90% of quality craftsmanship is in the prep work. Don’t skimp.

Seeing so many posts about how to fix things like paint on cabinets or doors that were poorly refurbished/installed. Take your time to really learn the tricks for prep work. If you’re painting, remember you’re also; removing hardware, sanding, cleaning, masking, priming, painting, sanding, cleaning, etc.. How you paint is not just slap it on with a brush. Rollers(of which there are many ‘nap’ lengths for different surfaces) will leave a different finish than a brush (of which there are hundreds of types for different products/finishes or an airless sprayer. You cannot achieve a perfectly smooth finish on say a metal exterior door with a paint brush or a roller. That would have to be removed from the frame, and sprayed in a dust free environment with an airless. If it’s been used for years and has dust or oily residue, it probably needs to be cleaned, lightly sanded, primed and then painted with the proper paint for conditions. I only say all of this because so much of these ‘help me’ posts are rushing to throw something together. Which will almost always look like it was rushed at the end. Removing fixtures, trim, door hardware etc is not something to skip and makes all the difference in DIY trash or pro craftsmanship. submitted by /u/AKBonesaw [link] [comments]

Jun 14, 2025 - 04:58

Seeing so many posts about how to fix things like paint on cabinets or doors that were poorly refurbished/installed.

Take your time to really learn the tricks for prep work.

If you’re painting, remember you’re also; removing hardware, sanding, cleaning, masking, priming, painting, sanding, cleaning, etc..

How you paint is not just slap it on with a brush. Rollers(of which there are many ‘nap’ lengths for different surfaces) will leave a different finish than a brush (of which there are hundreds of types for different products/finishes or an airless sprayer.

You cannot achieve a perfectly smooth finish on say a metal exterior door with a paint brush or a roller. That would have to be removed from the frame, and sprayed in a dust free environment with an airless. If it’s been used for years and has dust or oily residue, it probably needs to be cleaned, lightly sanded, primed and then painted with the proper paint for conditions.

I only say all of this because so much of these ‘help me’ posts are rushing to throw something together. Which will almost always look like it was rushed at the end.

Removing fixtures, trim, door hardware etc is not something to skip and makes all the difference in DIY trash or pro craftsmanship.

submitted by /u/AKBonesaw
[link] [comments]