Revive Your Kitchen! Learn How to Properly Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets!
Painting your kitchen cabinets may seem like a daunting task, but knowing the steps to mastering your project will take off the pressure and ensure your final product looks like a professional job. Properly cleaning, sanding and priming every inch of your cabinets is necessary for your finish color to stick and we are going to discuss each step below to help make your project as seamless as possible.
Cleaning your cabinets
Cleaning your cabinets is the single most important first step in prepping them for their revival. Think of the years of greasy fingerprints and cooking splatter that leaves a thick coat of grime on your current paint. If you have not heard of TSP, it will soon become your best friend. TSP cleaner, is a cleaning agent, stain remover and a degreaser all in one.
Repair the dents & gouges
Your cabinets can become used and abused after years of cooking and entertaining probably showing signs of wear in the form of dents and gouges. You will want to make sure that you fill these holes before you paint with wood filler you spread into the holes and then wipe away the excess with a damp cloth. You want to slightly overfill with the wood filler so you are able to sand it down to its original thickness.
Roughing up the cabinets
After you have filled your imperfections, it is time to sand down your cabinets to flatten out your wood filler and prep the surface of your cabinets to accept the primer. You want to make sure that the areas you filled are completely dry before you try and sand. If you noticed that your cabinets are flaking off in places it is probably due to the original finish not adhering well to your wood surface. You want to ensure that you sand these areas to the bare wood. Lastly, vacuum the sanding dust from all surfaces and wipe down the cabinets.
Don’t forget the primer
Primer is the undercoat that ensures the best possible results by providing the proper foundation for your finish coat and allows for better adhesion of your paint. It increases the durability and will provide extra protection of your surface. You want to make sure to use a good quality brush that will allow you to apply an even coat.
The finish coat
Oil based paints were traditionally used in painting cabinets, however oil paints can be messy to work with and have toxic fumes. Latex formulas for cabinets called 100% acrylic paint will give you a durable, even finish. The other nice feature of latex paints is that they are low in VOC’s, volatile organic compounds, which lessens the noxious paint smell in your home. Last, but not least, add some new hardware to your cabinets for that finishing touch to give your kitchen a whole new look.
