Repainting stained cabinets

[gkeas]

I closed on a new house on Wednesday, and we are putting a few $$'s into updating it a bit (built in 2000, but needs some new surfaces).  One of the projects is repainting the kitchen cabinets.  They are currently a fairly golden maple color, and I'm sure they are "production" cabinets.  I assume most cabinets that age used oil based stains and sealants, but I'm sure we'll be using a water based paint.  Now for my questions:

For surface prep, after cleaning w/ TSP, what grit paper should I use?  I'll be using several of my Festool sanders and a CT-22 or Mini.

What primer should I use over the existing finish to get the best adhesion for a water based paint?

What are some good options for water based paints to spray? (I have a spankin' new Earlex HV5000 I'll be breaking in)  I'll be spraying the doors and drawer fronts in the garage.  My wife will be brush painting the frames.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Rob Z]

Hi Garry,

THe two men that work for me are painters by trade, so I only know this because of the work they do for me on our jobs (ie: I have never done this work myself).  They use alcohol-based primers to cover the stain on doors, trim, etc, then they use a regular primer on top of the first primer.  They usually have to go with two coats of the alcohol based primer, and they have to sand that before applying the water based primer (to get rid of the brush marks).

The alcohol based primer dries really quickly and it smells bad.  We now have air filters with charcoal filters to handle organic vocs, and that has greatly improved the work environment when using these types of paints and primers.

 

[gkeas]

Rob, thanks for the quick response!