Do I have to take smoke damaged wood cupboards down to bare wood

To get rid of the smoke, all that is needed is a good scrubbing with TSP.

You mentioned that there are chips in the paint that you can’t fill in and that you would like to repaint the cabinets for in your kitchen.

If you are noticing the imperfections now, imagine how much those nicks will drive you crazy hanging in your new kitchen! I think it would be worth the extra time to strip the cabinets down to bare wood and do a nice refinishing job on them.

😊

I would think you must sand out all the smoke damage or the smell of fire would keep returning. You could test out the effectiveness of just tsp by washing 1 unit thoroughly and putting it in a small area such as a closet to see if the room smells like smoke after 24 hrs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lFX7xUOlFY

This is great advise as my daughter just had bad grease fire and nearly everything in her apartment is smoke damaged. Is there anything to get the smell out of clothes and fabric?

P.S. Make sure you have renters insurance! It has been a godsend to her!

You can just sand the bits that are chipped to smooth out the area. Unless the cabinets had 10 or so coats of paint, a chip isn't very deep. Probably it would be best to also use a prime coat (oil or latex) as your paint is. Good luck!

I would take it all the way to bare wood to get rid of any smoke damage and to be able to get a good glaze surface. I the paint has chips that is another reason to sand it down

TSP applied with steel wool...give a good scrub, and wipe off with a damp textured cloth, let dry.

Use a good smoke killing primer like KILZ or Zinsser...You shouldn't need to sand to bare wood if you are painting. Do sand the areas with loose paint and chips. Make sure to prime every inch carefully.

My favourite: https://www.thepaintstore.com/Zinsser_B_I_N_Primer_Sealer_p/01008.htm

or

http://www.kilz.com/products/primer/kilz-max