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
There are other posts on painting metal cabinets:
Related Posts
-
Painting your metal kitchen cabinets for $50 — Kay points us to Rick Wrench’s solution
-
Painting metal kitchen cabinets — and a peek at Stephan’s new ’58 Palm Springs pad — Tony Curtis provenance!
-
Retro kitchen paint colors from 50s to early 60s Geneva, Republic, St. Charles and Youngstown steel kitchen cabinets
Become a fan
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
I have these SAME cabinets! I came across this pic while searching for ideas for my kitchen redo. I used to hate my metal cabinets but could not afford to replace them. For 13 years I’ve tried to disguise them as wood. In the past year I’ve realized that I could work with these and do a retro kitchen. i LOVE the look and now realize that i’m blessed to have these. I’m starting on my kitchen this week!
Sheila & all, I re-convey my advice to always make sure you know what you are working with when it comes to disturbing original finishes – that is, safety and environmental issues. In Jay and Jamie’s article and in some of the comments readers share how they have dealt with the known or potential lead paint on these vintage cabinets. You should do your own testing and your own research – and make your own decisions about how to deal with this and other issues.
And Sheila – how cools that you once hated the cabinets and now with a little knowledge – love them. That’s a great story.
Wow, I have the same cabinets and I was searching on the internet for ideas on how to make them look better. Currently my cabinets are white. But to keep them clean (with a 5 yr old in the house) is close to impossible without adding them to my cleaning list (and who wants to add to their cleaning list?). I hated my cabinets until now. Thanks for the idea. I especially love the color.
We moved into our 1955 ranch 5 years ago, which still has its original Capital kitchen cabinets. The cabinets were originally “Fern Green” – and the interiors still have their original finish, but as some point the door, drawers and exterior surfaces had been painted Almond. The paint had some scratches and chips. Lower doors were particularly damaged by a previous owners electric scooter. We considered going for a complete “retro” look, but eventually decided to do a blended look with a contemporary tile back splash, a new laminate counter top and a new vinyl floor. We decided to keep the Almond color and discovered that Rustoleum Almond was an almost perfect match. We removed the doors and drawer, and took them to the garage where we cleaned them with denatured alcohol. Lightly sanded, and then cleaned them again. Then we painted them with the Rustoleum paint, using a light brush stroke on the edges, and then doing all the flat surfaces with a high quality foam roller. The ending finish does not feel (when you run your hand across it) as perfectly smooth as an auto finish, but it looks terrific – it appears smooth and glossy with no brush or roller lines. If cost and time were no object, we probably would have opted for having the job done at an auto body shop. But since cost was a factor, we’re very happy with the results. We were able to finish the work in just a few weekends, at a cost of less than $150 (for the painting.) We spent about $3000 for the custom built counters, the new back splash and the new floor. We viewed this as an interim fix until the time in the future when we can put in a completely new kitchen, but the longer I live with my metal cabinets, the more I like them and feel like there’s no reason to replace them.
Thanks, Fred. I was just at a relative’s house where they had done the same thing, although many many years ago. It looked fine, especially since it wasn’t a high-falutin’ kitchen. More than fine, actually. Note: Know that old paint can contain lead. Be sure to consult a pro, get informed, and take proper precautions whenever undertaking a do-it-yourself project like this.
Hello everyone! Hopefully I can get a response to this post! I have these identical cabinets in my home. Unfortunately, I do not have the man power and resources (garage space etc.) to repaint mine in such a professional manner. Is it possible for me to lightly sand them (they basically have a primer on them already,) just to rough up the cabinet a little, and spray paint them with a metal paint while they are hanging? I thought perhaps I could use a roller to smooth out drips with an extra coat as they mentioned above. We want to use a chrome looking paint, I want it to be really vibrant in the kitchen. We don’t have chrome appliances so those will not clash. I was thinking a chrome paint and choosing something that really pops for handles like a cobalt color…….
Young couple, one is disabled, the other is not handy with tools and could probably not remove the cabinets and hang them back up….also…not enough money to pay someone else to do it and all our friends and family are too busy to assist.
Elizabeth, this is not a DIY site… I think there are other sites on the web that may have advice. Also, importantly, please note that there may be lead in old paint anywhere in your house. I always advise consulting with pro’s on this issue. Good luck.