Sand Kitchen Cabinets for a Factory-Smooth Paint Finish

Painting kitchen cabinets can transform a space fast—if the surfaces are dead-smooth. The secret isn’t magic paint; it’s disciplined sanding before primer, after primer, and lightly between color coats. This guide gives you a simple, repeatable workflow that keeps panels flat, profiles crisp, and edges protected so your topcoat looks factory fresh.

Why sanding matters on cabinets

Cabinet doors combine broad flats, narrow rails, and delicate profiles. Grease, old finish, and mill marks can telegraph through paint as orange peel, halos, and shiny dishes. Proper sanding:

• Levels minor texture and fills from patching so light reads evenly across panels.
• Creates tooth for primer and paint without over-polishing (which hurts adhesion).
• Protects geometry—hard blocks keep stile/rail lines straight so reflections stay crisp.

Tools & materials

• Rigid sanding blocks (hardwood/aluminum) plus a thin cork pad for gentle conformity
• Detail/profile blocks or sticks for inside corners and ogees
• 9×11 in silicon-carbide sheets (see grit sequence below)
• Degreaser, clean water, and lint-free towels
• High-adhesion bonding primer and cabinet-grade enamel (waterborne or hybrid)
• Vacuum with brush, microfiber cloths, and light tack cloth
• Masking film/tape, raking light, and a pencil for witness lines
• Optional: filler/putty for dings; strainers for finish

Recommended grit sequence

• 120 grit: Initial scuff/shape on raw wood or bare-wood repairs; controlled degloss on stubborn factory finishes.
• 220 grit: Universal refinement before primer and after it cures to sandable.
• 320 grit: Light de-nib between color coats for a glassy feel.

Step-by-step: factory-smooth, paint-ready doors

1. Remove, label, and degrease. Take off doors/drawers and label hinges/positions. Wash thoroughly with a cabinet-safe degreaser; rinse and dry. Paint won’t fix contamination.
2. Map with witness lines. Under raking light, pencil a faint crosshatch over each panel and along stiles/rails. These marks disappear evenly when you’ve sanded just enough.
3. Scuff and shape at 120. Wrap a rigid block with 120 Grit (25-pack) and sand with the grain. Use a small hard block on rails/stiles and profile sticks on edges. Goal: dull the sheen, erase mill marks, and level tiny filler spots—don’t dig lows. On factory finishes that resist scuffing, lean on fresh sheets, not pressure.
4. Refine to 220 before primer. Switch to 220 Grit (50-pack). Two or three light, overlapping passes unify tooth and remove 120 lines. Keep blocks fully supported; fingertips create shiny dishes that flash under paint.
5. Vacuum, wipe, tack. Dust in profiles seeds nibs later. Vacuum thoroughly, wipe with a clean microfiber, then a light tack right before coating.
6. Prime thin and even. Spray/roll a bonding primer in controlled coats. Tip off sags immediately; let the coat cure to sandable, not just dry to touch.
7. De-nib primer at 220. Use fresh 220 by hand on a cork-backed block. You’re flattening specks and roller texture, not removing the primer layer. Re-vacuum and tack.
8. First color coat. Apply a thin, even film. Maintain a wet edge, avoid over-working, and strain paint to minimize nibs.
9. Light 320 kiss between coats. When the first coat is sandable, give a whisper-light pass with 320 Grit (100-pack)—just enough to make the surface uniformly silky. Vacuum and tack.
10. Final color coat. Lay the last coat thin and even. Inspect under mixed lighting (raking + overhead). Stop the moment it looks uniformly flat and glossy; extra coats can amplify texture.

Special cases

• Open-grain oak: After 120 → 220, consider a grain-filling primer or two thin primer coats, sanding 220 between for a piano-flat look.
• Maple/cherry (dense, blotch-prone): Keep pressure low and stop raw wood at 220; over-polishing hurts primer bite.
• MDF shaker doors: Faces need only a 220 scuff; edges/profiles get more love—seal edges well and de-nib carefully.
• Grease-heavy zones: Degrease twice. If paint still crawls, you’re seeing contamination—clean and reprime before continuing.

Pro tips

• Fresh paper, not pressure. Dull sheets skate and make you push—exactly how you round profiles.
• Blocks for flats. Sponges are fine for gentle blending but will roll edges if you flatten with them.
• Edge discipline. Sand edges first, then panels so stray grit can’t scratch finished flats later.
• Raking light is honest. Check after each grit; stop the instant pencil hash fades evenly.
• Thin films win. Multiple thin coats level and cure better than one heavy hero coat.

Aftercare

• Let enamel reach handle-hard before reassembly; full cure can take days—be gentle.
• Clean with pH-neutral soap; avoid silicone polishes that contaminate for future touch-ups.
• For small scuffs later, de-nib with 320, wipe, and dab a thin touch-up along the grain.

FAQs

• Can I skip primer if I sand aggressively? No—primer is for adhesion, stain block, and leveling. Sanding alone won’t replace it.
• Is 400 better than 320 between coats? 320 is the sweet spot for mechanical key without polishing. Use 400 only on very soft finishes that scratch easily.
• Random-orbital or by hand? Use RO only for light blending with a hard interface. Do your flattening with blocks to keep panels dead-flat.
• How do I avoid orange peel? Proper sanding, strained paint, correct tip/roller, and thin coats. If peel appears, de-nib at 320 and lay a thinner final coat.

Video: Cabinet sanding & de-nibbing workflow

Bottom line: Factory-smooth cabinets come from control, not luck: 120 to shape and degloss, 220 to refine and prep, 320 to de-nib between coats. Keep blocks hard, pressure light, dust under control, and films thin—you’ll get a durable, glass-flat finish that elevates the whole kitchen.