Let's Paint Those Old Kitchen Cabinets.

Have your kitchen cabinets seen better days? Maybe you have nice countertops or plan on getting new counters installed, but the cabinets are looking shabby. Have you checked the cost for new kitchen cabinets and installation? They are very expensive, and the prices keep going up higher and higher every year.

How about painting those kitchen cabinets? Did you know that most all cabinet types, laminate, vinyl, and solid wood can be painted? Well, they can, and with premium quality paint coatings, they can look amazing!

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Here's what you should know.

Cabinet paint jobs usually only include the "visible surfaces," and not the inside of the cabinets. This includes doors and drawer faces, sides and undersides of uppers and the exterior of the cabinet bases. The inner lip of some cabinets can and should be painted as well. The contractor will go over with you what surfaces are included.

Getting started.

To properly paint cabinets, the doors and drawers must be removed including any hardware such as hinges, knobs, and handles. All the surfaces to be painted must be thoroughly cleaned of grease, wax and soap scum. All open corner joints should be caulked and sealed. If you have solid wood cabinets with a stain or a varnish coating, these must be sanded. After sanding all the surfaces, the cabinets will need to be washed down clean of dust and left to dry before the next step in the process.

Next thing to do is prime the surfaces.

A high quality latex primer is best to use. We use latex primer because we will be top coating with either a latex paint or a latex hybrid - alkaline. In the past, oil paint was popular for doors, trim and cabinetry because of how durable and long lasting it is. However, over time, oil paint begins to yellow and can get brittle, dry out and begin to crack.

Normally, only one even coat of primer is enough. However, if the old cabinet color was very dark and the new paint color is very light, an additional coat of primer might be needed.

Before you can begin the next step in the process, make sure the primer has ample time to dry. The primer is what sticks to the cabinet surface and must be fully dry. This is very important! After the primer is completely dry, it's time to lightly sand the primed surfaces. This will remove any raised specs of debris that may have accumulated on the surfaces while priming and allow the top coating to adhere better to the primed surface.

Time to paint the cabinets.

Many painters "tip and roll" the cabinet bases with a brush and cigar roller, and spray the lids (doors and drawer faces) with an airless spray rig. Using an airless spray rig provides a smooth and even finished look.

The reason they "tip and roll" the bases is because normally you don't want to use a spray rig inside a home. It can be too much of a mess and add a potential for an accident to occur from over spray. Watch out!

Depending on color and paint consistency, top coating will require at least two coats. Regardless of how many coats of top coating that are needed, it is very important to allow each coat to completely dry before applying another coat. Lightly scuff the surfaces between coats with a fine grit, soft sanding pad to remove any raised areas of debris.

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The end result is stunning.

After all the painting is done, the hardware is put back on, doors and drawers are reinstalled and the cabinets are complete, Take a step back and take in the beauty of your freshly painted cabinets. They may be old, but they look oh so brand new! You didn't need to tear the whole kitchen apart to breathe new life back into your kitchen

What's for dinner?

Joseph Mills - September 7th 2023