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Our Cabinet Painting and Staircase Refinishing Process

Every cabinet painting and staircase refinishing project starts with proper preparation. At Handily, we don't simply paint over existing surfaces. We clean, sand, repair, prime and finish each surface according to the material and the final look you're trying to achieve.

Our Cabinet Painting Process

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  1. Free consultation. Our first visit is to answer all your questions. We look at your kitchen, talk colours, and confirm refinishing is the right call.

  2. Doors, drawers, and hardware come off. Everything is labelled so it all goes back exactly where it belongs.

  3. Doors and drawers are cleaned and sprayed off-site. This matters for two reasons. Even with careful masking and exhaust, fumes can still spread into the rest of the house. Specialty cleaning products have strong odours, like the alcohol we use as the last step in our cleaning process, and plastic sheeting cannot fully contain them. So we do this work off-site instead of risking your family's health. It also keeps your kitchen usable while we work. Many households have young children, seniors, or people with special needs, so we gladly do the extra work of loading and transporting everything ourselves.

  4. Deep clean and degrease. The cabinet boxes hold years of grease that paint will not stick to.

  5. Sanding and repairs. We sand the frames and fill dents and chips for a smooth base.

  6. Bonding primer, then premium cabinet coating. Professional-grade coatings known for strong chemical, stain, scuff, and scratch resistance.

  7. Reinstall and adjust. Doors and drawers come back, aligned and working smoothly.

  8. Final walkthrough. We inspect everything with you before we call it done.

Ready to see what your cabinet painting project could cost? Get an instant estimate online in just a few minutes.

Our Staircase Refinishing Process

  1. Free estimate and consultation visit. We love questions from homeowners about the project, so you will have time to ask questions or share comments. We look at your staircase, talk stain and paint colours, and confirm refinishing is the right call.

  2. Protect the surrounding areas from dust and debris.

  3. Sand all wooden surfaces where stain will be applied, completely removing the old finish.

  4. Repair minor imperfections as needed.

  5. Vacuum and clean the sanded surfaces.

  6. Water mist test. After vacuuming the sanding dust, we spray a fine mist of water on the surface to check that every inch of the wood was sanded properly. A properly sanded surface turns darker temporarily on contact with water. This is crucial because the stain must penetrate into the wood pores.

  7. We prepare a sample of the stain on the same species of wood as your staircase, mostly oak or maple. We make sure you love the colour you picked, then apply it.

  8. Protect the stained surfaces with multiple coats of durable clear finish after the stain has dried completely.

  9. Mask the stained surfaces. Prime the risers, stringers, and spindles with a bonding, stain-blocking primer.

  10. Paint the risers, stringers, and spindles with a durable, scuff-resistant paint.

  11. Final inspection and cleanup of the work area.

Ready to see what your staircase refinishing project could cost? Get an instant estimate online in just a few minutes.

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