"Malcolm Hoar" wrote in message
...
I am currently refinishing some under-sink bathroom cabinets.

The inside walls are MDF maybe with a coat of poly slapped
on during construction about 15 years ago.

They're ugly, dark and rough. And they harbor dust. When I
encountered the same problem with some identical kitchen
cabinets, I slapped on a few coats of poly. That helped
but I'm less than thrilled with the result. I'd like to
use a light color to help make the inside of these cabs
look a little less dark.

One simple option would be some white semi-gloss latex
which I happen to have. I also have some primer so that's
not a problem.

It may be a bit soft but the finish doesn't need to handle
a lot of knocks and scrapes -- these cabinets are only used
to store supplies of toilet tissue, soap, toothpaste and
some cleaning materials.

Do you think this will work, or am I creating a disaster?

Other suggestions welcomed although I don't want or need
to spend a lot of time or money on this.

Get ready to spend very little money, but more time than you want.

I'd go over the surface with some medium-fine sandpaper, vacuum the bejeezus
out of it to eliminate dust, spray on some primer, and them spray on a coat
of HIGH GLOSS ENAMEL. What you want is something smooth, snag-free and easy
to wipe with a sponge.

As I've said before in other discussions of painting, the drying time stated
on the cans is a lie. Multiply by 2, at least. Since you're talking about a
bathroom, multiply by 4. A week should be sufficient, with the cabinet doors
open.

Anything else will be a cob job.