# Interior Cabinet Masking



## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

Inherited a job of maple cabinets that the previous painter gave up on......I mean, they walked off the job out of frustration that they couldn't even strip, stain and finish cabinets.

Anyway......I won't have a problem doing these, but do have a question about masking the interiors and to see if there's a quicker/easier way.

These are your typical solid wood faced cabs. with the white melamine interiors. To mask for lacquering, I run a strip of 2" first on the melamine, then cut some cardboard that fits and then tape it in the opening sealing it off completely.

Am I missing a simpler way to do this?


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

probably not.


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## Rcon (Nov 19, 2009)

I don't know if it's any simpler, but I just paper them off.


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## NaeGan (Jun 16, 2010)

That's a great image. Couldn't explain it any better. Tape and paper. You don't have to waste as much time cutting to fit. And tape will seal much tighter on the cabinets then cardboard.


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## Capt-sheetrock (Feb 10, 2008)

Rcon said:


> I don't know if it's any simpler, but I just paper them off.


Well done.


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## Metro M & L (Jul 21, 2009)

What? No blue tape?


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Metro M & L said:


> What? No blue tape?


don't be a tape snob  I use a yellow masking tape from Diamond Vogel that is good stuff.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

I've probably bought 20 rolls of blue tape through out my whole paint career. All the Dunn Edwards guys use their orange tape. It funny talking to them about it. Like using that tape will make you a wonder painter.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

I have a double sided tape gun you can use, but you have to bring it back.


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## Paintuh4Life (May 20, 2009)

Rcon said:


> I don't know if it's any simpler, but I just paper them off.


That's exactly how I do it, with one exception: I use 3M masking film instead of paper. I have 3 or 4 dispensers with different size films on them.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

That reminds me of the 3M rep that wanted to train my guys how to mask with that film. My guys were looking at him like WTF!


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

johnpaint said:


> I have a double sided tape gun you can use, but you have to bring it back.


Do you keep it right next to the sky hook?


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

ewingpainting.net said:


> That reminds me of the 3M rep that wanted to train my guys how to mask with that film. My guys were looking at him like WTF!


I've worked with painters that can whip that film up really fast. Me? I get all tangled in it and look like a fool LOL!

I still mask windows with 2" and good old visqueen


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

That picture of masked openings reminded me of a "cheap-skate" buddy of mine I lacquered some maple cabinets for last year. He wanted to save money by doing all the masking and nail filling himself. I showed up to spray them and he had every interior surface masked....using rosin paper. Told me it took him and the wife the whole weekend to do. Everything was cut to size and flat on each surface. It was a work of art damn near. I didnt say a word. He did comment on the fact that he didnt know there was so much time and labor involved and he realized why painters charged so much.....


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Wolfgang said:


> That picture of masked openings reminded me of a "cheap-skate" buddy of mine I lacquered some maple cabinets for last year. He wanted to save money by doing all the masking and nail filling himself. I showed up to spray them and he had every interior surface masked....using rosin paper. Told me it took him and the wife the whole weekend to do. Everything was cut to size and flat on each surface. It was a work of art damn near. I didnt say a word. He did comment on the fact that he didnt know there was so much time and labor involved and he realized why painters charged so much.....


I love it when this kind of thing happens.Some people have the patience to say at something so long. I bet it hurt them to have to pull all that apart afterwards


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## [email protected] (Mar 1, 2008)

I to am a film useer. It take some practice. Or it can drive you nuts. For me the first thing I do is tear of there safty plastic bar. it gets in my way. And Watch it that bar is SHARP


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

There is no quick way to do it really.


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

straight_lines said:


> There is no quick way to do it really.


I didn't think there would be, but thought I'd ask just in case someone was using a quicker system.


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## Rite spec (Mar 10, 2013)

*image of papering them off*

can anyone please re post the image about masking by papering them off? read through several times but the image seems to be gone. would be a big help, thanks.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Rite spec said:


> can anyone please re post the image about masking by papering them off? read through several times but the image seems to be gone. would be a big help, thanks.


Here ' a pic from one of my jobs. I agree with the previous posts, there really is no magic bullet to masking off cabinets.


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## Steve Richards (Dec 31, 2010)

Looks like a lot of work, Schmidt..are you SURE you couldn't have just brushed those out?


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## Steve Richards (Dec 31, 2010)

I hope I don't log on someday and see your name next to:

Spraying cabinets and got a small amount of overspray on the counter! Any cleaning or masking solution?


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

Steve Richards said:


> I hope I don't log on someday and see your name next to:
> 
> Spraying cabinets and got a small amount of overspray on the counter! Any cleaning or masking solution?


Ohhhhhh you are just ITCHIN' to get me fired up early on a Wed. morning!!!

IT.

CHIN!!!!

w. in t.f. is that thread still doing here?!?


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## Steve Richards (Dec 31, 2010)

Easy there, Wise..don't go gettin' yerself banned.

Ya know... how to clean paint off unpainted popcorn... Sounds a little like something a HO might ask.


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

Steve Richards said:


> Easy there, Wise..don't go gettin' yerself banned.
> 
> Ya know... how to clean paint off unpainted popcorn... Sounds a little like something a HO might ask.


I put money on it.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> Here ' a pic from one of my jobs. I agree with the previous posts, there really is no magic bullet to masking off cabinets.


Thanks for posting that. It reminds me of my current "favorite job that we didn't get", which I think I mentioned earlier. Last fall a cabinet maker installed a new set of kitchen cabs on a major remodel where we were working. He'd made a total hash of the paint job, starting out by using regular SG latex wall paint. We bid repairing the mess, but the cabinet guy convinced the HO to let him "learn to spray" and fix it himself so he can get paid for completion. Update: 5 months later, it's still not done.


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