DIY Cabinet Painting: Tips & Pitfalls
Cabinets can make or break the ambiance of a kitchen. Too dark a color can make the room feel smaller. The wrong wood stain can clash with the flooring or countertop.
However, if you’re not happy with your cabinets, you’re in luck. Painting kitchen cupboards is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to give your entire kitchen a facelift.
There is some finesse required to make sure your cabinets don’t come out looking dull, streaky, or uneven.
Choose the Right Kind of Paint
Your cabinets get a lot of use, so you want a durable paint. There are special cabinet paints you can buy that are made specifically for cupboards in high traffic areas like kitchens. If you go with a different kind of paint, choose a high quality acrylic paint, not vinyl.
Also consider what finish you want. High-gloss paints can show every fingerprint or smudge, while matte finishes can look dull and scuff easily. A satin or semi-gloss is often the recommended sheen for cabinets.
Don’t Try to Cut Corners
Painting cabinets is no small task, so some people try to use shortcuts. They’ll leave the doors on, so they can paint the whole cabinets in place. Or they’ll remove the doors, but leave the hardware on.
These are surefire ways to make your end result look amateur. All kinds of things could go wrong. Paint could get on a hinge or handle. The paint may pool or be uneven near an edge.
To avoid these issues, remove cabinet doors and all hardware and hinges. To keep track of which pieces belong to what door, number your pieces with a small mark on the inside-facing sides. Then put the hardware into bags with corresponding numbers.
Be Diligent in Your Prepwork
If your cabinets have been in your kitchen for years or even decades, they’ve been exposed to grease, moisture, and anything else that has spilled or been wiped on them.
For your new paint to stick, you’ll need to clean your cabinets carefully. This can include using a degreaser to ensure all traces of grease are removed. After a thorough clean, you’ll want to use medium-grit sandpaper to sand the surfaces to help the new paint adhere to the cabinets.
Don’t Discount the Importance of Multiple Coats
While DIY painting kitchen cabinets is a fairly inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen, the paint can still be a big expense. Because of this, some people will talk themselves out of applying a primer, or they’ll think that one coat will be fine.
A primer is vital if you’re drastically changing paint colors, but it also works to hide any stains or imperfections that might show through the final paint color. And two layers of paint are recommended to provide the flawless finish most homeowners are seeking.
Let Legacy Painting Expertly Transform Your Cabinets
At the end of the day, you might decide that you don’t want to risk any DIY mistakes on something as front-and-center as your kitchen cabinets. In this case, leave the job to the professionals.
At Legacy Painting, our conscientious team will take care of the entire cabinet-painting process as you continue living in your home and cooking out of your kitchen.
We do this by removing all cabinet doors, drawers, and hardware, and then carefully prepping each surface with a deep clean and a high quality primer. Once the surfaces are primed and ready, we apply two coats of acrylic enamel-based paint.
When it hardens, this type of paint provides lasting durability and easy cleaning. After a quick reinstallation, we’ll leave your cupboards looking as good as new.
By offering reliable, timely service and as little disturbance as possible, our local painters can take the stress out of your cabinet transformation. Contact us today to see what your cabinet overhaul can look like.
