Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kitchen cabinet painting can be a lot of fun if you do it right. It can save you money and allows you to work on your own time. However, painting your kitchen cabinets is not as easy as painting the walls in your house. Without the right tools and equipment, not to mention the knowledge and experience, you may end up making some serious kitchen cabinet painting mistakes that will ruin your project. When you hire professional kitchen cabinet painters, like Booth7, you can rest assured they won’t make these mistakes. Read on for some important tips to keep in mind before you get started on your DIY project.
Repainting your kitchen cabinets should not be a last-minute project. Rushing the process will not give you the quality look you expect; instead, you may end up with cabinets that look messy and worse than they did before you started. When establishing your kitchen cabinet repainting plan, you should allow for four to seven days so that each step is properly executed. One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make with DIY kitchen cabinet painting is forgetting to provide themselves with enough time and then rushing to get the project completed.
Cleaning your kitchen cabinets and then sanding them before applying primer and paint are two very important steps you should never forget. It doesn’t matter if your kitchen looks clean, you still need to wipe down every surface you intend to paint with a gentle mix of soap and water. Applying water-based paints or lacquers to an oil-covered cabinet will be a waste of time because your paint will not stick properly. Once this is done, you should sand down any imperfections. This includes scratches, dents, and any splinters that may have been caused from wear and tear. Sanding your kitchen cabinets before painting will result in a more professional-looking finished job.
After sanding, you should vacuum/wipe or use a tack cloth to remove any debris and dust before even thinking about dipping your brush in paint. A few pieces of dust, fuzz, or hair can ruin the look of your cabinets and you’ll end up with a gritty finish that looks like you’ve painted over sand. Do your due diligence the first time by ensuring that there are no traces of dust or fuzz in your working environment.
Although there is no right or wrong colour for your kitchen cabinets, you don’t want to have to repaint them a second time because you are dissatisfied with the colour you initially selected. You should first paint a poster board with a test colour to see if it works with the rest of your kitchen. Hold it up next to your backsplash and appliances to see if it is the colour you want. Skipping this step could be a big mistake and end up costing you more time, energy, and money in the long run.
Most people who do DIY home upgrades are trying to cut the costs that are associated with hiring professionals. Although you may be able to physically handle the paint job on your own, you should not cheap out on the quality of tools and paint you use. Paints made for cabinetry will generally provide a much smoother finish. Spending a bit more on quality paint probably won’t break your budget, so make the most of your DIY project by choosing the right paint for the project.
A step that might not ever come to mind is pre-tinting your primer. By adding a bit of paint colour to your primer paint, you can get away with fewer coats. One of the hardest colours to cover is white, so tinting your primer will save you time from using multiple coats of paint. It will also stretch your investment if you purchased high-quality, expensive paint. Another helpful tip is to use a stain-blocking primer.
A crucial first step is to remove all doors, drawers, and hardware (ie. Knobs, door pulls and hinges) before painting. If you try to cut corners and paint your doors and drawers while they’re still attached, you’ll end up with an uneven paint job and some spots that you couldn’t reach with the paint. As you remove the hinges, knobs, drawers and doors, it’s important to take note of where they go. You can use masking tape to label each piece so that you can put them back where it came from.
Waiting for your paint to properly cure and seeing your kitchen without its cabinets and drawers can be an annoying process. You may be tempted to reinstall your cabinet doors too soon. If you do not allow enough drying time for the paint, you can accidentally smudge or chip your cabinets, which means you will have to re-sand the door and repaint it. Although it is frustrating waiting for paint to dry, it’s better to let it completely dry before jumping the gun and making an easily avoidable mistake.
Are you considering painting your kitchen cabinets but aren’t sure if a DIY project is right for you? Have you started painting your cabinets yourself but had to stop because you made one of the above-mentioned mistakes? Fear not. At Booth7, we are your one-stop shop to give your kitchen or bathroom a fresh new look and style. Our services include a free in-home consultation so you can get professional advice, colour advice, competitive pricing, and custom designs that suit you. We handle all the details of your project from start to finish, so you can trust you are in good hands!
To get started on your home renovation or any painting project, call Booth7 today! You can also fill out our online form or contact us at info@booth7.com.