Start from what your cabinet doors are made of. Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations Basics data sheet says priming is especially important on bare wood; laminate and melamine take a paint or primer that names them; glossy paint or varnish gets sanded for Benjamin Moore Advance and Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane. Then give it time: the makers print a full cure of 7 days (Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations kit) up to 30 days for Advance to reach optimum hardness.
By what the cabinets are made of
| Cabinet surface | What the makers say |
|---|---|
| Bare wood | Cabinet Transformations Basics: “Priming is especially important on bare wood cabinet surfaces”; it names Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 or B-I-N |
| Painted or varnished wood | Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 and Cover Stain: adhesion to “enamel paints and varnishes” without sanding or deglossing; BM Advance: “roughened by sanding (220 grit or coarser)”; SW Emerald Urethane: “Glossy surfaces should be sanded dull.” |
| Laminate, Formica, melamine | Cabinet Transformations kit: “laminate, metal or melamine”; Zinsser BONDZ: “laminated Formica® cabinets”; BM Advance data sheet: Fresh Start 046 primer |
| MDF or Thermofoil | BM Advance data sheet: Fresh Start 046 primer |
| Plastic (vinyl) veneer | BM Advance data sheet: remove the veneer by sanding, then 046 |
| Metal | Cabinet Transformations kit names metal |
| Waxed finish | Cabinet Transformations kit: if more than 10% of the coating lifts in its tape test, the surface needs to be “scuffed or lightly sanded” |
From each product’s data sheet or page. Zinsser files Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Plus and SmartPrime under its door, cabinet, trim and furniture primers, B-I-N’s data sheet names cabinets and furniture, and Sherwin-Williams’ Extreme Bond data sheet names kitchen cabinets and varnished woodwork.
Dry and cure times
| Paint system | Recoat | Back in use | Full cure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations kit | Bond coat: about 2 hours | Reinstall after 12 hours; “Full use of cabinets and furniture after 24 hours” | Top coat “within 7 days”; avoid cleaning until then |
| Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Basics | Page: 2 hours; data sheet table: 4 hours | Reinstall after 12 hours; normal use after 24 hours | Data sheet text: seven days; its table: 7 to 10 days |
| Benjamin Moore Advance | 16 hours | Shelves and tabletops: at least 5 to 7 days | “up to 30 days to reach optimum hardness and final sheen” |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel | Data sheet: 4 hours; kitchen how-to: coats 24 to 48 hours apart | Not stated | Not stated |
From each product’s data sheet, label or page. Cabinet Transformations Basics’ page says touch dry in 30 minutes; its data sheet table says 1 hour. Emerald Urethane’s data sheet says to apply above 50°F. Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Start 046 sheet says that on hard, non-porous surfaces, maximum adhesion and hardness may take 3 to 4 days.
Primer waits: Sherwin-Williams’ two how-tos
Sherwin-Williams’ kitchen cabinet how-to says to let Extreme Bond dry for at least 24 hours before sanding with a very fine grit, while its bathroom vanity how-to says to let the primer dry for two to three hours. The Extreme Bond data sheet gives 1 hour to recoat as a primer, 4 hours as a stain sealer and 24 hours under a Hi-Performance finish, and says it must be topcoated within 14 days. We’d wait the longer time when the makers’ own pages differ.
Old paint on old cabinets
EPA says that if your home was built before 1978, it is more likely to have lead-based paint. If you sand or scrape old paint yourself, EPA says to use its lead-safe work practices, and not to attempt to remove lead-based paint yourself. See epa.gov/lead.