Restoring Built In Cabinets — The Planning Lady

White cabinet before starting the project

My least favorite find in an old home is painted wood. I know it was fashionable at one point and painting it offered a cheap way to freshen up a space, but now that we’re back to seeing the value in bare wood it kills me to see it painted over with multiple layers, the most recent trend being white. From a preservation standpoint, the original woodwork shows the character of the home at the time the first residents moved in. A common middle ground I often find is leaving the first floor or more public spaces original and painting the bedrooms or second floor. Not my favorite, but an okay compromise.

I used to think if I was considering a home with painted woodwork that it would be easy enough to strip it. I haven’t stayed in one home long enough to get to the point of stripping the painted trim until now. Two years into my current home and partly due to a winter that was dragging out I decided to jump into the world of paint stripping and rid my house of all the white painted wood. I was going to start with the trim in a bedroom, but decided in case it was a nightmare and wanted to stop with just one room done I would work on the built in cabinets in an alcove next to the kitchen. Turns out, stripping paint is a nightmare and probably harder with cabinets that feature doors with intricate moulding.

I watched videos, read articles, and landed on a paint stripper without harsh chemicals. I used a home test kit to see if there was lead paint and when it revealed none I jumped in. Stripping woodwork when its stuck on a wall of your home requires patience, time, and a lot of energy. Stripping furniture in a garage is easy because you can keep coming back to it and let it sit. When its on a wall, its a mess in the middle of your house with smells that go with it.

With two identical built ins I had the opportunity to test out different approaches. It also meant once I suffered through the first round I had to do it all over again. The following are some key takeaways for any other novices out there wanting to attempt the same type of project.

The paint stripper with the laminated paper over top to help keep in moisture

Method of paint removal: While I didn’t attempt to use a heat gun (for costs in purchasing the heat gun and risk involved with scorching the woodwork) using paint stripper seemed the best approach. It could have gone faster with a high chemical version, but since the project was stuck in my home with questionable ventilation I opted for a healthier version. Sanding is also problematic because the sanding pads were getting gummed up and it creates a lot of dusk which is also not healthy to inhale. Thanks to COVID my house was stocked with KN95 masks to use when I did attempt sanding.
Time: It takes a lot of time, no matter the method, especially if you are as lucky as me and had to remove about 8 layers of paint. It look two separate coat and scrapes and still wasn’t completely bare. I tried using the laminated paper recommended in some videos but it didn’t peel away the paint nearly as good, took a lot of time to apply, and was pricey. So on cabinet #2 I opted not to use it.
Effort: The scraping takes a lot of energy, especially coat #1 of the gel because you should be using a plastic scraper (I used a flat metal putty knife because I didn’t have plastic) to avoid cutting into the wood. The second coat went so much easier and peeled most of the paint up quickly. If you only have a few layers of paint, it might be that easy on the first coat. The second most labor intensive part was scrubbing down the woodwork at the end with soapy water. I ignored this step on cabinet #1 and it shows. I tested it on cabinet #2 and was shocked to see the leftover areas with paint actually coming off with just water and a sponge. It took so much pressure though to scrub it all off and my hands were pretty raw by the end.
Finish: my cabinets have a real rustic look to them because the stripping gel did not work evenly. It took most of the varnish, but not all of it off. I used a sander on cabinet #1 and really didn’t like the resulting look because I didn’t take it down to the bare wood and instead was just getting the remaining varnish and paint off. This left it looking patchy with some light areas and some dark, even after applying a new coat of stain. On cabinet #2 I did not sand and instead scrubbed off all the paint, but that meant there was still areas with varnish on them giving that cabinet its own special look.

Look after the first coat of gel had been applied and scraped

In the end, I’m much happier with my two built in cabinets back to some semblance of their original dark wood finish, albeit a little more rustic looking (I don’t stare too hard at them). They have far more charm than they did when they were painted white like every other piece of wood in the house. While I’m happy with the results, I have very little motivation to attempt the same with the rest of the trim in the house. If I ever get fed up looking at the white trim I will likely call in an expert to get in done quicker and look far better when its done.