Follow These Tips Before You Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets

Want to give your tired old kitchen a facelift? To save time and money, try painting them instead of replacing them. Read this before you start painting your kitchen cabinets!

Pick a Paint Type and Color

Selecting paint begins with a decision between latex and oil. Although oil-based paints are more expensive in the long run, some professional kitchen cabinet painters prefer them due to their durability.

However, because of their versatility and ease of use, latex paints are often the choice of less-experienced painters when redecorating kitchen cabinets. You can achieve the best durability and adhesion with latex paint made up of 100% acrylic, so keep that in mind if you decide to go that route.

The next step is to pick a paint color for the cabinets. The best way to find the perfect paint color is to experiment with a few different options. It's crucial to try out different swatches before settling on one.

Choose a Finish

The next step is to determine if you're better off using a spray painter or a brush. One can achieve the best results with kitchen spray painters, but the process is trickier than it looks. Having to rent spray machines could also end up being quite expensive.

A paintbrush may be the least efficient tool, but it can still give your cabinets a polished look. Different surface areas demand different sizes of brushes. Oil-based paint requires brushes with natural bristles, while latex paint requires synthetic ones.

Pre-Paint Prep

For proper preparation, clear off all counter space and remove any demountable appliances. Next, clear the area of all furniture to create a comfortable working environment. Cover the countertops and floor with rosin paper, and cover the backsplash, windows, fixed appliances, and doors with plastic tarps for protection.

If you want to paint cabinets, drawers, or shelves, you'll need a worktable. You can upgrade your setup by constructing a drying rack with two small ladders and two 2x4s.

Remove Fixtures and Hardware

Remove the hinges, hardware, doors, screws, and drawers to disassemble your cabinets. To keep track of where each door goes once it's been taken off its hinges, label it with a number and its destination on a piece of masking tape before you take it off.

You need not remove the slides if only the drawer fronts are being refinished but remember to label them and the frames they were in if you do.

Screws and other hardware can be stored in plastic bags inside the cabinets for easy access when you're putting everything back.

Clean Surfaces and Sanding

Doing the necessary prep work will increase the paint's adhesion to the cabinets' doors and drawers. Spray an anti-grease solution over all surfaces, then wipe them down thoroughly. Do not soak the cabinets; rinsing will be more than enough. Be sure they are completely dry before painting over them.

Fill the existing holes with wood filler before installing new hardware. The doors' surfaces, including the back and front, should be lightly sanded. If you're just giving your cabinets a fresh coat of paint for a change of look, there's no need to sand them down and repaint the inside.

Remove all sanding dust from the area by using a powerful vacuum cleaner. Before painting, use a tack cloth to remove any lingering grit from the surface.

Apply Primer

Primers increase paint durability by enhancing paint's ability to adhere to surfaces. After priming, leave the drawers and doors upside down for a whole night before carefully switching them around and painting the other side. A stain-blocking primer on stained cabinets is recommended because it dries quickly, seals surface defects, and prevents topcoats from bleeding. After a day, the primer should be dry enough to lightly sand and clean.

Begin Painting

Light, thin coats of paint are the best way to ensure even coverage. Thinner coats dry more rapidly and leave fewer brushstrokes. Keep the finish light and avoid smudging by working the brush too much. The finish will have bumps and pits if you use too many brush strokes, leading to air bubbles.

Give each coat of paint at least four hours to dry between applications. After the first coat of paint has dried, you should lightly sand all the surfaces to prepare them for the second coat, then remove any sanding dust with a tack cloth. It's recommended to paint kitchen cabinets with at least two coats of quality paint.

When the paint has dried, you can reinstall the shelves in the cabinets by matching the numbers. Finally, your brand-new kitchen is complete!