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Painting Kitchen Cabinets
Painting Kitchen Cabinets is a Cost Effective
Kitchen Remodeling Project
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Painting kitchen cabinets is a great
way to restore them to their original beauty. Kitchen cabinets take a beating
due to the fact that the kitchen is the most utilized room in the home. Between
the constant opening and closing of kitchen cabinets and drawers, and the wild
swings in humidity levels due to cooking, kitchen cabinets can quickly become
worn out and shabby looking even after just a few years. Painting kitchen
cabinets offers an affordable, do it yourself solution for revitalizing them. |
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Before jumping in and painting your
kitchen cabinets, it is important to first step back and evaluate the current
finish on your kitchen cabinets. If they are painted, you can either paint them
the same color or try something new. In addition, a coat of primer may not be
required when applying new paint to painted kitchen cabinets. If they are
stained, then you will need to prime them first before applying paint. In either
case, however, you must first clean and sand the kitchen cabinets before
painting them. |
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Remove Kitchen
Cabinet Doors and Mechanical Hardware
For best results when painting
kitchen cabinets you should remove the kitchen cabinet doors and all of the
mechanical hardware on the kitchen cabinet doors and faces. This includes,
hinges, knobs, and handles.
Clean and Sand
Kitchen Cabinets
Prior to painting kitchen cabinets it
is imperative that they are first thoroughly cleaned and sanded.
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If these steps are not done, the
paint will not adhere well to the kitchen cabinets and in short order you will
end up with kitchen cabinets that have paint flaking and chipping problems.
To properly clean, sand and paint
kitchen cabinets it is best to remove the kitchen cabinet doors from the cabinet
faces and work on them in a garage or other well ventilated work area.
To clean the kitchen cabinet doors
and cabinet faces, use a commercial cleaner and a rag and thoroughly scrub them
to remove grease, food and grime.
After thoroughly cleaning the kitchen
cabinets, next lightly sand the doors and faces with 150 to 180 grit sandpaper.
You do not need to sand them down to the bare wood. The purpose of the light
sanding is to rough up the kitchen cabinet surfaces so that primer and paint can
adhere better to them.
Priming Kitchen
Cabinets
Once the kitchen cabinets have been
cleaned and sanded, you can now apply a primer. A primer helps ensure a better
bond between the paint and the kitchen cabinets. Again, you do not need to apply
a primer if you are painting over originally painted kitchen cabinets, unless
you are applying a much lighter paint over a dark paint. In this case, you
should probably apply a primer to the painted kitchen cabinets first. You should
always prime over previously stained kitchen cabinets, as paint does not adhere
well to stained or varnished surfaces. |
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When it comes to applying primer, it
is important to use the right kind relative to the paint you plan to use. There
are a variety of primers available to choose from. If you plan to apply an
oil-based paint to your kitchen cabinets, then you should use an oil-based
primer. If you are plan on applying a latex paint to your kitchen cabinets, then
you should use a shellac-based primer.
Both primer types have strong smells.
Consequently make sure the kitchen and the area where you are painting the
kitchen cabinet doors are well ventilated.
Allow the primer to fully dry prior to painting the kitchen cabinets.
Painting Kitchen
Cabinets
To paint kitchen cabinets you can use
either a sprayer or a high quality 2 ½” wide paint brush. A sprayer is idea for
achieving the ultimate in finish, however a high quality paint brush does nearly
as well, particularly if you apply multiple thin coats of paint. You can
typically rent a sprayer from your local home improvement center if you want to
go the sprayer route. Also, when painting kitchen cabinet doors in a garage make
sure the temperature is in the proper range as specified by the paint
instructions.
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Photo by Mark Donovan |
If you plan to paint your kitchen
cabinets with a paint brush, make sure to apply thin coats. Typically 2 or 3
coats are necessary to achieve a smooth and professional finish. Ideally, you
should lightly sand between coats of paint with 400 grit (very fine) sandpaper.
This will help to achieve a very smooth paint finish.
Make sure the paint is thoroughly dry
before applying additional coats.
Reattach Kitchen
Cabinet Hardware and Kitchen Cabinet Doors
After the final coat has fully dried,
reattach the kitchen cabinet hardware to the doors and cabinet faces. Then
reattach the kitchen cabinet doors to the kitchen cabinet faces to complete the
project.
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.
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