Painting Kitchen Cabinets

By: Scott Gibson (Page 2 of 7)

Photo: Geoffrey Gross

Colors for cabinets and walls that complement each other are more pleasing to the eye than dramatic color differences.

Photo: Geoffrey Gross

These site-built cabinets from the 1960s still had years of service ahead of them, but their look was outdated.

Transformed by paint and new hardware, the cabinets now the focal point of a brighter, more welcoming kitchen.

Cleaning cabinets; surface prep before painting

To paint the cabinets, painter Vytas Misenis, of Woodbury, Connecticut, starts with a wash to remove dirt and grease and ensure a good bond between the old surface and new paint.

Sanding prepares the surface for a primer coat by removing any remaining surface grime and giving the old wood "tooth."

Misenis will move these doors to the garage for prepping and painting, minimizing mess inside the house.

Fill nail holes and other defects, and then sand them smooth. You might need to put on a second application of filler after the primer has dried.

An orbital sander makes more dust but speeds up the job, and in the garage the extra mess doesn't matter.

Photo: Geoffrey Gross

After you have removed the sanding dust, apply the primer.

A smooth topcoat is the reward for careful prep work. Misenis uses a high-quality natural-bristle brush and finishes with long strokes for a finished surface that doesn't show brush marks.

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How to Install Kitchen Cabinets

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Oil or Latex?

The first question homeowners ask is whether to use oil or latex paint. In general, latex paints have been improving steadily, leading some pros to give up oil-based paints entirely. Because they dry quickly and clean up with water, latex paints are more user-friendly than oil-based paints. But many pros still favor oil-based topcoats, arguing that they form a harder, more durable paint film and level out to a smoother finished surface. Latex paints also take longer than alkyd-based paints to cure fully (up to two or three weeks), and in the meantime are susceptible to damage. Bottom line? Either type will provide a good finish. If you do use a latex paint, make sure it is a 100 percent acrylic formulation, which offers greater durability and adhesion than vinyl acrylic paints.

A sprayed-on finish will be the smoothest, but there are some drawbacks. If a pro does the job, masking off areas in the kitchen that will not get paint—countertops, cabinet interiors, appliances— is time-consuming (read expensive.) Some pros spray all parts of the cabinets in the kitchen. Others spray doors and drawer fronts after they have been removed from the kitchen, and use a brush on the less visible cabinet frames. If you want to paint yourself, you can probably rent spray equipment from a local paint store.

Lots of homeowners do this successfully, even with little previous experience. Yet it's worth pondering whether the most heavily used room in your house is a good place to learn. You should be able to get excellent results by using a high-quality brush. Stay away from foam applicators. And don't use rollers, which leave telltale stipple marks.