A new paint coating can make a big difference to your kitchen cabinets. They can change from a tired and worn out look to an amazing look. You need to do a thorough preparation to successfully paint your kitchen cabinets.
Wooden, wood- laminate and metallic cabinets are the easiest to repaint. However, plastic laminate resist over painting. They require special paints and techniques to achieve a positive result. If you have plastic laminate cabinets in your kitchen, first check with a professional painting dealer for the best paint. First test the paint you want to use on an inconspicuous area to make sure it bounds with the material.
Size up the job to be one
It is easy to paint flat drawers and doors. However, painting drawers that have architectural designs need more preparation and painting time. In case you wood work is warped, damage or worn out, you can consider buying other cabinet drawers and doors and paint them together with the existing ones.
Choose carefully your application tool. The tool you choose depends on the paint you will use and the outcome that you want. There many options to choose from ranging from paint sprayers, natural brushes, synthetic bristle brushes to foam brushes.
All these tools have their advantages and disadvantages and you can choose at tool that is best suited to your woodwork and your style of working.
Steps of Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
You can transform you kitchen without renovation by repainting your cabinets only. If you do it by yourself, it could the cheapest way to make over your kitchen space. This will only require the cost of painting materials and your time only. Below are steps you can follow to repaint your kitchen cabinets.
Step 1: Remove all Doors and Hardware
Before you start painting your cabinets, make sure you remove the doors and drawers. Make sure to remove all the hardware from these cabinet parts. Keep all screws and nuts safely in a plastic paper bag as you do not want to lose them.
If you do not want unwanted headache, number all the doors with their corresponding location. This will help you fix them fast after your paint has dried up. If you need to remove your cabinets draws, also mark their location as well.
Step 2: Clean Your Cabinet Surfaces
Kitchen surfaces are subjected to grease, steam and food splatters. Before you start painting your kitchen cabinets, clean the surfaces with a solution of tri-sodium phosphate and water mixed in the ratio of 1:4. Rinse your surface with water and be careful to not soak them. Allow them to dry completely and then start your painting job.
Step 3: Sand your Surfaces
Use a wood sanding block to slightly sand the cabinet doors on all faces. If your main purpose is to facelift your kitchen look, there is no need for you to sand inside the cabinets. Sand only the visible surfaces of the cabinet.
When sanding your cabinets, you do not need to remove the all the old paint. If it well adhered to the surface, just roughen the surface to give the new pain a good firm. If the old paint is flaking off, it means that it did not adhere well on the surface. Also, it means moisture or grease is getting under the paint.
Moisture and grease are common in the kitchen so this cannot be surprising. Therefore it is important to sand off all the flaking paint before applying the new pain. If you apply your paint on flaking paint it will not adhere well to the surface.
Before applying your paint, make sure to vacuum all the sand from the surfaces. You can use a pneumatic air compressor to blow off the dust. Use a tack of cloth to remove all dust articles on area to be painted.
Step 5: Apply the Paint
Start by applying Pint on the edges and opening of the face frames, the cabinet’s sides and finally the fronts of the frames. Using this technique will help you to work faster and correct any drips that are visible to the eye.
Always apply thin, light coats and make sure to cover all areas of your cabinet. Thin coats do not leave any brushstrokes and they dry fast. Refrain from too many brush strokes as they create bubbles that leave bumps on the finish. Allow the paint to dry, re-sand and apply the second coat.
The above steps will help you successfully paint your kitchen cabinets. If you are in no position to do-it-yourself, contact a painting company to do it for you. All the best in your plans to change the look in your kitchen space!
