| Painting Kitchen Cabinets |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-611 |
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Q: I want to give my kitchen cabinets a new look. They're wood-stained cabinets. Is it possible to paint them? A: (Sharon Hanby-Robie, Ask DIY remodeling expert) ) Absolutely! It's a project that requires you to take enough time and not rush, but the results will be worth the effort. - The first thing you should do is take the cabinet doors off, removing any screws and hardware and placing it where you can locate it when you're ready to reassemble the cabinets.
- Carefully sand off any rough areas on the doors and the cabinet base, and wipe away any dust or sawdust from the surface.
- Thoroughly clean the cabinets with a sponge and denatured alcohol (figure A) to remove any traces of dirt and grease, getting into any nooks and crannies. (Safety tip: Denatured alcohol emits fumes, so be sure the room is well ventilated.) Let the surface air dry.
- Using a disposable foam brush, apply an even coat of primer-sealer (figure B) to the doors, beginning in the center and following the grain of the wood (figure C) . (Primer-sealer is a great product that eliminates the need to sand down and degloss the wood before painting.) It will dry in about an hour.
- Another advantage to using a primer-sealer is that you can apply a water-based paint over it. High-gloss paint is often recommended for cabinets, but I think semigloss adds a richer finish. Use a good non-disposable brush to apply the paint (figure D) -- the better the brush, the better the finish, and you want to add as smooth a finish as possible. Start at the center as you did in the previous step, and follow the grain. Don't rush this part -- you'll need two or three thin coats in order to achieve a fine finish. Thin coats create fewer brushstrokes and give better drying time and adhesion. Allow the paint to dry for four hours between coats.
- Once all the doors are painted, start on the bases. Follow the same steps you did for the doors: sand, clean, seal, then paint. Don't worry about doing the inside of the cabinets -- just tape off the edges for a clean finish and leave them as they are.
You may also want to try color-glazing on the cabinet. It adds a touch of color while allowing the wood grain to show through. It works especially well on the center panels of cabinet doors. You'll need to make a one-to-one mixture of paint and glaze(figure E) The glaze makes the paint more transparent and slows the drying time. Tape off any areas that you don't want color-glazed, then apply the mixture with a disposable bristle brush (first pull out any loose bristles or you'll have some not-so-pleasant surprises in the finish), following the grain. Use a second, clean brush to remove excess pigment (figure F) -- you can remove as little or as much as you want. (This is called a negative technique.) Wipe off the brush with paper towels as you work. That's all there is to it!
RESOURCES :
Faux finishing and decorative painting
Painting Skills
ISBN: 1842154109
Author: Mike Lawrence
Order this title from Amazon.com.
The Perfect Palette: Fifty Inspired Color Plans for Painting Every Room in Your Home
Model: 0446675199
Author: Bonnie Rosser Krims
(April 1999)
Little Brown and Company (Time Warner, Inc.)
New York, NY 10020
Phone: 212-522-8700
Paint Recipes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Colors and Finishes for the Home
Model: 0811811735
Author: Liz Wagstaff
Chronicle Books
Chronicle Publishing Company
Website: www.chroniclebooks.com
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