Dear Suzy,
We have seemingly miles of whitewashed cabinets in the kitchen. The only
problem is that they have yellowed, and there are also a couple of chips
knocked off the edges. What would be the best way to repaint them? They don’t
necessarily have to remain whitewashed. —
Lynne K.
Dear Lynne,
I once faced miles of cabinets that needed to be repainted. Since I was hired
to do the job, and supposedly paid good money (about 16cents an hour), I
decided to do it right. I lightly sanded all the cabinets and proceeded to
repaint them with brain-seizing oil-based paint. The humidity level was about
9,000% and it took days for the first coat to dry. In the meantime, the rather
furry homeowner must have stripped down every night after work and body slammed
the sticky cabinets. Every morning I spent hours picking curly black hair off
the doors and drawers. Then I would keep slapping on the paint. On the fourth
day, as I hummed “Purple Haze,” I looked up from my odious task to watch two
apples walk across the counter. I stumbled out into the fresh, humid air and
swore, “As God as my witness, I will never use oil-base again.”
I hope you haven’t sworn the same. I was going to recommend you first coat
your cabinets with Kilz Total One, a water-based miracle primer in my opinion,
then cover it with the latex color of your choice. But Jim, at Jim’s Paint
Store on north Burnet, said that’s not what he would recommend: “If it’s
yellowed, it’s probably finished with lacquer, and a water-based primer would
be iffy.” He suggested first using an oil-based cover stain by Zinser.
But I’m stubborn. So, I called John at Breed & Co. And he said Kilz Total
One would be “iffy,” too. What is this? A conspiracy? If I didn’t respect John
and Jim so much, I’d have to think they worked for the Oil-Based Paint
Association, which we all know is a front for the international terrorist
group, FYBWHAF, or Fry Your Brain Without Having Any Fun. John said to paint an
inconspicuous spot with Total One, let it dry, stick a piece of duct tape to
it, then pull it off to test the bond. If it peels off, you know what that
means: your own personal trip through VOC (volatile organic compounds) Land.
But the good news is you can finish off the job — if you can still hold a
paint brush — with latex.
You might also try “cutting” the yellow by applying another clear finish to
the cabinets that’s been tinted lightly with purple. This will make the
cabinets appear a little grayer or “stylishly weathered,” in optimistic terms.
If you bring a door into either of these guys, they can usually tell you what
finish you need to use: lacquer, urethane, egg whites, varnish… or hair
spray.
Make me dizzy with your questions: Suzebe@aol.com or regular old mail
here at the Chron.
This article appears in December 8 • 1995 and December 8 • 1995 (Cover).