Painting metal kitchen cabinets: Jay and Jamie’s Nashville condo with retro renovated Youngstown cabinets
Mid Mod Pam on Feb 13 2008 at 12:58 pm | Filed under: steel kitchen cabinets
Jay and Jamie are house flippers in Nashville. I spotted their listing around New Year’s, because it promised restored Youngstown cabinets. Here’s what they had to say about why they retained the cabinets, prospects’ reaction - and the process they used:
We found the cabinets to be in overall good shape…. As far as the reason to keep them - we felt like they would add value to the condo since it is in a historic building (built in the 40s) and located in an area that is known as the coolest historic area in Nashville (walking distance to Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Hospital, etc). Not to mention, we saved some money by renovating them; however, if we had known how much work had to be done I don’t know if we would have done it considering time is money in a housing flip. Believe it or not, my husband and I refinished them in our garage! It took over 70 hours to strip, sand and repaint them.
It was SUCH a learning experience.
- The first thing we did was use Jasco Green paint stripper (purchased at Lowe’s). It is a gel based substance so it’s not as dangerous (lead based paint) as the aerosol type strippers - this avoids the lead based paint articles from becoming air borne. We used rubber gloves to avoid direct skin contact; however, the stripper itself is really environmentally friendly and doesn’t hurt if it comes in contact with your skin - we were more worried about the lead based paint.
- Once we removed all of the paint that would come off with the stripper (there was about 5 layers of paint on our cabinets) we used an air compressor tool that resembles a round wire brush. We wore protective eye goggles and literally sand blasted every square inch of the remaining painted areas to expose the bare metal. This was the most time consuming part.
- Then we used some bondo on the inside of the cabinets where they showed signs of weakness. Once the cabinets were pressure washed and completely free of any signs of old paint, we sprayed them with a rust proof primer and let them dry for 72 hours. Then, we built a paint booth in our garage and spray painted them using American Tradition Metal Spray Paint from Lowe’s. We chose a chocolate color but there are various colors to choose from. Even though my husband did a great job spray painting them we still used a 2″ foam sponge roller and the same American Tradition chocolate paint in a quart container to roll the fronts of the cabinets once we hung them back up. VERY IMPORTANT - since we used a dark color it was imperative that when I rolled the paint that I rolled in very straight lines from top to bottom with no overlap. Otherwise, lines would show.
- We wanted to clear coat the cabinets but we when we tried the clear coat bubbled up in tiny little bubbles and did not dry down. So, we had to lightly sand that cabinet back down and re-roll it in the chocolate paint. So, we did not attempt to clear coat them again.
I have already had 3 people view the condo and all of them say that they love the cabinets and the fact that we preserved the integrity of the historic era in both the kitchen and bath. We also used period lighting (Schoolhouse Lighting).
Thanks Pam! I sure wish that I had known about your website prior to our adventure! HA HA
And remember everyone: There are two other, important posts on painting metal cabinets:
8 Responses to “Painting metal kitchen cabinets: Jay and Jamie’s Nashville condo with retro renovated Youngstown cabinets”
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Wow! That kitchen really looks great. And the cabinets really spiffed up nicely. Thank you for sharing your experiance Jay and Jamie. When the weather gets warmer I am going to try to strip and paint my cabinets. If they come out as nice as yours I am going to be very pleased indeed.
One question, did you refinish the inside too?
Why Brown????? I much prefer the white.
whats kind of coutertops did you use?
I am in the process of stripping my Youngstown uppers and used an old trick from my signpainting days. I’m sure it’s not very “green” but it was a lot faster. I used a secret weapon that every 50’s housewife will already have: oven cleaner! You “do” have to use precautions, as this chemical is very toxic…but haven’t we all stuck our head in an oven loaded down with this stuff? You absolutely MUST do this outside, and be ready for a heck of a mess, but my hubby and I got 95% of the paint off of 4 uppers (30″x18″x13″) in one day. Some stubborn areas required a second application. We hosed them off and used rubber scrapers to help remove paint once it had wrinkled up. The next day, we used 320 grit sandpaper to remove what was left, and then rubbed them down with Skyco brand “Ospho,” which “stops rust/prepares rusted surfaces for painting. I was about to experiment with painting my cabinets on my own and found this post helpful, so I thought I would add what I know. I experimented with every step of this process on the BACKS of my cabinets, which would always be my first advice to anyone doing it on their own. I’ll be glad to share information or pics with anyone who is interested!
Be sure to see the RE2 Basics page for all the different posts with ideas on how to repaint. Did you see the Rick Wrench method? What do you think of that one, Ms. Sign Painter Wonder Woman? Thanks for this info to add to our list!
Yes, and thank you for the RE2 Basics page! I don’t think I have the patience for the Rick Wrench method, although it certainly is fascinating. I checked out the pics of his Corvair a whole year later, and it looks great! I still want to paint my cabinets on my own, and I still might, but I am fortunate enough to have a friend who does high-end custom body work. He has offered to spray them for me if I do all the prep work and has also offered to custom match the pink of my 1963 Maytag Washer/Dryer set. Woohoo!
Yowza, that sounds fabulous, Karmi. Favor to ask: Can you have your friend share his paint color formula (including paint brand - which I know influences the outcome because of the base) with our retro renovation community - that is, if it comes out the way you like! Pink kitchens! We all want pink kitchens!
I have just moved in to my parents old house and I now have the Metal Cabinets and it looks like mom had them painted. They are in really good condition and I love them but, I would like to strip them, at least the fronts, and take them down to the metal and keep the metal showing.
How do I strip them
What do they look like underneath the paint
How do I polish the metal when the paint is off
How do i seal the metal.
Please Help.
Amy