Should I paint my kitchen cabinets?
Painting your kitchen cabinets can be a fantastic economical choice, for making your kitchen look new and fresh. A completely new kitchen can be extremely expensive whereas painting your cabinets can give the appearance of a new kitchen but on a budget. Even if you are not forced into making the most economical decision, painting is still an attractive option, giving you more money to spend elsewhere. New cabinets plus installation can cost almost half of your kitchen renovation budget.
However please note, wood, wood-laminate and metal cabinets usually can be repainted without difficulty. Plastic laminate cabinets might not accept a topcoat of paint — those that can be refinished often require special paints and techniques, and results can vary.
Preparation for painting kitchen cabinets:
STEP 1 - Remove doors and drawer fronts from your cabinets, including hardware like handles and hinges too! Put down dust sheets to protect other parts of the room as necessary.
STEP 2 - Clean the cabinets. We recommend using a cleaning agent, an alkaline solution that removes dirt, grease, oil and wax. Make sure to wash off any residue with water and a damp cloth afterwards.
PRIME
STEP 3 - When the cabinets are dry, sand with fine paper (you can skip this step if you have melamine or high gloss surfaces). Fill imperfections with a quality ready mixed filler and sand again.
STEP 4 - Apply primer. The type of primer you should use will depend on what your cabinets are made of:
Solid Wood
A good quality indoor wood primer will work well here. We recommend a trade wood primer such as Armstead Trade, a water-based, high opacity acrylic primer.
Previously Painted wood
If your cabinets have previously been painted, there may not be a need for primer - just a very good sanding! Especially if your new colour choice is close to the existing shade. However, if the existing paint needs some TLC, we would recommend priming. before moving on to your topcoat.
Veneer, Laminate & Tricky Surfaces
A lot of modern kitchens are laminate, which can be shiny or matt, usually very smooth and can be difficult to get paint to stick to. In this instance we recommend using a adhesion promoting primer.
PAINT
STEP 5 - Apply your first coat of paint and let it dry thoroughly (always read the product specification's for recommended drying time) After this first coat is completely dry, sand with a fine paper to ensure a smooth, professional finish. Wipe off any dust with a damp cloth.
STEP 6 - Time for your second coat. Once applied, leave to dry for a further 48 hours.
STEP 7 - When the second coat is completely dry, put the knobs and handles back on and re-attach the doors. Then sit back and admire your new cabinets!
We have a wide range of kitchen paints available here: https://paintwell.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=kitchen