Scheduling a professional cabinet painting project is one of the most exciting steps you can take toward transforming your kitchen. But before Willow & Wick Cabinet Coatings arrives at your home in Mansfield, Columbus, Lexington, Ontario, Delaware, Dublin, or Powell, Ohio, a little preparation on your end goes a long way toward ensuring the smoothest, most efficient experience possible.

Here’s our complete homeowner preparation guide — everything you need to do before our team shows up on day one.

Step 1: Empty Your Cabinets and Drawers Completely

Remove everything from inside your cabinets and drawers — dishes, glassware, food, small appliances, cleaning supplies, and anything else stored inside. Our team will be removing all doors and drawers and labeling them carefully, so having them empty makes the process faster and ensures nothing gets damaged.

We recommend boxing up your kitchen items and storing them in a dining room, living room, or garage for the duration of the project. Most on-site work is completed within 2-3 days, so the inconvenience is minimal.

Step 2: Clear Your Countertops

Remove all small appliances, decor, dish racks, and any other items from your countertops. As part of our Creating the Bubble process, our team will cover and protect your countertops, backsplash, floors, and walls with plastic and paper — but starting with clear surfaces allows us to work faster and more efficiently.

Step 3: Plan Your Meals in Advance

During the on-site phase of your project, your kitchen will have limited accessibility. We recommend planning ahead:

Step 4: Make Arrangements for Pets and Children

While Willow & Wick uses low VOC, industrial-grade water-based lacquer that is significantly safer than traditional solvent-based products, we still recommend keeping pets and young children out of the active work area during the project. Consider arranging for pets to stay in a separate part of the home, and plan activities or childcare for young children during the most active work days.

Step 5: Remove Wall Decor Near the Cabinet Area

Take down any artwork, clocks, or wall decor near your cabinets. Our team will be taping and masking the walls adjacent to your cabinets, and removing nearby items prevents accidental damage and makes the masking process cleaner and more precise.

Step 6: Communicate Any Special Concerns

Before the project begins, let our team know about any specific concerns — areas of existing damage, cabinets that do not close properly, hardware you want to keep vs. replace, or any color questions you still have. Our team does a thorough walkthrough at the start of every project, but the more information you share upfront, the better.

What Happens During the Project: The Willow & Wick Way

Once our team arrives, here is exactly what you can expect from start to finish:

Step 1: Clean and Prepare

We remove all doors and drawers and label them along with your hinges and hardware. We then degrease, scrub, and rinse all cabinets and the workspace to prepare surfaces for best adhesion.

Step 2: Creating the Bubble

Your entire kitchen gets covered and protected. Floors, walls, backsplash, and countertops are taped off and covered in plastic and paper. Plastic walls are created to trap fumes, dust, and protect against overspray.

Step 3: Sand and Prep Surfaces

We sand down all cabinet boxes, then shop vac and wipe them down again to prepare the surface for painting.

Step 4: Prime and Fill

After spraying the first coat of primer we fix blemishes. Everything then gets sanded and wiped down again before we spray the final coats of primer.

Step 5: Spray Finishing Coats

We spray multiple finishing coats of our industrial grade, Low VOC, water-based lacquer — durable, rated for kitchen use, and delivering a beautiful ceramic finish.

Step 6: Shop Days

Doors and drawers go to our shop for the same refinishing process. You have full access to your kitchen during this time.

Step 7: Install Day

We bring everything back, install hardware and hinges, level all doors and drawers, and install door bumpers.

Step 8: Final Walk-Through

We complete a thorough quality check with you, handle any touch-ups, clean up the work area, and leave you with your care instructions and 1-year workmanship warranty.

Ready to Get Started?

Willow & Wick Cabinet Coatings is a family-owned business proudly serving homeowners throughout Mansfield, Lexington, Ontario, Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Powell, and all of North Central Ohio. Schedule your free in-home consultation today.

Call or text: (419) 982-2209 | Email: info@willowandwick.com | www.willowandwick.com