5 Kitchen Cabinet Painting Mistakes You Need to Avoid
A full kitchen remodel can be expensive; new cabinetry looks great, but if you have some basic DIY skills and some time, you can achieve great results by painting your existing kitchen cabinets. This is a cheaper option, you could save thousands of dollars on new kitchen cabinetry, but there are some pitfalls to avoid. In this article, we will look at five kitchen cabinet painting mistakes that you need to avoid if you want the best results.
1. Leaving the Kitchen Doors On
If you want great results, the doors have to come off the kitchen cabinets. This is a hassle, but you cannot paint your kitchen cabinet doors in place and expect to get good results. If the doorare flat, they are easier to paint, and you won’t get ugly paint runs that spoil the finish.
2. Not Cleaning Up the Doors
Most people skip cleaning and sanding and go straight to painting the cabinet doors. If you want a high quality finish, it’s important to clean, sand, and then clean the doors again before any painting. Start by wiping the doors down with clean, warm water to remove grease, rust, and food debris. If the doors are very greasy, use a degreaser and make sure the doors are dry before sanding.
3. Not Thoroughly Sanding the Doors
The key to getting that smooth and uniform appearance on your kitchen cabinet doors is sanding. The last thing you want is rough patches where the old finish shows through, and you need to use an electric sander for the best results. The electric sander should be used on all flat surfaces, and you can sand by hand in the tight corners with grit sandpaper. Don’t sand too hard; you don’t want deep scratches or dents on the surface of the door. Make a single first pass with the electric sander to get the old paint off and carefully follow the wood grain.
4. Not Priming, Sanding and Painting
Many people simply sand once and then paint their cabinets, but this doesn’t result in a high quality finish. Once the first sanding is complete, clean the surfaces with clean water and allow them to thoroughly dry. Then apply a coat of primer and leave that to dry for at least 24 hours before continuing. Then sand the doors again by hand using a finer grade of sandpaper to make the surfaces even smoother. Repeat this process a few times, sand, remove the dust and dirt, and then apply the next coat of paint. Just skim the surface when sanding, you don’t want to remove the paint your applied, you want to remove the dust, dirt and uneven paint. Only use a fine sandpaper when building up layers of paint in this manner, and the results will be worth the extra effort.
5. Using Cheap Quality Paint
Some people try to save money, they buy cheap quality paint and expect it to deliver a high quality finish. But, buying good quality paint is a worthwhile investment, and it’s worth paying extra. The coverage is more even, the paint will last longer, and it will look far better in your kitchen. Choose a high quality semi-gloss paint for kitchen cabinets and use a good mini roller for flat surfaces and a 1” angled brush for the corners. Apply thin and even coats, don’t use too much paint, building up layers of paint and sanding is the best technique for gorgeous kitchen cabinet doors that look new.