Step-by-Step Guide to DIY Cabinet Painting: Tips and Techniques
Kitchens are the nucleus of a house, and cabinets are the center of a kitchen. So if you want to revamp your kitchen space and bring it a new personality, it is time to give your cabinets the perfect color.
But if you live in developed areas such as Mississauga, you would know the long expense bills that come with this kitchen renovation. The cost of hiring professional kitchen cabinet painting in Mississauga can be much more than you anticipate, so picking up a paintbrush and repainting your cabinets yourself is a great choice. Painting kitchen cabinets can be a little time-taking, but it is a relatively simple and straightforward procedure that any dedicated homeowner can take on with confidence.
If you do not have kitchen cabinet painting experience, there is nothing to fret about. This guide can take you along a step-by-step process to ease your DIY cabinet painting project.
DIY Steps for Painting Cabinets
Prepare Your Space
You cannot get up one day, pick up a paintbrush, and start painting. Prepping the surface comes first and involves relocating kitchen furniture to another spot, clearing out and cleaning cabinets, spreading tape rosin paper on floors and countertops, and protecting the house from fumes and dust using plastic tape sheeting.
To avoid inconveniences, you should also set up a suitable work table for painting drawers, shelves, and doors beforehand.
Remove The Drawers, Doors, and Shelves
Once your workstation is up and running, it is time to remove the doors, shelves, and handles from your cabinets. Make sure to mark each drawer front and door lest you mix them all up when attaching them back together.
Clean The Surfaces
Spray some degreaser solution on your cabinets and thoroughly wipe them down to remove grease and oil remnants that may hinder a blemish-less finish. You can also try using a stronger cleaner, such as trisodium phosphate, for harsher stains.
Time to Prime
Primer is as essential in painting cabinets as it is in achieving the perfect makeup look. You can go for a stain-blocking primer if your cabinets are dotted with stains and surface blemishes.
However, in most cases, a 100% acrylic latex primer or oil-based primer works just fine. Prime your cabinets by loading a roller and a brush and making clean sweeps along all tight spots and edges.
Sand And Fill
Once the primer dries, use 220-grit paper to sand the flat surfaces until the wood surface starts resembling glass in its feel. Cover any scratches, dents, or dings your cabinets may have using caulk, and smoothen it down with a putty knife.
You need to sand the surfaces again once the caulk dries and finish off by wiping it with a tack cloth and spraying some fast-drying oil-based primer on top.
Paint The Cabinets
Contrary to popular belief, painting the cabinets is a step that comes last instead of the first. Now that you have prepped and primed your surface, it is time to paint your cabinets with the right colors. Two coats are enough to do the job if you are going for a shade similar to the one you already have, but you may have to go for three to four coats if the underlying color is darker than the new one.
Make sure that you break out a new brush for every coat to give your cabinets a seamless finish. Make sure to finish with some trim and cabinet enamel paint, covering your brushes and rollers with plastic sheets between coats to prevent them from drying out.
Repeat the process for the cabinet doors, handles, and external parts you removed in the first step, but carry this painting out on a table to prevent sags, drips, and runs from ruining your floor.
A good strategy for painting paneled doors is to begin with the area around the panel, gradually moving towards its main field and ending the process at the rails and stiles around the edges. Remember to keep wiping any paint remnants along adjacent dry surfaces so you do not end up with frustrating lap marks.
Reassemble
Wait for all your parts to dry before starting the reassembly process. Reattach the drawer fronts and doors, and take a step back to admire the absolute masterpiece of a cabinet repainting job you just accomplished without investing a great deal of money. A good finishing idea is to add new drawer pulls to each drawer when reinstalling them.
Summing Up
A task as simple as repainting your cabinets holds the power to tailor your kitchen’s visual appeal according to your desires. This inexpensive and rewarding task can bring you a brand-new kitchen if only you are willing to invest your time and dedication into it. If you need more tips and tricks to revamp your kitchen.