just a few minutes. It’s also small enough that we can set it up inside of a spray booth. Saving us more time, and money. With this system you will surely be in and out of that job quicker than you, or your customer, expected.

4.Have a Spray Can of Lacquer for Easy Touch Ups

Caution, we now use water based coatings in place of lacquers due to the explosion dangers. Speaking of lacquer, did you know you can get it in aerosol can for easy touch-ups? Upon purchase, you can actually request to have an aerosol made of whatever color of lacquer you will be using. This will run you about $8-$12 per can, but what it will save you is worth the extra fee. We usually get two to three cans per job, just to make sure we have an adequate amount. This will save you from having to reload a machine, just to touch up one or two doors. With these spray cans you can mask off and touch up easily, without having to worry about brush strokes. The only downside to this method is that you will have to use several very light layers in order to get the finish you desire. But it is still more efficient than re-setting everything up, and again, ensures a better finish free of brush strokes. Give it a shot and see how you like it. We find it very useful.

5.Label Hinges

Keeping track of where your doors and drawers go can become a pain really quick. If you guess wrong then you have to spend a bunch of extra  time adjusting hinges to make doors fit correctly. And to make money on cabinets… you need to be able to bust out a high quality product, quickly. To save you this pain, our final tip is a no brainer: label your doors, boxes, and hinges. The process is simple, really. We always work from the top left to the top right, then the bottom left to the bottom right. We will place the number on the back of the door where the hinge will be screwed back on, and then cover that number with a piece of Frog Tape to keep it from getting painted over. We will also tape the insides of the box with the door number as well, just to make sure we have the right door for the right box.

For the drawers, we will place the number on the face, behind where it screws back onto the drawer. And again, cover that number with tape, to keep it from being painted over. For the hinges, we will write the number  of its coordinating door on the back of the hinge. We will label “a” for the top hinge, and “b” for the bottom. We will then sometimes wrap them in a bit of tape as well to keep them together… and also to make sure they don’t feel left out.

This is going to make the re-installation process go so much smoother. You will spend much less time adjusting hinges and trying to make everything fit correctly if you can follow this easy method and put everything back where it belongs. Who knows, maybe it’ll set you up for success in other areas in your life as well.

So there you have it, 5 simple hacks to make your cabinet painting job more efficient. Again, there is a lot of money to be made in cabinet jobs. IF you know how to do them quickly and well. I believe that as painters there will always be something new to learn. New tools and techniques are coming out every day to help enhance our productivity. Why not utilize these and learn to work smarter, not harder? Especially where time and money are involved. Keeping an open mind is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your painting company. Maybe just in life as well, really. You never know which tools or tricks are going to elevate your work to that next level. But don’t take my word for it. Get out there and do what you do best. Hustle. And make the world a more beautiful place. One paint job at a time.



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