Painted my kitchen cabinets without sanding them first, big mistake

I was at my brother's place in Denver last weekend and he told me to just use liquid deglosser instead of sanding before painting his old oak cabinets. Two days later the paint is peeling off in strips around the handles. Has anyone here actually gotten deglosser to work long term, or is sanding the only way to go?

2 comments

2 Comments

wade_young861d ago

Yeah that deglosser stuff is totally a scam (learned that the hard way myself). I tried it on my bathroom vanity last year thinking I could skip the messy sanding step and now it looks like a snake shedding its skin around all the cabinet edges. Sanding is the only way to go if you want paint to actually stick for more than a week. I mean you don't have to go crazy with like 80 grit or anything, just a quick once over with 120 grit to rough up the surface makes a world of difference. Also make sure you clean all the dust off really good before painting (that's another mistake I made the first time). Sorry your brother led you wrong but at least now you know for next time.

the_cora17h ago

And actually I read somewhere that deglosser can leave a film that actually repels paint if you don't scrub it off hard enough. I think it was on a painting forum where a guy tested like five different brands on old laminate and they all peeled within a month. Sanding is just way more reliable even if it's a pain. Plus you can feel when the surface is rough enough, you know? With deglosser you're just hoping it worked. I've had pretty good luck with just a quick sand and then using a tack cloth before priming.