Tips For DIY Kitchen Cabinet Painting For A Professional Finish
Posted on: 15 May 2018
If your old kitchen cabinets have seen better days, then painting them is a great way to update them without a lot of costs. While painting your kitchen cabinets isn't a quick or one-step process, it is entirely doable if you have some basic painting and home improvement skills.
If you have never painted before, then kitchen cabinet painting is a job best left for a professional painter. However, if you have some painting experience and want to tackle the job yourself, then these tips will help you achieve the professional results you desire:
Tip: Remove the Cabinet Doors and All Hardware
While you may be tempted to paint your kitchen cabinets without first removing their doors, this is a really bad idea. No matter how careful you are or how much taping you do, you are guaranteed to get paint all over the hardware, and paint will drip down the doors. Though removing the doors and hardware is an extra step, it will absolutely make the finished paint job look a lot better.
Tip: Mark Each Cabinet and Door With a Letter or Number
As you are removing the cabinet doors and hardware, label each cabinet and its corresponding door with a letter or number that is the same. Even if all of your cabinet doors look like they are the same size, small variations in the way they were cut or the hardware installed will cause you a lot of headaches you can avoid by putting the same door back on the same cabinet after painting.
Tip: Sand Every Surface You Plan to Paint
Whether your old cabinet doors have a wood finish or are painted, you must sand every surface you plan to paint. Sanding will help remove any surface dirt or imperfections that can show through the new paint. Since a power sander can damage the cabinets' surfaces, using a sanding block wrapped in a fine sandpaper is always the best option.
Tip: Use a Quick-Drying Primer Under High-Gloss Enamel or Latex Paint
Finally, if you want your old kitchen cabinets to look like they were professionally painted, you must use a quick-drying primer as an undercoat followed by a coat or two of high-gloss latex paint. The primer will help hide any imperfections in the surface, and the high-gloss latex paint will give a nice updated and clean look to the cabinets. If you don't like the high-shine of high-gloss paint, then choose a satin finish, as both are easier to clean than flat paint.
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