Techniques for Spraying Cabinet Doors

Layout

• Cabinet doors must be finished on both sides and all four edges. Its important to use a layout that can accommodate this while at the same time, spraying as many doors as possible. Build a simple support for optimal spraying layout by placing long pieces of pine, fir or poplar lumber parallel to each other across as many sawhorses as you have the room for. The lumber should be at least 3/4-inch-thick, at least 2 inches wide. Use the longest pieces you can accommodate, preferably at least 96 inches long. Place as many doors as possible across the lumber. Place the doors face down, side by side, with a 2-inch gap between them. If you make two rows of sawhorses and lumber, leave enough room so that you can comfortably walk between the rows. You should also have enough room so that you can walk around all the rows between walls.

Stain

• Production cabinet shops use spray guns for stain. It's the only way to get consistency when staining multiple doors. Use a quart-size spray gun with a staining tip or nozzle. Fill the gun with stain. Spray a test pattern on a piece of scrap wood and adjust the spray as necessary. Spray the doors one or two at a time. Hold the gun 8 inches from the surface of the door. Spray overlapping bands of stain onto the surface of the door until it's wet with stain. Spray the ends and sides of the door. Wipe the stain off immediately with a soft, dry cloth. Move to the next two doors and repeat moving down the line until all of the doors are stained on one side. When the stain is dry, flip the doors over and repeat the procedure. Don't let the stain dry before wiping it off. If this begins to happen, stop what you're doing and wipe the doors off immediately.

Lacquer

• Modern lacquers dry fast, lay down flat and are user friendly. Lacquer is used on almost all contemporary cabinet doors. Use a spray gun with a 1- or 2-gallon container. The container sits on the floor, connected to the gun with long hoses. You can rent this type of spray gun with a lacquer tip on it. There are three basic types of lacquer: dull, medium and high-gloss. Most cabinet doors are finished using medium-gloss, but it's up to you, all of them apply the same way. Some cabinetmakers use sealer before spraying with lacquer, but others use only lacquer as a sealing agent. It works exactly the same way, but lacquer only is faster and you get the same results. Sealer is nothing more than thick lacquer. You can use it if you like, but you'll notice no difference in the long run.

First Coat Lacquer

• After the stain has dried sufficiently, fill the lacquer container with lacquer. Spray a test pattern on a piece of scrap wood standing up vertically. The gun should produce a 4-to-6-inch-wide band of lacquer. The lacquer should not drip or run while producing a wet surface. Adjust the knob on the end of the gun clockwise for less lacquer, counterclockwise for more. Spray the doors one at a time with bands of lacquer that run parallel to the door. Hold the gun 8 inches from the surface of the doors tilted at 15 degrees. Spray bands of lacquer over the surface of the doors starting on one side. Each band of lacquer should overlap the previous band by 1 inch. Continue on in this manner until the surface of the door is wet with lacquer. Spray both ends and both sides. Spray all of the doors on the layout the same way. When the lacquer is dry, flip the doors over and repeat the process.

Second Coat Lacquer

• Sand all of the doors by hand with a folded piece of 180-grit sandpaper. Sand lightly to flatten and smooth the first coat of lacquer. This produces a fine, white powder, also known as lacquer dust, it aids in curing the second coat. Leave it on the door. Don't remove it. Sand the sides and ends of the door. Spray the next coat on exactly as you did the first coat. It's OK to spray it a bit heavier if desired. Keep the gun moving as you spray. Never stop the movement of the gun. Don't spray lacquer where you don't need it, and don't spray it into the air or move the spray pattern across previously sprayed doors. Use consistent even strokes to lay down an even, wet coat. When the lacquer is dry, turn the doors over and repeat the process. You can add one or two more coats for a deeper finish, but two coats are sufficient.