When your cabinets are a little outdated, you really only have two options. One is to rip them all out and put new cabinets in, which can be really expensive, and time consuming. Another option is to just paint them. It's very simple and a lot less expensive. In this handy dandy How To Paint Cabinets blog post we are going to show you three very easy steps today on how to refinish your cabinets.
They're going to be prepped, primed and painted, and as long as you follow those three steps you can tackle any cabinet in your house whether it's your kitchen like this maybe your bathroom or even your laundry room. Now these cabinets we have here are wood which are very easy to paint but really any surface you can scuff with sandpaper is paintable.
Now when you're painting your laminate cabinets you want to make sure you use a bonding primer, this will ensure that the paint will stick to the laminate. You also want to be sure that there's no nicks or dings in the laminate, and that it's in good shape. If they're painted however, and the paints is in bad shape, you'll want to make sure you strip it in a well ventilated area to start off with a clean smooth surface.
Now after you've emptied all of your cabinets, you're going to remove your doors, drawers, and hardware. I like to keep all the hardware in little bags so I can find it easier at the end. Next up then take blue painters tape and label all your doors and drawers with what cabinet they go to. So I'm going to put an A on this one, and then an A inside the cabinet, and then you just keep going. Now put your doors and your doors in a place out of the way like a garage or a basement.
You're going to work on them there because it's project is going to take a couple of days. What I'm going to do now is, wipe down my cabinets with just some water and TSP cleaner, which is just a general purpose cleaner. I'm looking to get all the grease, and grime, and dirt off, especially because this is a kitchen. After you finish cleaning your cabinets, you'll want to give them a quick once over look for any holes or gouges or imperfections that you'll need to fill.
Like this one right here. I'm just going to take my wood filler and squeeze it right into the hole and then use my flexible putty knife to smooth it out, and then just let it dry according to the directions. You don't have to fill your hardware holes especially if you're using the same hardware, but if you're getting new hardware, make sure you get it with the same screw pattern if you decide to do something a little different, with the different screw pattern, you'll have to fill one of your holes and drill another one.
After you've done all of your repairs, now it's time to protect your work surface. On my countertop I'm going to finish taping off my surfaces so I don't get any paint on it. So now we're going to sand our cabinets. What I have here is just a medium to find grit sandpaper that I folded in half. You can also use a sanding sponge which is a little bit easier on your hands to hold. And you can get into all the corners a little bit better.
What I'm doing is going with the grain and getting through that first layer of finish, and I'm going to focus on getting all the different corners and edges of these cabinets, and follow the same process for the doors and drawers. Cabinet frames often have laminate surfaces, and those are paintable as long as you sand. Just be sure to not damage the edges. The last step is to clean up. I like to use a vacuum and static cloth. Now that I've done preparing my surface, I'm ready to prime.
When I'm dipping my paintbrush in the primer, I'm tapping the excess off on the sides of the inside of the paint can. You don't want to load a bunch of paint on there, but you do want to make sure it covers. I'm moving it up and down motion with the grain of the wood, and I'm just spreading it out evenly. I'm going to start with my frames, and then move on to my doors, and drawers.
On these larger areas, I'm going to use a mini foam roller. I've already gone ahead and cut in with a brush under my countertop, around my outlet, and above my shoe molding. When I'm loading primer onto my roller, I want to get it wet, but I don't want it to run on there, so I'm going to brush some off here, and I'm going to move in a w motion with the grain.
And I'm going to remember to finish into the wet and lay off any of my ridges that I have here by going back over with the dry roller. The tip with primer is that it just has to cover, it doesn't have to look perfect. You're finished coat will be the perfect one. Now, I don't have to paint the inside of my cabinets because, luckily for me, they're in great shape. However, like any painting project, if you do have to paint them you start at the back and work your way out.
So you start the back panel, do your side panels, and then your shelf last. The most important thing to remember is to let your paint completely cure before you get impatient and start putting stuff back. I'm going to be putting shelf liners on these shelves when I'm all done. The first step in painting your drawer and door fronts is to remove your label and keep it near your door. You don't want to lose it.
Then I'm going to take my door and put it on these little painting tripods to hold the door off my work surface. It keeps it cleaner, and I'm able to get into all these little detailed areas on the sides. I'm going to start with my brush with primer, and get in all the edges here, and the sides, and really thin it out. Feather out all of your primer, and remember to go with the grain.
After I've cut in my detailed areas with my brush I'll go back to my foam roller, and hit all my larger areas. Once the back is dry, you just flip it over, and start on the front. I'm going to start with a brush again to get all the detailed areas first, and then I'll move on to the roller. Be sure to feather out your primer and if it pulls in the corners, use the bristles to even it out.
When painting the drawers, only paint the front. Avoid the sides, because the paint can cause the doors to stick on the frames. Just like before, use your brush to get all the angled areas. Primer doesn't take long to dry, but always check the manufacturer's direction before you do anything else to ensure you have a smooth finish. You might need to lightly sand in between your primer coat and your finish coats.
All right, the fun begins. We get to paint. I'm using an acrylic latex base paint because it's durable, and easy to clean. As far as you're finish goes ,you want to avoid a high gloss finish because it can show a lot of nicks and dings. Your other options would be a semi-gloss, and a satin finish, which I'll be using today. Another one to avoid in a kitchen would be a flat finish, because it can be more difficult to clean.
Now just like your primer you're going to use a brush on your frame here, and then you're going to switch over to your foam roller on your larger areas. Now, when you're painting the doors and the drawer fronts, we're going to go through the same processes before. I'm going to use the angled brush to hit all my detailed areas, and then I'm going to use the foam roller to hit my larger surface areas.
Don't forget to lay off to remove the tool marks. Once it's all dry, you can flip it over, and start on the front. Let everything dry according to the manufacturers direction. As long as you let your finish completely cure, you'll have a good hard finish. Some people like to add a coat of polyurethane to add to the durability and ease of cleaning. Be sure to use a water-based polyurethane over the acrylic latex paint.
Once your paint has hardened you can begin reassembling your cabinets. Be sure to use a manual screwdriver when installing your hardware, so you don't cross thread the screws or mark your finish. I chose to go with a brand new hardware, because, I think new hardware is like the jewelry of the kitchen. Adding a shelf liner is a nice touch too.
So, our cabinets are all painted. On the perimeter cabinets, I went with a nice bright white to bring a lot of light in the room, and on this island here, I did a darker gray blue to go along with the countertop. On the walls, I decided to go with a lighter blue to bring a lot of color in the room, and to really pull the whole project together. And in the end I have a brand new kitchen.
If you're really serious about painting your cabinets in Calgary, Alberta, Canada area, think about calling in our Calgary painters for a free cabinet painting price quote. Brushing and rolling cabinets is only one option. Spray painting kitchen cabinets can provide even better finish results. 1/2 Price Pro Calgary painting can likely help you save time and save money on cabinet painting. Think about giving us a call @ (587) 800-2801 and we'll try to save you money.
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