Painting or Staining Kitchen Cabinets In Black Onyx

Take the cabinets down. If they are simply screwed into the wall, unscrew them, take them down and place them on a tarp in a clean work space. If the cabinets are built in or too heavy to move, leave them in place. Tape off the wall surrounding the cabinets, remove everything from the counter space beneath them and tape rosin paper over them. Rosin paper may be found at home improvement stores. Lay plastic sheeting over all appliances that can't be moved to protect them from sanding dust.

Remove the doors and shelves from the cabinet (if possible) and unscrew and remove all hardware. Place the hardware and corresponding screws in a small plastic bag so that you don't lose track of them.

Sand the surface of the cabinets and shelves (if you intend to paint them) with 320-grit sandpaper. Use a sanding block to smooth the majority of the surface and small sections of sandpaper to reach narrow corners, curves and edges. Sand in the direction of the grain when sanding wood. Sand just enough to roughen the surface.

Brush away the majority of the sanding dust with the hose of a vacuum, a broom or a dry rag. Wipe down the counters as well (if applicable) and sweep all of the sanding dust out of the room. Sanding particles are tiny and easily get kicked back up into the air and settle in wet coats of paint.

Wipe the sanded surface down with a tack cloth. Unfold the tack cloth and then crumple it before you wipe. This will increase the surface area of the tack cloth so that it will pick up sanding dust more readily. Keep wiping until the tack cloth removes no more sanding dust.

Pour the paint or stain into a separate container. The paintbrush will inevitably pick up debris as you use it. Painting from a separate container will prevent contamination of the main paint or stain supply.

Paint the cabinet with one coat of black onyx paint. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for application methods. When applying stain, paint it on with a rag and remove it within the prescribed amount of time. When applying paint, apply one thin coat of paint. Allow the paint to dry for the amount of time listed on the paint can (usually 8 to 24 hours), then apply a second coat on top of the dry one. Maintain a wet edge when you apply paint or stain. Do not let any portion of the surface dry out until you are done applying the coat.

Reassemble the cabinets once the last coat has cured for the amount of time recommended by the label.