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Painting your kitchen cabinets can be done successfully by most homeowners and weekend warriors. All you really need is good information on how to do it correctly and the energy and desire to make it happen. I have been painting kitchen cabinets for many years now and the experience and knowledge I have gained over the years I will share with you in this article. So roll up your sleeves and let's begin your kitchen cabinet makeover.
PREPARATION: The key to a quality job
First, in order to do a real quality job with your cabinets it really is best to remove all the doors and drawers. This will allow you access to areas that would be difficult to reach with the doors and drawers left in place. Once the doors and drawers have been removed from the cabinet frame or boxes as they are sometime called, removed the hardware--hinges and handles. Now is the time to think about replacing them and giving your cabinets a completely new look, however, if your hinges and handles still look great than you're okay.
Try to find or create a good work area to lay out your cabinet doors and drawers. You will need an area to work comfortably in and with as much ventilation as possible. Remember, since you are painting your kitchen cabinets and not staining them you don't have to remove the existing finish unless it has failed or in a state of failing. But for the record we will assumed the worst and go from there.
Use a good cleaning solution to remove grease, grime and other oils from the cabinet surfaces. Trisodium phosphate and a host of other degrease rs can be purchased at your local hardware store or home improvement center. Thoroughly clean the cabinets inside and out and allow them to dry before proceeding. Once the cabinets are clean and dry begin sanding. This can prove to be a daunting task if you have never done it before, but believe me it is essential to good wood preparation.
Start out by using a coarse grit of sandpaper that will cut and remove failed coatings, then progress to a medium grit and finally to a fine grit. When you reach this point your cabinet surfaces should be very, very smooth to the touch and smooth looking as well. The doors, drawers and cabinet boxes should all feel smooth at this stage.
Blow or vacuum away all dust before proceeding to the next step. Use a tack cloth or a damp towel to ensure total dust removal.
When it comes to making sure all dust particles are totally removed from your cabinets keep in mind that if there are dust particles left on and/or in the cabinets it will mar your cabinets' finish, and in addition to that your finish will not be as smooth as it could be and should be. So do your very best to see that all dust and trash is completely removed.
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Before you start painting there is one more step that you should do to ensure a quality job that will stand up to all that kitchen cabinets must stand up to: humidity, temperature changes, constant abuse and grease and oily hands! I personally prefer to use an oil base primer to prime kitchen cabinets and I prefer one that will seal and prevent anything from leeching through to create problems for my new finish.
You might prefer to use a latex primer that is more easier to work with and cleans up with soap and water as opposed to a solvent base primer that requires mineral spirits or paint thinner. But whatever your choice be sure and use a quality primer that is manufactured by an industry leader and not some cheap product that only cost a fraction of what a good product cost.
PAINTING
This really is my favorite part and I get excited about it every time I get an opportunity to paint kitchen cabinets. Now that your cabinets have been properly prepared and ready to receive paint let's begin the fun stuff. Again, I prefer to use a quality oil base enamel paint on the cabinets that I do and the reasons are: oil paint simply look beautiful in my opinion. It levels out perfectly and gives a rich and elegant look. It is my personal choice; however, sometimes using oil is not an option and it is mandatory that I use a water base paint.
When that is the case I always use a quality acrylic latex enamel that is manufactured by a leading paint company. You can still get a good finished look with latex paint on your cabinets; in fact, some people as well as contractors insist on it but it is just not my personal choice for reasons I described above.
APPLICATION METHODS
However you choose to paint your kitchen cabinets there are some pros and cons to be considered.
Airless paint sprayer: If you have use of an airless paint sprayer and choose to spray your cabinets with it be especially warned about the troubles that could arise. Make sure you have the pressure set at a very low level in order to help you control your spraying. It is very easy to make mistakes with an airless paint sprayer. Unless you're very experience with an airless... and spraying cabinets in particular, I wouldn't recommend it!
Conventional Paint Sprayer: This way is considered by many as the "old way" of spray painting, but I still like to use the old compressor and pressure feed spray gun. I can get an automobile type finish on my cabinet doors. Although the transfer of paint to substrate is only around 25%, I don't mind sacrificing some paint to get a beautiful and elegant finish and it is much more easier to control your paint spraying unlike an airless paint sprayer.
HVLP paint system: I have owned and used an HVLP(high volume-low pressure) gun and complete system before; however, I found it wanting. Maybe, it was just a lack of skill and experience on my part, but I cautiously recommend this system for a novice. If you choose to use this system be sure and get as much information and instruction on the best way to use this type of equipment.
BRUSH AND ROLL: This is the method I first used over twenty-four years ago and I still use it today. Take your time and paint your kitchen cabinets manually and enjoy every moment of it! That's right. I find painting kitchen cabinets to be not only fun and exciting but therapeutic in many ways too. And you might find the joy and satisfaction in doing a fine job while at the same time relaxing a bit. Purchase a quality paint brush like a purdy and just take your time and stroke ever so gracefully...and let it flow.
If you choose to roll on the paint be sure to brush it out evenly and smoothly to avoid that roller textured look. Painting kitchen cabinets and all other cabinets in your home, for that matter can really be accomplished by you. Just take your time and commit yourself to the task and you too will be amazed at the results. Good luck and enjoy.
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