Painting your kitchen cabinets can seem like a quick and low cost way to give your kitchen a new lease of life. Pinterest is awash with images of beautiful painted kitchen cabinetry, and for a keen DIY-er it can seem a simple way of updating old, tired-looking kitchens.
However there are lots of simple mistakes which people make when painting their kitchen cabinets which can prove costly to fix in the long run. Have a read of our list of most common blunders before you start on painting your kitchen (or get the professionals in to save you the hassle!)
The 10 Most Common Kitchen Cabinet Painting Mistakes
1. You don’t clean the wood before painting your cabinets
Most kitchens that have been used in a busy family home for a number of years are in need of a proper deep clean before you can start a painting job. No matter how clean you think your kitchen is, you need to wipe everything down with a grease remover or else when you add a water-based paint to an oil-covered door, the paint won’t stick. Cleaning your current cabinetry is a crucial step before commencing and painting work and you need to think about every nook, cranny and rim to ensure a smooth finish.
2. You try to paint degenerated kitchen cabinets
Even the highest-quality paint job can’t revive cheap cabinets that have grown frail with age. Thin veneers peel or delaminate, MDF cabinet bottoms or shelves sag or break, and hanging rails come loose.Make sure that your cabinet doors are sound before starting any painting job.
3. You start painting before removing the cabinet doors and drawers
A really common mistake we see when people start painting their kitchen cabinets themselves, is just slapping the paint on without first removing the cabinet doors and drawers. Before painting your kitchen cabinets you need to make sure that you remove all the doors, take all the hinges and knobs off and pull out all the drawers. Some people paint everything, hinges and all, but this is a short-term fix and will damage your hardware- you will probably see cracks and signs of wear within a month.
4. You forget to sand your cabinets first
As with any painting job, the preparation is the most important stage to ensure a professional finish. Sanding the cabinet doors and drawers down is crucial to enable the most smooth and flawless finish. If you don’t sand the surfaces the paint won’t ‘stick’ so making sure you sand it down from a gloss finish to a matte finish is essential before starting to paint your kitchen cabinets.
5. Forgetting to label every piece of cabinetry
Because what once was hung up will need to go back in the same place, we advise using numbered labels to help remember where everything goes. A piece of masking tape stuck to the back of each piece is the perfect solution. It’s a good idea to write specific locations such as “above sink, right”) so there’ll be no guessing where it goes later. Then stash screws and hinges in a jar for safekeeping. It will save a headache in the long run when you’re trying to reassemble your whole kitchen!
6. You don’t factor in adequate time
Lots of people think that painting their kitchen cabinets is a quick weekend job, but you’ll find that it actually takes 4-7 days to paint a kitchen properly and allow it adequate time to dry before reassembling. Forgetting to factor in sanding time and dry time is a mistake lots of people make.
7. You forget to elevate the cabinets before painting
If you don’t elevate your cabinets properly before starting to paint them, you’ll miss corners and edges and run the risk of smudges and fingerprints. Using something like a painter’s pyramid to elevate the cabinets will give you more accessibility to the edges and allow the brush to reach tight corners.
8. You paint the doors in the wrong order
There’s no right and wrong order to painting kitchen cabinets is there? There most certainly is! Don’t just jump right in: You should start by painting the back of the doors instead of the front, because else if you flip the door too soon and the paint smudges, it will at least face the inside of the cabinet.
9. You choose the wrong paint
The most important part of painting any surface in your home is choosing the right kind of paint. The golden rule is “you get what you pay for” – choosing a lower grade paint is going to give low grade results. Choose the highest quality professional paint you can afford and it will last longer and look better than any cheaper alternatives. A kitchen is going to experience steam, grease and cooking vapours regularly so the paint you use has to be durable and wipe-clean. We recommend using a gloss or satinwood paint for longevity and protection.
10. You try to spray paint your kitchen cabinets yourself
Spray painting your cabinets is a brilliant way of achieving a smooth coverage and professional finish. It is a particularly good way of painting cabinets with beveling and other details. However, there’s a learning curve for doing it properly. You’ll also likely need to rent the spray equipment, which drives up your costs, and you’ll have to mask off all the areas in the kitchen that could accidentally get sprayed, including countertops, cabinet interiors, and appliances, which is a time-consuming process. Here at Devon Select Decorators, we are professionally-trained and highly experienced in the art of spray painting. The final results are exceptional, completely devoid of brush strokes and gives a finish that is second-to-none.
With the mounting costs of new appliances, countertops, and cabinets, it’s no surprise that painting your kitchen cabinets is such a popular and cost-effective way to breathe new life into the heart of your home. However, with the above commonly made mistakes taken into consideration, we highly advise choosing a professional to carry out the work for you so that you don’t do more harm than good!
Call now on 07855 792 750 to arrange a free quotation for any decorating service you require. We take the utmost pride in our work and hope to leave an impression on you and your home soon.