Kitchen Decorating: A Guide to Repainting Wooden Kitchen Cabinets

If you have wooden kitchen cabinets that need a facelift, then painting can offer a low-cost way to improve their appearance without hurting your own cash-flow situation. If your kitchen cabinets do not have structural problems but are basically in good shape except for a few nicks and some wear, then paint can give cabinets a whole new look.

Choosing a Paint

Before you even begin on your painting project, you’ll need to decide what type of paint to use. Although an oil-based or alkyd paint can provide durability, a latex paint is often preferred as it provides easy clean-up with water and dries quickly. However, it can also take a couple weeks to cure and therefore is more susceptible to damage during that time. If you do choose a latex paint, make sure it’s 100% acrylic rather than vinyl as an acrylic base offers better adhesion to surfaces and longer wear. Regardless of your choice, picking a paint that provides a glossy surface will be easier to clean and hold up better overall.

Removing the Drawers, Doors and Hardware

Before you begin any work, remove the drawers, doors and hardware and organize them so can affix them to your cabinetry’s framework once the paint dries. Now is an opportune time to pick new hardware for your cabinets to give them a totally new look. Handles and knobs in brushed nickel or chrome are popular selections for updating cabinets. Tie in the look by matching the hardware with your sink’s faucet.

Stripping the Existing Finish

To prep the surface for painting, you may want to strip the existing varnish on the wood before your start priming and painting it. By doing so, you’ll eliminate any problems with adhesion. Sand the wood lightly with 150-grit sandpaper and use a soft cloth and mineral spirits to wipe away the dust.

Cleaning the Cabinets

Should your wood cabinets already be painted, all you may need to do to prep them is to clean them thoroughly. Just make sure you don’t use any cleaning solvents that are ammonia-based as they can turn the paint you use yellow. Rinse the surfaces well before you start applying primer.

Priming the Surfaces and Filling in the Imperfectons

Before priming the surface, fill in dings or nicks with a non-shrinking putty and sand the spots with 150-grit sandpaper. Typically, you’ll only need one coat of primer before you paint your cabinets. Use an oil-based or 100% latex underbody primer that excels at covering and filling in surface imperfections. After your primer coat dries, lightly sand the surface with 150-grit sandpaper and use a soft cloth to remove the dust.

Applying the Paint

If your paint of choice is an alkyd paint, then apply the paint with a natural bristle brush. Use a synthetic bristle brush if your selection is a 100% latex based paint. If the old paint has not been removed and is about the same color as the new paint you’re using, then a primer and two coats of paint should be sufficient coverage.

As you can see, painting is an easy task. Just make sure you’re prepared and have the proper tools and you’ll do just fine.