Painting your kitchen or bathroom cabinets can give them a facelift and save you money if you’re on a tight budget! By choosing the right colour for your space (neutral usually being the best for these projects) and preparing your surfaces properly you can add some major value to your home.
To skip the “how-to” and view the enlarged slideshow display, please click on one of the photos below…you’ll see there are great samples of cabinets with hinges showing, without hinges showing, flat panel, recessed panel, etc…
I also have more information on this via my blog at www.kylieminteriors.wordpress.com
While there are many more detailed instructions out there, here are the basics….
1. Clean with TSP, make sure to wipe all of the tsp off with clean water
2. Sand with approx 120 grit sandpaper whether you think they need it or not. This will either break any existing lacquer up or remove any minor blemishes that will make your new finish appear uneven. Use a tack cloth to remove any dust/residue
3. Primer with a quality primer. Do some research as to whether you should use latex or oil primer. This is important because some wood cabinets absorb paints at different rates (ie: oak eats oil primer like it’s candy!)
4. Use a high-quality melamine paint (they have an alkyd emulsion version out there that is great – means soap and water clean up!) I love CIL’s Melamine furniture paint.http://www.cil.ca/products/brands/cil-smart3.html Do approx 3 coats and sand lightly between coats with a high grit sandpaper. I prefer to brush in any detailed areas and I use a 10mm nap roller for the main body.
5. Finish with varathane or lacquer if you are worried about durability.
