How To Fix Water Damaged Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are put through a lot of stress, peculiarly if they're under the sink or fridge and they're fabricated from materials like MDF and particle board which don't tend to be super stiff. H2o from your sink and moisture in the air can atomic number 82 to water damaged cabinets that look a chip worse for wear.

H2o damaged cabinets will often become swollen, causing paint to chip off or laminate to bubble upward and ruin the terminate. You lot might even notice that a laminate surface starts to pop off completely due to h2o impairment inside your cabinets.

However water damaged kitchen cabinets bear on your kitchen, you demand to repair them as soon as possible earlier the damage gets whatsoever worse. Wood tin survive a certain corporeality of water damage, only the team at Kitchen Infinity can definitely tell you from experience the cabinets can besides reach a point of no render where they go unsaveable. Yous also endeavour and waterproof your kitchen cabinets to prevent the risk of further damage in the future.

Here we're going to look at the all-time way to repair kitchen cabinets that are h2o damaged, besides every bit discuss possible ways to protect your cabinets from water problems going forwards.

Let's get to it!

9 Steps For Repairing Kitchen Cabinets Afterward Water Damage

Now, these are general steps that tin can be broadly applied to most situations for near cabinet door materials and styles. Obviously, yous need to use some common sense regarding the level of water impairment and how feasible information technology is to relieve your cabinets from water damage.

These 9 steps should work fine to repair water damage off of cabinets made from MDF, particle board, plywood, and many other materials.

Then, how do you repair water damaged woods cabinets?

i. Set the cabinets for repair

First things first, you demand to ready the cabinets for the work you lot're going to exercise.

You need to remove the chiffonier door from its hinges and identify it on a piece of work surface which is safety and protected for tools/paint. Preferably move it to a garage/shed and put dropcloths around to catch paint.

Depending on the severity of the water damage, you may desire to remove the hinges, door handles, and any other pieces of hardware from the chiffonier door. You may find that this makes the process easier regardless of the water damage level.

Brand sure that the doors are dry out earlier you start working on them – they cannot be recently water damaged. Take them off a couple days before you plan to repair them if necessary.

2. Employ a shellac-based primer on the forest

Easy to find in virtually hardware stores, shellac-based primers are designed to help repair small blemishes and damage in wooden article of furniture such as our cabinets.

Shellac-based primer normally comes in a spray canteen for easy application over damaged areas. Apply 1 or two coats of this product over damaged areas to help even out the surface of your cabinet door.

The great thing about shellac-based primer is that y'all can put any kind of paint over it. This primer is going to assistance fifty-fifty out the surface of the wood but also permit your paint to stick to it really well.

3. Apply plastic forest filler if necessary

If there are larger areas of damage on your kitchen cabinets, you may like to use plastic woods filler to help seal them up and repair the water impairment. Particle board tends to get more bumps than MDF so if you have particle board cabinets, do this step thoroughly.

Personally, I like to apply the plastic wood filler straight from the tube into affected areas and and then polish it over with a small putty knife. Obviously the amount yous apply and the technique you use to apply information technology will depend on the situation yous've got in forepart of you.

Brand sure that y'all get the surface of your cabinets nice and flat (or as flat as possible!) earlier the next footstep.

4. Get sanding that chiffonier door!

At present information technology's time to start sanding!

Kitchen cabinets repair oftentimes involves sanding at some stage, and this is no exception! Water damaged cabinets need sanding down so that the surface of the wood appears even one time again, without any bubbling or swollen areas.

I like to apply 120-grit sandpaper, though any similar coarse grit should be okay. Some people practice this footstep by hand, but I find that information technology'due south much easier to use an electrical sander for this step.

Y'all should ideally apply a high-quality electric sander fabricated by a reputable home design company.

Exist careful not to sand the wood besides much – you lot're probably going to repeat the process, so the cabinets shouldn't await as good equally new direct away. Just make certain it looks smoother and less damaged after you sand it down.

5. Repeat the previous steps if necessary

If your chiffonier are really badly affected by water damage, y'all should consider repeating the previous steps 1 or 2 times over until the repair piece of work is adequate.

Yous may want to reuse the shellac primer, the plastic wood filler, and the sanding process depending on how damaged the cabinet door really is.

Use your best judgment or ask a friend who'due south skilful at home DIY if you're not certain! Repeat steps 2 to 4 until the woods is looking apartment and relatively smooth.

Don't worry nearly the color at this indicate – focus on the wood repair itself.

half dozen. Get-go painting your kitchen cabinet!

Once the water impairment is barely visible and the cabinet door looks very flat and polish, it's fourth dimension to first painting it back to how it was.

Employ the same blazon of paint that yous used for the original chiffonier design. The shellac primer will help the pigment to adhere to the wood prissy and easily.

If you're working with larger a cabinet door, y'all may desire to use a paint roller for the process, finishing off whatever minor details with a modest paintbrush. Some people also like to use paintbrushes for the whole thing – it depends on your preference and skill level with painting.

You lot probably want to pigment over the entire cabinet door (not but the water damaged areas) otherwise the paint will await patchy and uneven.

Once you've finished painting, leave the cabinet door to dry for still long is necessary according to the type of paint yous've used. Behave in mind that oil-based woods paints can take several hours to dry in between coats, and so allow every bit much time as you'll need.

7. Sand the painted cabinet doors down

Yous'll notice that you're very skilful at sanding later on this repair job!

Yes, once the pigment is dry, sand it down once again with a finer sandpaper. The goal here isn't to flatten or reshape the wood – it's to make the finish of the paint announced more seamless. The sanding also creates minor holes and grooves in the cabinet door surface which helps future coats of paint to adhere properly.

I use 220-dust sandpaper for this function of the repair procedure.

You can sand the painted wood by hand or use an electric sander in one case again. However, I would recommend sanding this footstep by paw because you lot need to be more than conscientious and preserve the pigment job.

Be gentle!

8. Apply a terminal coat of paint and sand it down again

Now apply a final coat of paint, allow it dry out, and gently sand it down again with fine 220-grit sandpaper or like. You might want to echo the procedure 1 or two more times depending on how your cabinet door is looking.

At this point, no h2o damage or pigment chipping should be visible. The cabinet door should await every bit skilful every bit new. The repair is almost complete!

9. Apply a h2o-proofing varnish or seal

If y'all want to actually repair water damaged kitchen cabinets and stop the trouble from coming back, I would advise applying a final topcoat or clear coat to assistance keep the water out going forward.

Y'all tin find diverse waterproof seals, clear coats, and varnishes for wooden kitchen cabinets. Make sure you lot find 1 that is suitable for the type of wood you lot're working on and the type of paint that y'all've been using.

Besides be aware of the clear coat'southward terminate. For instance, if you're going for a apartment matte paint finish, yous desire a clear coat that will non look sleeky when it dries.

Waterproof paints and varnishes won't make your cabinets impervious to water, simply they volition make it much more difficult for future moisture to penetrate the wood.

kitchen cabinet water proofing — Photo Credit: Pursuing Outdoors

How Do I Protect My Kitchen Cabinets From Water?

In one case you've got your kitchen cabinets repaired, you want to go on them safe from future harm. After all, information technology'southward better to protect your cabinets than constantly repair them. At that place are five master ways to do this:

1. Get them laminated

You lot may take heard of laminated kitchen cabinets. This is when your woods cabinets and frames have a layer of "laminate" over them which protects them from water damage.

This laminate layer is a shine, shiny applique which may be fabricated from plastic or a similar water-resistant fabric. Laminated kitchen cabinets are not waterproof, but this polish outer layer can stop water droplets from penetrating the wooden cadre of your chiffonier doors.

Laminated kitchen cabinets are commonly on the sleeky side, though it is possible to paint laminate kitchen cabinets then they lucifer your intended kitchen fashion.

2. Apply a water-proofing varnish, seal, or clear coat

You lot tin find various clear coats for your kitchen cabinets that help to keep them waterproof. This way, you can stop your kitchen cabinets from absorbing water easily, even if they're fabricated from cheap wood.

Waterproof seals, varnishes, and articulate coats come in various formulas and are applicable to different types of kitchen cabinet door, depending on the type of woods and the paint used.

If you find a waterproofing clear glaze, but ensure that the finish (i.e. glossy, matte, satin) matches the end that you're going for with your new kitchen cabinet design.

iii. Get a deeper style of sink

If you lot keep dripping water all down your kitchen cabinet doors, yous might find it's time to change the design of your kitchen.

For instance, do yous demand a deeper fashion of sink so that water doesn't splash out so hands? Mayhap you need a amend seal around the edges of the sink to terminate the h2o from leaking out.

Changing your sink manner could end water spillages from happening birthday. Prevention is ameliorate than repair!

4. Effort new countertop edges

You might also want to change the blueprint of your countertop edges. You lot might not think about it, but the style that your countertop edges are designed can significantly impact the likelihood of water dripping into your cabinets and ruining them.

For example, kitchen countertops with a bullnose edge (i.eastward. an edge that curves all the style around) tend to bear h2o spillages over the edge and baste them into the cabinets below.

On the other hand, beveled edges on your kitchen countertops tend to make spillages baste down straight onto the flooring, missing the cabinets entirely.

If you lot find that your home is prone to cabinet damage, a square edge or askew edge countertop is a great solution if you don't have small children to worry about (the edges can be sharp!)

5. Get amend ventilation or dehumidification

If you observe that your bug are caused past moisture, yous may notice that you want to invest in better ventilation for your kitchen. For example, if y'all boil a lot of water or do a lot of cooking that produces steam, yous demand to assist that steam go out of your home.

It's not rocket scientific discipline.

The obvious solution is to open up your windows to help the moisture and steam escape, but yous might also want to consider products such equally kitchen extractor fans and dehumidifiers to help soak up excess moisture in the air which is ruining your precious cabinets!

Open up windows can only do then much.

Making your cabinets are water resistant — Waterproofed Cabinet Situation by Kitchen Infinity

The Lesser Line

Information technology's non super easy to repair your kitchen cabinets, simply it is definitely possible if y'all're willing to put in the necessary time, effort, and materials. Depending on the type of paint you lot're using and the severity of the project, it can take anywhere from a few hours to several days to repair your moisture cabinets, and then proceed this in heed.

Personally, I find that it's best to keep your cabinetry protected from future spills by investing in deep sinks, good sealing, and counter edges which help spills to coil off the terminate and straight onto the floor. Whether you're repairing existing issues or safeguarding against future moisture, I hope that your repair task goes well.

Remember to stay rubber, take all the time y'all need, and go on repeating those steps until the cabinets look proficient as new!