Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
New year new me I hear you say! If you’re like me I’m sure your DIY fingers have a been twitching when it comes to refreshing your home, the only issue you are having is budget. Don’t panic there are great ways to get around this, let me talk you through step by step how to refresh your kitchen by painting your kitchen cabinets to transform your space that you can’t wait to show off!
First, let’s talk about the mishaps, that way you can tackle this bad boy of a job feeling confident.
1. Expectations
Be realistic that your cabinet doors and draws are most likely are not going to be 100% smooth. If the cabinets have a visible open grain, the grooves are going to show.
2. Thinking it’s going to be a five minute job
When taking on this task it can take around four to seven days including all the prep so it isn’t just a Sunday afternoon project, be prepared for it to take a little while, especially for perfection!
3. Labelling your doors
Admittedly you might think this sounds crazy but honestly, it pays off! Using numbered labels will help you remember where everything goes. It doesn’t have to be fancy, masking tape will do stuck to the back. A good tip is to write the exact location so there is no guessing later and keep screws and hinges in a jar so they are all together.
4. Skipping sanding
Even if your cabinets are in perfect condition you really shouldn’t skip this step. The idea is to just get the glossy finish of your cabinet down to matte.
5. The wrong paint!
Lastly, do your research you don’t want to get halfway through and think why an earth is this going so wrong. I would personally recommend using Dulux quick dry satinwood for painting your kitchen cabinets.
Let’s get back to the dos…
1. Clean everything before
A kind of obvious one but not to be forgotten, you don’t want any fluffballs entering your paint and chilling on your cabinets for eternity!
2. Remove Doors, handles and drawers
I say if you are going to do a job you might as well make sure you do it right. Otherwise, in a few months time, you may find the paint chipping around handles. Save yourself the pain!
3. Paint primer
Not skipping this step can save you coming back months later and that’s the aim of the game right? Use a stain-blocking primer and you won’t get surprise blotches as the paint cures, win win.
4. Paint the back of the kitchen cupboards doors first
You should start by painting the back of the doors instead of the front. If you flip the door too soon before the paint has dried and it smudges, it will at least face the inside of the cabinet. Panic over!
5. Take your time before rushing to put your freshly painted kitchen cabinets back on
Its a killer once you’ve painted something having to stare at your work just drying on the floor. You just have to think it will be worth it in the end and your cabinets will have all the time they need to dry. After that, you can get them back on and enjoy your fresh new painted kitchen cupboards!