|
|
|
Painting Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawers
Tips on How to Paint Kitchen Cabinet Doors and
Drawers
By: Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Kitchen cabinets take a lot of abuse,
and in just a few years they can begin to show significant wear. Painting
kitchen cabinet doors and drawers is a great alternative to replacing your
kitchen cabinets altogether. Refinishing your kitchen cabinets is also a perfect
do it yourself project if you have a couple of spare weekends.
To paint kitchen cabinets doors and drawers properly you should remove them from
the kitchen cabinet faces and paint them in a dry, clean and dust free area,
such as in a garage. |
|
Prior to painting kitchen cabinet
drawers and doors all of the mechanical hardware should be removed from them.
A latex paint works best for painting kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, however
a specific process needs to be followed to make sure you get a quality finish
and to prevent the kitchen cabinet doors from warping.
Clean and Sand Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawers
Start by thoroughly cleaning and
sanding the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers.
|
 |
|
|
Otherwise the paint will not adhere
well to the kitchen cabinets. Paint that does not adhere well, winds up flaking
and chipping off.
Use a mild soap and cloth to thoroughly clean the kitchen cabinet doors and to
remove any grease, grime and food from them.
After cleaning the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, lightly sand them using a
150 to 180 grit sandpaper. You do not need to sand them down to bare wood.
Simply light sand them to rough up their surfaces. This will help to ensure that
the primer and paint will adhere well to them.
|
Apply Primer to
Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawers
Next, apply a flash primer to the
kitchen cabinet doors and drawers if they have never been painted before or if
you are applying a paint that is a dramatically different color than the
original paint on the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers. Also, if the cabinets
were previously stained and varnished a primer should be applied. Paint does not
adhere well to stained and/or varnished wood.
|
Primer is necessary to ensure a solid
bond between the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers and the paint. A flash spray
paint primer dries very well and dries quickly. Make sure, however, when
selecting a primer that you use the right type of primer with the type of paint
you are applying to the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers. For example, if you
are planning to paint your kitchen cabinet doors and drawers with a latex paint,
then you should use a shellac-based primer. Make sure to apply the primer to all sides of the kitchen cabinet doors and
drawers to prevent them from warping. |
|
Fill Small Voids
with a Filler Material
After priming the kitchen cabinet
doors and drawers apply glazing putty over all small voids. Then go back and
apply primer over the filled voids.
Re-Sanding Kitchen
Cabinet Doors and Drawers
After the primer has fully dried go
back and lightly sand down the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers again using a
180 grit sandpaper or sponge sanding block.
Painting Kitchen
Cabinet Doors and Drawers
After removing all of the dust from
the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers you can then move on to painting the
kitchen cabinet doors and drawers.
To paint kitchen cabinet doors and drawers you can use either a sprayer or a
high quality 2 ½” wide paint brush. A sprayer will provide the best finish,
however a high quality paint brush does a fairly good job as well, particularly
if you apply multiple thin coats of paint.
|
Photo by Mark Donovan |
Again, make sure to paint all sides of the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers to
prevent them from warping.
In between paint coats lightly sand the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers with
400 grit (very fine) sandpaper. This will help to achieve a very smooth paint
finish, however make sure the paint is thoroughly dry before applying additional
coats.
Once the final coat of paint has dried, you can reinstall the hardware and then
remount the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers to the cabinet faces.
For help on your kitchen renovation project, see my
Kitchen Remodeling Bid Sheet. The Kitchen Remodeling Bid
Sheet provides a request for quote checklist section that you can provide to
prospective kitchen remodeling contractors. It also includes a comprehensive
kitchen remodeling cost breakdown table, in Microsoft Excel format, that allows
the contractor to include his projected remodeling costs for every phase of the
project.
How to Finance your Kitchen Renovation Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Related information on Kitchen Remodeling and Kitchen
Renovation Design Ideas
Additional Kitchen Remodeling Design Resources
Kitchen Faucets and Appliances from Amazon.com
Kitchen Remodeling Price Quotes For FREE,
No Obligation!
Fill out our 3-5 minute quick and easy form, and receive a free price quote
on kitchen remodeling from one of our prescreened and licensed kitchen
remodeling contractors. This process is free and there is no obligation to
continue once you receive your kitchen remodeling price estimate.
|
|
|
