Sanding the existing cabinets

To take on the job of sanding the existing cabinets to remove any existing paint and stain and prepare the surface for a new stain, I purchased an orbit palm sander. I decided to go with the Milwaukee 5 In. Orbit Sander. With a price tag of only $69, and 5 star reviews, I felt comfortable with this purchase. I used 120 grit sand paper for my first sand over the cabinets and doors. I chose 120 because it was rough enough to rempove some pesky paint and stain that I didn't get off with the paint stripper. The sander did an amazing job. My advice when sanding cabinets and doors are: 1) when sanding the top and side edges of the doors and cabinets, make sure you don't sand one spot more than another or you'll end up with a lopsided edge. Try to keep the sander level and sand each section evenly. 2) Check to see if your doors or cabinets have a wood veneer (a thin slice of wood glued onto the core panels). If you do have a veneer, be careful not to sand too much and sand right through the veneer. 3) Put up plastic if you are sanding indoors. I would also suggest putting some fans in the windows facing out to help exhaust any sand dust (and there will be plenty of it). 4) A round orbit sander does a great job, but it can't get into corners. I recommend picking up a Dremmel MultiMax tool. This is a great tool for many do-it-yourself projects, not just sanding.

Once the sanding was complete, the kitchen started looking like I was making some progress. It's exciting to have the cabinets down to the raw wood. I finished the sanding by using 220 grit to help smooth everything out and prepare it for the stain.