refinishing kitchen cabinets

[Beth Beckerman]

Hello all,

We continue to get requests to refinish kitchen cabinets. While the drawers & doors are easily done in the shop, there’s the obvious challenge of doing the base of the cabinets in the home. I would appreciate any insight you might have on this. Here are a few of my questions & concerns:

What type of stripper do you use in the home?

In Dave’s class, he mentioned a quick drying stripper. Any idea what that is or where to get it?

Do you have the clients stay out of the home for a certain length of time to avoid fumes?

Do you charge by the hour or the job?

Do you increase your rate because it takes you out of the shop & includes travel, etc.

Are there other things I’m overlooking?



Thanks in advance for your help!!


Beth Beckerman
Maple Hill Restorations
5726 N 1100 Blvd
Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
618-263-8403

[Bruce Wilson]

Hello Beth , I'm retired now , but I have done a lot of kitchen refinishing since 1976 . I've been through the whole evolution of trail and error on finding the best way to refinish in the home . Here are some tips , I would do the doors and drawers in the shop , I got away from stripping in the home , I would sand off the finish using a random orbit sander will vacuum attachment. This really  worked well . Nice clean job and no dust in house . Then I would tape everything and prep for spraying, staining . After staining and sealing I would use a toner for finial color and to ensure a good match between frames and doors. Top coats I would use Magna Max by Campbell . I would start the process on Monday ,finish the frames Tuesday afternoon and hang doors on Friday .

Fast drying stripper , not a good idea

I would like the home owners to be out of the house while spraying and 2 hours after that . 

I charged by the job , 1/3 up front   when figuring price you need to take everything into consideration , then add 10 to 15 % for what you forgot .

The only other advice would be to , take your time and don't skip any steps . 

 Good Luck -Hope this helps , David B. Wilson 

 

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From: Beth Beckerman <maple...@gmail.com>
To: "woodfinis...@googlegroups.com" <woodfinis...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 11:07 AM
Subject: [WoodFinishing Guide: 327] refinishing kitchen cabinets

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[Beth Beckerman]

Hi David,

Thanks so much for your response & your expertise!  I will take all those points into consideration.  I especially like the idea of sanding in the home instead of using stripper.  I haven’t used Campbell products, but I know many do & are pleased with the results.  I’ll give the Magna Max a try. 

Do you have any experience with water borne stains & finishes?  I’ve been experimenting with some General Finishes products.  I’m happy with some of the finishes but haven’t used them enough yet to know how they stand up over time.  

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!  

Beth Beckerman
Maple Hill Restorations
5726 N 1100 Blvd
Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
618-263-8403

woodfinishinggu...@googlegroups.com

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[Bruce Wilson]

 never took the time to experiment with water base . I really liked lacquer base because I was confident in the results .

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From: Beth Beckerman <maple...@gmail.com>
To: "woodfinis...@googlegroups.com" <woodfinis...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 4:48 PM
Subject: Re: [WoodFinishing Guide: 329] refinishing kitchen cabinets

[Darrelk]

Hi, Beth,

We've been doing cabinets for about 35 years now.  I base pricing more on the customer than a preset pricing structure.  The customer relates to us just what they have been looking at (facelifting, replacement, etc.) and what they were budgeting for those processes.  If I can come in at about 20 to 40 % less than those services I can get the job.  I always allow for just "what " we are doing and their expectations of the "effect."  We get a lot of requests now for satin black lacquer which sometimes only requires a thorough cleaning, sanding back, re-sealing/and/or priming, and topcoating with the black.  We prefer to do the doors and drawers in-shop however we have also had houses that were being extensive remodeled so we could just do everything on site.  As far as jobs that require some type of stripping of the surrounds I usually find those surfaces to have little to no wear so many times we can clean, seal, and "tint" or tone those to the looks of the drawers/doors we've done in-shop.  As for any stripping on-site, my Artisan's Insurance is nullified if I would do this in a customer

house.  Yes, I can sand off the bad coatings on those surrounds if needed.  We take a 50% deposit for a job even to get on our schedule with the balance due upon the day of completion.  Another great lacquer based coating is Hood Finishing's Magna-Shield.  Very high solids, no re-coat windows, and is very flexible and adaptable over most coating surfaces.

And take this for what it's worth..... I feel the hardest part of one of these jobs is having a client that is realistic and flexible when working with you.  YOU set the methodology "up front" about your process and what you can do. Some people just have lofty expectations and may expect factory level qualities but of course, you're not charging them $50,000 for that new or improved look.  Always take phone pics when you do a job and use those for selling the next job.

Sincerely,

Darrel

 

[Tim Inman]

What Darrel said!!!!

Pay close attention to this message. Darrel has it right. It isn't about costing your work and making a little profit. This is about working to market demands. Your customer is wanting that $50,000 kitchen look - and they're hoping they can noodle you down to doing a remake for a few hundred bucks. Sorry. It doesn't work that way. Why? After it is all over, they often come back disappointed they didn't get the 'look' and forget they just saved tens of thousands on the job. Charge a fair price, but be sure to know what 'fair' really is. I also agree that the stiles and rails in the house usually won't need much prep prior to a make over. This is where good color work pays off in spades. They are after the 'look' so don't let them tell you how to do the job. Just give them the 'look' they want and how you do it is your business. It really is YOUR business!

[Tim Inman]

Oh! And one more thing!!

Unless there is more remodeling going on in the house, factor in a final clean up fee. Don't itemize this, just be sure it is added into your bill. Case in point: A couple we know recently had an elevator installed in their condo. The shaft was built into the original construction and served as 'upstairs downstairs' closets. To install the elevator, the closet floor was removed and the equipment for the elevator installed. After all the construction work was done, the elevator contractor hired a cleaning service to come into the condo and do a TOTAL CONDO house cleaning - from top to bottom. This removed any/all traces of dust from the installation job. The owners were thrilled, the contractor was protected because it was the cleaning service's job to get things spotless. AND the job was very profitable for the installer. Being picky about details is fine, but the owner/picky person needs to know that it costs money to nitpick on little stuff. Their money - not yours.