How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets

The various activities related to cooking that we undertake in our kitchens, takes its toll and contributes towards the wear and tear of cabinets. Before you embark on a journey to give your kitchen a face lift, it is important to visualize what you actually want. Before re-painting your cabinets, it is important to know whether you want to add a new color or persist with the existing one.

Preparation
Make sure you have all the required material before you start painting your kitchen cabinets. It is important to remove the drawers from their grooves. Unscrewing the door knobs and handles along with the hinges and rusty nails is a must. Use a dry cloth to dust the cabinet enclosures and doors and drawers. After that's done, add some cleaning liquid to lukewarm water and stir well. Moisten a dry cloth or sponge in it. Use it gently to make sure stains and grease are wiped off the surfaces. If there are cracks in the woodwork, use a filler to fill them. Make sure everything is dry before you begin the process of painting. Also keep every component that needs to be painted, separately.

Use Of Sandpaper
You need to use sandpaper on flat surfaces of doors and cabinet boxes. Remember to use the appropriate type of sandpaper on thin surfaces of drawers and doors. You can gently scrub the surfaces to be painted with 150-grit or 120-grit sandpaper. This process helps the primer grab a hold on the surfaces that need to be painted. You need to be meticulous while rubbing the sandpaper, as the surfaces need to be even, before the primer is applied. If you don't want a particular surface to be painted, make sure you apply a masking tape. Never ignore the process of using sandpaper on surfaces as it contributes to the durability of the paint job.

Use Of Primer
After the procedure of abrading sandpaper is complete, the next step would be to apply primer. Primer bonds well with the surface that needs to be painted, which ensures that paint is less likely to peel off or chip. Applying primer largely depends on the type of paint you use for painting. If you use a paint which is oil-based, an oil-based primer is used. If you use a latex-based paint, shellac is recommended. Primers emit a strong odor, hence it is advisable that you wear a mask right from the start of this process. If you have guests coming over to your place, it is a good option to take the parts of the cabinet that need painting, out to your backyard or garage.

Painting Cabinets
After you're through with using sandpaper and coating primers, you begin with painting the interiors of cabinets. A small sized paint roller is useful when it comes to painting. Paint rollers are easy to use and also distribute the paint evenly to all corners. You need to have a steady hand to use a paintbrush, and the strokes need to be evenly distributed in all areas. For the frames of cabinet drawers and doors, a paintbrush is recommended. The size of the paintbrush depends upon the size of the cabinets that need painting. Sprayers can also be used to achieve a glossy finish, needless to say that the same can be achieved with good quality paintbrushes, and rollers too. You can start by painting the edges, and move on to the broader areas. Wait for one area to dry, and then move to another. A big sized paint roller is used to paint doors and large drawers. To get the desired results, applying thin coats of paint is the key to a good paint job. Apply a light coat of paint and let it dry. Once dry, rub it gently with sandpaper to apply another coat of paint over it. The number of coats to be applied depends upon the type of wood that has been used.

When the paint job is completed, wait for all the painted surfaces to dry up thoroughly. Once that's done, you can mount the doors and drawers back into their respective places. Although painting kitchen cabinets is a tiresome process, the thought of what your kitchen would look like after it's done, will definitely keep you going.