The Art of Caulking Cabinets
When painting kitchen cabinets (especially shades of white) take extra steps to caulk all cracks and seams. It's very important to clean out and dirt, dust or gunk in between seams and joints so primer and caulking will stick and also prevent grease bleed that turns an ugly yellow around seams.
Caulking Pros & Cons:
Not all door panels are made the same. Some door panels move inside the frame which may or may not hold caulking. Just because you can caulk doesn't always mean we should because caulking can work its way out overtime. Floating panels or a poorly prepared seam will come loose overtime so its important caulk will hold.
Cabinet makers often say... cabinets should never be caulked because the centre panels must be free floating, or they can split. Some panels are glued or nailed in place, others are simply floating between the frame.
Based on this, we may or may not caulk. Oak cabinets years old have already stabilized and therefore, will likely never crack because we caulk them. However, if the panels are too loose, we may not caulk them. The goal is to do the best job that will last and look great for years.
Use High Grade Caulking
Using a clean finger, push the caulking into cracks and seams as SMOOTH as possible (clean looking to the corners). Pushing the caulk into a crack reduces less chance of caulking working it’s way out years later. Caulking cabinets is a very detailed process. Done well, a good caulker makes everything look better. Caulking is an art and should never be thought as a sloppy attempt to fill in cracks etc. Good caulking shouldn't be noticeable.
Drying Time
After 24 hours drying... we spray a second coat of primer over the entire door (caulking) so it seals the caulking in, holds it firmer and flashes less on the finish coat.