How to remove paint from kitchen cabinets

Question

I painted my kitchen cabinets but I put on too many coats of paint and now they won't close properly and the paint pulled the wood off the cabinet doors where the door hinges came together! How can I remove the paint and start over without major overhauling them, or what will strip the paint off easily so I can repaint them?

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

You can strip the paint off. But if the finish is good and the only issue is with the insert part of the door, why not simply remove the paint in that location and touch up? 
You can rent a router with a bit that can simply remove just a tiny amount of paint and wood to give you a finished edge again. Then prime and paint and your good to go again. 
A sharp scraper with heat gun also will remove the paint in the edges where it has built up. But you risk messing up the final finish that is exposed doing it that way.

Jean Blakeley-Cook · Answer

sand where needed so that the rubbing doesn't occur in tight spots and touch up as Woodbridge Environmental suggested.

Christina · Answer

I wouldn't close the cabinet doors until the paint has a very long time to cure. It usually says on the directions what the cure time is. Sometimes it is a month before before things should be put on top of a painted surface-this would include pressing two painted surfaces together. Other things can cause this problem--putting paint on too thickly, not waiting for it to dry long enough, the wrong paint for the object being painted, or poor quality paint. That said, I agree with Jean. Hopefully, the paint you used will hold up to scrubbing. I have the same 50's cabinets in my kitchen and the previous owner painted them. The paint scratches off easily and scrubs off.

CK · Answer

I wonder too, if you put them on and closed them too soon. Oh I know that heartache :-( OK.....Woodbridge gave you super great ideas to follow. Also, are you certain you put the same doors in the same place they were before? You'd be surprised that even though they look all the same, you may have installed a couple in the wrong place (that is if you have many doors) Also, you may want to check that the hinges were all replaced in the same place as before. I'm suggesting these things cuz we had some of the same issues (doors not fitting, not closing) and found the problems were doors in the wrong place and hinges not right. The next time we painted, we labeled things better ;-)

D & K · Answer

Regardless of what you use or how you remove or strip the existing paint in all likely hood the problem will reoccur. From your photos it appears that the door surface and the cabinet frame are making contact with each other. Paint that should be dry according to the product directions, is often too soft to be put in contact with other freshly painted surfaces without sticking, lifting and causing the very problem you're experiencing. Frankly I would sand the c**p out of these areas taking it back to bare wood and then sand slightly further. Prime, paint and then wait at least 2 days to rehang them not so the paint can dry, but so it can harden. Weather permitting I'd do this on a dry sunny day or at least in a warm garage. Also I want to mention two quick items. Higher gloss paints are more prone to this and take longer to harden compared to flat or satin paints and be sure to check your hinges. This type of hinge is prone to flexing and becoming misshapened and sometimes allows the door to drag the frame.

Louis Lieberman · Answer

use a power savder with 80 grit paper then  go fr medium & finally fine sandpaper

Kristina Ponath-Graham · Answer

Heat gun works great with no chemicals be careful to not burn the would once paint starts to bubble then it peels off easily

How to remove paint from kitchen cabinets

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How to remove paint from kitchen cabinets

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