Give Your kitchen A Facelift By Painting Your Kitchen Cabinetry

July 24, 2015 Guest Post

If you’re fed up with your existing kitchen but can’t afford a brand new one then why not bring it into the 21st century by repainting your kitchen cabinets. With a couple of pots of paint and a few accessories you’ll have yourself a great looking kitchen that’s both inexpensive and simple too. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

Choosing your paint
From a practical point of view try to pick a paint with a semi-gloss finish It makes it far easier when you want to wipe the cupboards down. Any flatter and it’ll start to pull the cloth and you’ll end up with a chalky feel. Converse high gloss paint is likely to show up every brush stroke. So unless you’re a professional, stick to semi-gloss.

When it comes to color, then the world’s your oyster. Plain white is still the hottest choice when it comes to kitchen design, but why not pick a strong accent color to break it up. How about contrasting corner pantry cabinets in a marine blue, pistachio, or lilac for a New England/Miami Beach look. Alternatively, paint your cabinets white and go for accent colors on the surrounding walls. Remember the lighter your color scheme, the larger your kitchen will look.

Preparation
This is probably the biggest part of the project and involves de-cluttering your kitchen. Clear your countertops and any freestanding furniture and store it elsewhere. Use plastic sheeting to make sure all floors and work surfaces are well covered. Finally, use a good degreaser to give your cabinets a thorough clean. This includes areas around the handles, underneath and around the sides. It pays to take the time to do it properly because the paint won’t stick to any greasy areas.

Sand down
Once cleaned, you’ll want to give your kitchen cabinetry a light sanding down with 400 or 220 grit sandpaper. If your existing kitchen cabinetry has an open grained finish such as oak, then the heavier the sandpaper needed.

Priming
After sanding down, you’ll need to remove the doors, lay them flat and brush on a coat of primer. Once dry, then give another light sanding to remove any priming brush strokes. Finally, you may want to apply a product called Stix. As the name suggests it helps paint stick evenly to the cabinetry.

Get painting
Now the exciting bit. Purchase a good quality brush or small roller and apply the paint with the doors still disassembled. This way they can lay flat to dry without any drip marks. Finally, turn them over and paint the underside. Repeat the process when dry to give it a second coat.

Arborite and melamine
If you have quality kitchen cabinets that are made of either arborite or melamine, they can prove tricky to get the paint to stick. Instead, it might be advisable to hire a professional.

This is certainly one project that can be completed over a weekend and is a quick and easy way to give you the kitchen you want without it costing you the earth.

Author Bio:
Author is a Home improvement blogger. She has gained extensive experience in these fields. She has been writing on this topic for many years.