Tips for painting kitchen cabinets
So is your kitchen starting to look a little worn or dated? Nothing can brighten it up like a fresh coat of paint. And it's the cheapest way to get that remodeled look without having to go the costly replacement route.
First of all, you need to determine the best kind of paint for your type of cabinets, and what you want that paint to accomplish, not to mention what your budget is. The cheapest and easiest type of paint to apply is latex. It's water washable so you don't have any real clean up issues. It is also nicely washable when dry, as long as you get some gloss in it. The higher the gloss, the more washable it is. It's a bit like putting a layer of thin plastic on your cabinets. Enamel is an oil-based paint that costs more and requires more care when applying since it isn't water washable. However, enamel forms a very solid hard surface when dry and lasts a lot longer.
Additionally, consider what will stick to your cabinets' best. The surface that the paint has to stick to is very important when considering paint. If you're painting over old latex paint, you can't use enamel. You can use latex over enamel. If you're painting over wood with a finish, you may not be able to use either without sanding the finish first. If you're painting over metal, you may want a paint made specifically for metal. And if you have rust you need to sand away the rust and apply an inhibitor or use special paint that coats the rust and prevents it from bleeding through.
The surface condition of your cabinets is also important when painting. Most surfaces will require at the minimum a light sanding. Be careful with latex as it can be gummy when wet or too warm. Sand any bumps or scrapes to a flat finish, then sand the whole surface heavily if there are already several coats of paint or varnish. If you aren't working with many coats of paint or varnish, you just need a light sanding to help the paint stick to the old surface.
If you're using latex, be sure to do several thin coats, making very sure to let each layer dry thoroughly in between or they will get gummy and you won't get a smooth surface.
If you can remove all the doors and use a sprayer, that will give you the most even and smooth coat on your doors. Be sure that you practice with the sprayer somewhere that doesn't matter so that you can get down the correct amount of spray and you aren't trying to clean up drips, which leave a mark, and then re-spray. Do several light coats, allowing it to dry in between. If you can't use a sprayer, you still need to remove the doors to make sure you get a nice paint job done. Be sure that you have several sized brushes to get the least amount of brush stroke lines by using the best brushes for the different sized areas. Also, it's very important that you use the right brush for the paint as enamel and latex each work better with different types of bristles. This is one time where it's good to splurge for the high quality brushes as they will leave the least marks in the paint. You can talk to a paint expert at your local paint or home improvement store to make sure that you're using the right ones for the job.
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Tags: paint kitchen cabinets remodeling
