For any home, the kitchen is one of the most useful and visited rooms. It is very hard for an average person to spend a day without visiting the kitchen to cook, wash or even drink water. While it is true that many items can be found in an ordinary kitchen, the cabinets form and take up the most visible of spaces. You walk into any kitchen and the first that you will notice is the kitchen cabinets. For that reason, the cabinets need to look good at all times by painting them occasionally.
Painting kitchen cabinets is something that you can do without the need of a technician. However, you got to have some skills, tricks, and hack that will help you go around the project with ease. This article takes you through the steps of how to paint kitchen cabinets like a Pro.
1. Prepare Well
Just like any other DIY project in your home or workshop, you have to prepare very well before beginning your project. Start by removing and labeling the drawers and doors of your kitchen cabinets. Unscrew the screws holding the hinges together carefully and place them somewhere safe. It is also important to store the screws in a way that you can easily remember where each one of them came from. In my experience, using a masking tape with the locations written on it will go a long way into making your labeling job easier.
It is also at the preparation stage that you need to decide the color of the paint to use in the particular project. You should determine whether you want to change the cabinets’ original color or you want to stick with the original one. Additionally, you should determine and buy your preferred paint beforehand. If you have no idea as to what brand to opt for, you can always read the various reviews available online. From there, you can tell which paint works best and pick one that suits your project.
2. Prep the Surfaces of the Kitchen Cabinets to Be Painted
After removing the doors and the doors to be painted, the next step is to prep them for painting. It does not matter how clean you think your kitchen is, scrubbing the cabinet boxes and doors is an unavoidable activity if you want to acquire the best results. If anything, these kitchen cabinets always have dirt and grease that may go unnoticed regardless of how keen a homeowner can be.
Before beginning the scrubbing process, wear protective gloves as you are going to deal with chemicals that may not be friendly to your hands. Take your preferred cleaner and mix with water depending on the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the mixture to scrub and wipe the cabinet parts until completely clean. Leave the parts to sit for a while so they can dry.
3. Sand the Parts of the Cabinets
Even after cleaning the doors and drawers of your cabinets, you will still need to sand them to make them smooth and easier to paint. Sanding also removes traces of the previous paint thereby preventing the formation of lamps during and after painting. If you have wood cabinets, you only need to sand them enough to make the finish matte. The statement is also true if your previously painted cabinets have no peelings and chips. However, if your cabinets have chippings and peelings, you will have to sand them until you get bare wood.
It is important to note that regardless of how you choose to sand the parts of your cabinets, do not wear the edges. Always use a vacuum cleaner to blow away the dust and give you a clear view of the surface to be painted. Finally, use a tack cloth to wipe out any residue remains.
4. Prime the Surfaces
I do not have a specific primer that I can vouch for. However, regardless of the type of primer that you choose for your project, always make sure that it is of high quality and suited to the material (laminate, wood metal) that makes up your cabinet. A drop cloth and a painter’s tape will help you protect the surrounding areas when priming the surface. A paintbrush or a roller will also help you apply the primer easily. In my opinion, I prefer using rollers on flat surfaces (such as kitchen cabinets) because they allow me to cover a bigger area quickly. Depending on how far you are willing to go into the details, you can use a paintbrush to get into the nooks and crannies without much struggle.
5. Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets Like a Pro
This is the stage where you can showcase your painting and creativity skills. Mix your already acquired paint according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use a paintbrush or rollers to apply the paint smoothly covering all the parts. Let the first coat seat for a while to dry then apply the second coat. While painting, ensure that you clean up any drips or pooling for a cool finish. Depending on your coverage, you will always need at least two coats of paints but sometimes you can exceed to up to four coats. While the first coat takes little time to dry before applying the second coat, the following coats always take more time. It can take up to 4 days to dry but I can tell you the results are worth the wait.
6. Reassemble The Parts
Remember the screws that you unscrewed in the first step above, it is time to find them and use them to assemble the parts depending on how you labeled them. Fix the newly painted parts in their original positions and tighten the screws properly.
I insist that you should always give time for the painted surfaces to dry. I understand that there might be temptations to reassemble the parts before they are fully dried. However, that will only result in smears that will, in turn, send you back to step 5 above.
Conclusion
Your kitchen cabinets are the most visible parts of your kitchen. For that reason, they should always be in great condition if you want to maintain the elegance of your kitchen. One of the ways of ensuring that the kitchen cabinets remain in top conditions is by painting them occasionally. This article has explained to you how to paint kitchen cabinets like a pro and it is my hope that you have learned something from this piece.
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