At Craine Painting, we believe your hardwood cabinets can last a lifetime, but that refinishing may be necessary as personal style and habits change. We only use high quality, durable finishes that are easy to maintain for most families. If you’ve recently had your cabinets refinished, potentially as part of a kitchen renovation project, you should keep the following in mind.
Recommendations:
1. Clean up obvious spills as soon as they happen.
Spaghetti sauce on your new glazed cabinets? We’ve been there! Most of the time, a wipe with a damp soft cloth will remove the stain. Don’t scrub or use abrasives that would damage the integrity of the topcoat. Even staining items, like tomato sauce, can usually be removed from our finishes.
2. Wipe with a damp microfiber cloth quarterly.
Small spots are hard to see, but if you make it a quarterly chore, your cabinets will look better for longer! We highly recommend using just water for maintenance. We believe in the products we use, and chose them for chemical resistance, but surfactants, degreasing agents, and abrasives are too harsh for painted wood. We recommend that clients also share these instructions with cleaning staff.
3. A special note about horizontal surfaces
If we’ve redone horizontal surfaces (shelving, countertops, built-ins) please consider waiting the finish’s full cure time before decorating with heavy items. Most finishes cure within 30 days, and our team will provide you with specific guidance for your unique finish.
Avoid:
1. Soaking wet cloths
Your hardwood cabinets are still a porous surface, even when refinished. Humidity variations can cause the wood to expand and contract, exposing unfinished grain. We recommend you keep the humidity levels between 35-55%. While we’re refinishing, you may notice that we use a humidity meter to predict dry times and do our best to replicate your home’s humidity levels in our shop.
2. Heavy duty kitchen & bathroom cleaners
These products were created to disinfect and clean nonporous surfaces like porcelain or stainless steel. While dish soap is generally regarded as gentle, new soaps have added alcohols and solvents. That makes them great for getting all the grease off of your dishes, but your paint doesn’t stand a chance!
3. “Magic” Abrasives
Even if they feel softer than sandpaper, these sponges or “erasers” are highly abrasive and will remove layers of topcoat and primer, along with whatever you’re trying to scrub off. Save these for use on bathtubs and sinks!
Do you have painted cabinets that need some TLC? Contact Craine Painting for a custom estimate on touchups, including finish and color matching.