HOW TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS

Painting kitchen cabinets can be a relative easy and straight forward job provided that you follow the basic steps as discussed below. These are general guidelines but kitchens are manufactured in different materials such as MDF (medium density fibre) board, laminated particle board and hard wood and each can present different problems when paint is applied. The finishing on cabinets can also be of a wide variety such as varnish, furniture oil or wax and other clear finishes such as lacquer. Each of these also need to be treated differently before applying paint. It makes sense to do a bit of research before you jump in and start painting. I have been painting all kinds of kitchens as part of my business and published a book “PaintingKitchen Cabinets – a do it yourself guide” in which you will find everything you need to know to paint your kitchen cabinets.

Painted kitchen cabinets

1. Stripping and cleaning

This is the first step and all doors and drawers should first be labelled before disassembled. Also remove all hardware and hinges before cleaning. Cleaning is vital because kitchen cabinets collect a lot of dirt and grease over time that must be removed before you start painting. I use or All Surface Prep.

2. Fixing and Repairing.

If you have cabinets that are damaged or have dents or scratches, you should now do repairs. Dents, holes and scratches can be filled with wood filler and sanded to a smooth finish before proceeding.

3. Sanding

I list this as a separate step because of its importance. No matter what type of existing finish you are dealing with, sanding is absolutely essential to get a smooth finish or when paining smooth finishes such as melamine, to roughen up the surface to provide a key for the paint to stick to. Start off with a 220 grit sand paper and finish with a 360 grit paper. Also always sand between coats with a 220 grit sand paper. If you have a lot of cabinets to paint you should invest in an electric orbital sander.

4. Priming

If you are painting a new surface, it is best to apply a wood primer. On previously painted surfaces you can use an under coat. The general rule is that a under coat is always a primer but a primer is not always an under coat. Different surfaces may require different under coats but in general it is best to use  a multi surface undercoat such as  Rust – Oleum Bulls Eye Multi Surface Primer. This is a water based product that is easy to apply and brushes and paint equipment is cleaned with water and soap.

5.Best paint for kitchen cabinets

You are now ready to start painting. The question is what type of paint will be best for kitchen cabinets? In the past most kitchen cabinets were painted with oil based paints but in recent years there was a shift to more eco-friendly water based paints. I would suggest a water borne Alkyd paint such as Benjamin Moore’s Advance range of paints. Other manufacturers such as Dulux also have a specialized kitchen paint.

To find out more about painting your kitchen cabinets get my e-book  "Painting Kitchen Cabinets - a do it yourself guide"

Kitchen cabinets refinished in white distressed

Painting Kitchen Cabinets - Plan Before You Paint

Do not believe people who say that you can paint kitchen cabinets without preparation. Preparation is the key to getting a professional looking end product. Time spent on preparation will be time well spent.

  

Planning

Before you jump into painting make time to plan the job and resolve issues such as:

Choosing a paint color. This is a personal preference but as a general guide pastel colors go well with differe kitchen styles. Bold colors such as red, blue etc. can be more difficult but it remains your choice. If you are unsure of the color, get a sample from your paint dealer and test it before you decide.

Painted kitchen cabinets

Where to paint. Get a convenient space (such as a garage or basement) to do the preparation and painting. Remember it is going to take you the best part of a week or two to get the job done and you don’t want to move all your stuff after each painting session.

What paint to use. This issue will be discussed in more depth in chapter 4. Not all paints are the same. My advice is to stick to well known brands and do not buy the cheapest you can get. Your best choice will be a water based acrylic paint that is suitable for kitchen cabinets.

How much paint to use. To determine the volume of paint required, you will have to calculate the square footage/meters to be painted. The best way is to measure the total visible area and multiply by 2 (Length x width x 2) to cover the inside of doors and drawers. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Measure the length of the top cabinets (in inches) and multiply by the height and by two (for both sides).

Step 2: Measure the length of the bottom cabinets and multiply times the height times 2.

Step 3: Ad the two totals and divide by 144 to get the square feet that needs to be covered.

The directions on the paint can usually indicate the area that can be covered by a liter of paint. Try and buy enough paint from the same batch to ensure color consistency. Keep surplus paint for future touch ups.

Numbering the doors and drawers to be painted. By numbering the doors and the corresponding cabinet boxes, the re-assembling of the doors will be easy.

Getting tools and equipment together. Apart from brushes, rollers, masking tape etc. You will also need floor covering such as plastic sheeting or a drop sheet from your paint dealer.

Before you can start painting the following should be done:

Disassemble doors and remove hardware

All the doors and drawers must be removed. Make sure that you have numbered the doors so that they can be replaced in the same positions. Remove all handles, hinges and other hardware. Put these in plastic bags and number each plastic bag the same as the door so that they don’t get mixed up.

Clean up

This can be a messy job but it is essential to clean doors, boxes etc. It is amazing how much grease and dirt collect on kitchen cabinets over time. Use a strong detergent such as TSP or sugar soap. Wash with a firm brush or scrubber. Rinse with clean water and let it dry completely before the next step. Remove as much as you can from the kitchen boxes and also clean the insides. Most boxes are white on the inside and do not necessarily have to be re-painted. Cleaning the insides will be more than enough.

Masking

To protect areas such as floors, walls, countertops, appliances etc. proper masking is vital. Make sure that adequate floor covering is put down. A drop sheet or a plastic sheet is ideal.

Repair cracks, dents and scratches

Since you are painting the cabinets, watermarks will be covered by the paint but other blemishes can now be fixed. Use wood filler to fill dents and scratches and when dry, sand to a smooth finish with 220 grit sand paper. Re-glue wobbly door frames if necessary.

Pianting kitchen cabinets can be a major project and making the wrong decisions may cost you dearly. In my e-book  "Painting Kitchen Cabinets - a DIY guide" you will find all the information ypu will need to avoid costly mistakes.

Revamp your kitchen

Revamping kitchen cabinets is a major project. Take time to consider all the options before you jump in.

Replace or remodel

This is the most expensive option and depends on what you want to achieve with your kitchen. To remodel a small kitchen can vary between  $5000 and $10000. A full scale remodeling of a modern kitchen and replacement of appliances, lighting, floors etc can go up to $50 000.Apart from that it is not a job that the homeowner should tackle on his own. Professionals and sub-contractors such as a plumber, electrician etc will be involved.

European style kitchen

A less expensive option is where you decide to replace the doors and drawer fronts and have them made by a cabinet maker. The boxes and other fixed units are kept intact and the painting or refinishing can be done by yourself.

Restore

Restoration is an option when the cabinets have an acceptable color but need some cleaning and some light repairs such as replacing worn hinges or door handles, knobs etc. This is a quick and cheap option but can make a difference in the style of the kitchen.

Refinish

If you like the original wood look and you feel that the existing finish is acceptable but need a new coat to brighten it up, you can always apply a fresh coat of varnish or polyurethane sealer. This can be a risky option especially if you do not know what type of finish was previously applied – varnish, lacquer, shellac etc. It is always best to first test the new finish on the inside of a door  where it will be less visible. A less risky option is to use a furniture wax to brighten up the old finish.

Paint

Painting is the only option that will transform your kitchen into something totally new. The main advantage is that you can do it yourself and if you follow the basic principles the end result will be professional and pleasing. A painted finish will cover up most of the imperfections of the old finish and if done properly will stay beautiful for many years – and if do not like it you can always repaint it.

Dry Brush Paint Technique

Dry brush painting is a technique where the brush has virtually no paint and you are actually painting with a “dry” brush. It is an excellent technique to distress furniture and has the benefit that you can more acurately control the degree of distressing. The technique can be used with or without layering. If you want the natural wood grain to show through, the paint is brushed with a dry brush directly onto the bare wood. Altenatively, you can put on a base coat first and when it is completely dry use the technique with another paint colour to dry brush on top of the base colour. In both cases it should be sealed with a furniture wax or a glaze coat or a polyurithane sealer.

Dry brush paint technique on old buro

How to Dry Brush

There are two key elements to achieve a good dry brush finish – the amount of paint on your brush and the speed with which you go through the process.  To dry brush on a bare piece of wood the following steps can be followed:

• 1.       Drabble a little paint on the underside of the lid or on a paper plate.

• 2.       Take your brush and lightly dip it in the paint.

• 3.       Dab the brush on a piece of cloth or a paper towel to remove excess paint. The tip of the brush must be “dry” with only a hint of paint on it.

• 4.       Apply the paint along the grain of the wood.

• 5.       Repeat the process but the wood must noyt be completely covered so that the grain shows through.

• 6.       When the paint is dry you can sand with a fine sand paper (360 grit) to distress rounded edges and areas you want it to look distressed.

• 7.       Finally seal the paint with wax or polyurithane sealer.

• Dry brushing pdifferent paint layers can give a nice distressed look. The procedure is much then same as described but the base colour should of course be painted first. The paint must be completely dry before the dry brush technique is applied. Always seal the paint.

Best paint to use

Milk paint and chalk paint are particularly suited for dry brushing. When layering two or more colours my preference is to paint the base coat in a good Latex paint. The top colours can be layered in chalk or milk paint. 

Which colour you use to paint the base coat is a matter of personal choice but for distressing I prefer to paint the darker colour first and then to dry brush the lighter colour(s). What you are trying to achieve is the look of old paint showing through a newer coat of paint. It is for this reason that I use two dry brushes. The first is to apply the paint and the second is to blend in the top coat. 

Best brushes to use

Any good quality brush will do. For applying the paint I prefer a brush with short, stiff bristels. The reason is that you dont want an even spread of paint but rather to get a streaky effect. I take one of my older brushes and then I cut the bristles with a scicors to get an uneven brush tip. The second dry brush should have regular soft bristles so that you can lightly even out and blend in the strokes of paint. The trick is to apply the paint and immediately go over the paint with the second brush to blend in the paint while it is still wet.

How to Paint Cast Iron Furniture

Cast iron and wrought iron furniture will lose its lustre over time and rust starts eating away on the exposed steel.  When it is time to refinish steel furniture, the best option is to paint it but care must be taken to use the correct procedure to get a durable finish. The following steps can be followed:

1. Clean the furniture

Painted cast iron chair

Use a cleaning agent such as sugar soap to wash away dirt and grime. Apply a solution of water and sugar soap with a brush and scrub to properly clean the surface. After cleaning the sugar soap must be neutralized with clean water. Leave the furniture to dry completely before starting with the next step.

2.  Remove old flaking finish and rust

Remove loose paint with a wire brush or use a drill with a wire brush bit to strip away loose paint. When you have a powder coated finish, use a sander to scuff the surface. Rust can also be treated with a rust inhibitive primer. Wipe away the rust with a tack cloth.

3. Apply a rust inhibitive primer

Apply two coats of metal primer with a paint sprayer or aerosol can. Another option is to use a good quality Direct to Metal (DTM) acrylic paint that dries to a hard durable finish.

4. Paint the furniture

Apply at least to top coats of paint. The best is to use oil based paint or alternatively DTM paint. Cast iron and wrought iron furniture should preferably be spray painted. Use a compressed air spray gun or a DIY turbo driven electric sprayer or a good quality aerosol spray can.

If you want more information on how to spray paint furniture, you will find everything you need to know in “How to Spray Paint Furniture”. Questions like what type of spray equipment can be used, what type of paint is best for spraying and how to mix paint and apply paint with a sprayer are covered in this 56 page e-book