DIY Cabinet Facing Repair

Disassemble your cabinets. Twist the knobs off of each door. Remove the retaining screws from each handle and hinge with your screwdriver. Remove all of the doors and drawers. Lay the doors and drawers onto drop cloths. Place your hardware and retaining screws into a plastic jar, and twist the lid on tight. Set the jar aside until you are ready to reassemble your cabinets.

Clean your cabinets thoroughly with a rag soaked in warm, soapy water. Dip a cotton swab into denatured alcohol. Rub the alcohol-soaked swab over any spots covered with hard-to-remove residue. Wipe these areas with a wet rag immediately to remove the alcohol from the wood. Let your cabinets dry completely before continuing.

Mix the automotive body filler following the manufacturer's instructions. Apply the filler to each damaged area on the face of the cabinets. Allow the filler to cure overnight.

Sand each of the cabinet faces with medium-grit sandpaper. Start with the repair areas. Smooth each of these areas so that it is flush with the existing face of the surrounding area. Sand every face of each cabinet to remove all of the existing paint, stain and sealer. Clean the cabinets thoroughly to remove dust, debris and residue.

Fill the hopper of your handheld paint sprayer with oil-based enamel paint. Apply three coats of paint to each surface of every cabinet. Let each coat of paint dry completely before the next application. Spray paint thinner through your sprayer to clean it out between every coat. Rub steel wool over every surface after each coat dries to smooth the paint to a polished sheen.

Fill your paint sprayer with polyurethane. Spray a coat of polyurethane over the third coat of paint. Let the polyurethane dry overnight before continuing.

Reassemble your cabinets gently. Attach the hinges and handles. Slide each drawer back into its original home. Mount each door over the opening it originally covered.