Tried painting kitchen cabinets without sanding first

I watched a few videos that said this new primer would bond to anything, so I skipped sanding on my oak cabinets last weekend. After three days of drying, the paint started peeling off right where I grab the handles. Spent yesterday stripping everything down and doing it the right way with 120 grit sandpaper. Has anyone else had luck with those no-sand primers or am I just picking the wrong brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_clark8d ago

honestly i think people just screw up the prep work and blame the primer. i've done three sets of cabinets now with the rust-oleum cabinet transformations kit, no sanding at all, just cleaned them real good with TSP and used the deglosser that comes with it. two years later still looks perfect, no peeling, no nothing. you gotta make sure you wipe all the dust off after the deglosser and don't touch the surface with bare hands. the problem isn't the primer, it's that people rush through cleaning and don't let the deglosser sit long enough. oak is oily too so you probably needed to hit it with extra deglosser.

clark.iris9d ago

Thought the same thing, but now I sand everything after watching my paint bubble up.