Painting kitchen cabinets

[OnionPatch]

I'd love to just replace them all but the budget won't allow it. They are sturdy and in good shape, it's just that the doors are scuffed and a little stained and also, the kitchen is dark and I think white cabinets would brighten it up.

So my questions are:

1. What sort of paint should I use? Latex? Enamel? Should I spray? I could take the doors outside.

2. Should I do the insides of the cabinets? Right now they are just the natural wood inside. I'm leaning toward leaving them that way.

[politicat]

1. What are they made of?

Sorry for the poor grammar there, but, ya know... If they're wood, then they'll take paint fine as long as they're clean. Use a strong cleaner to take off any accumulated grime (and all kitchen cabinets have some.) If they're varnished, you may want to scuff the varnish with some sandpaper so that the paint will hold.

Use a latex with a smooth roller; enamel is hard to find and not so good for your health.

If they're melamine, then you'll need a smooth surface primer that's available from sherwin williams.

You might want to do the inside of the cabinets, just so that it looks right. I've noticed that having the contrast can look weird.

[OnionPatch]

2. They're wood

So you don't think it would be easier to spray paint the doors?

[NMDemDist2]

3. it probably would be "easier" but not cheaper and certainly wouldn't

last as long as a good coat rolled on.

I have that on my list too, but it's gonna be a while

[Warpy]

4. First consider what the finish is

If they've been varnished and then oiled over the years, you'll have to do some prep work. Sand the surface to roughen it enough to take paint and wash everything down with a strong trisodium phosphate solution to get rid of any oils or kitchen grease. Be sure to follow the directions on the package.

Definitely take the doors off and take the hardware off the doors when you paint. You can spray paint the hardware whatever color your countertop is, something I did when I painted my kitchen several years ago, and it made a huge difference, tied it all together.

I did paint the insides of my cabinets because they were an ugly yellowish color that had probably been there since the 60s. I painted them a different shade ofthe countertop color.

Finally, sprayers are OK for walls, but those cabinets will need to have the most durable paint possible. Latex is OK, but oil based enamel will give you the most durable finish. Brush and roll it on. Get as much paint on those suckers as you can.

You're going to love a white kitchen. I'm bucking the dismal trends of dark cabinets, dark walls, and stainless steel appliances and going for white cabinets. My parents did that 30 years ago, and it wore very well.

[Dora]

5. I couldn't agree with you more, re: "dismal trend"

We bought a fridge and gas stove when we bought our house. They're wonderful appliances, but I really wish I hadn't chosen black.

I had thought that black's "slimming" factor would cause the appliances to visually recede - not take up so much space in the view, so to speak. But white's reflectivity would do so much to brighten the workspace - my kitchen lighting is poor and the black just makes it worse. It's a mistake I'll never make again.

[politicat]

9. Hey Dora, you might try the manufacturer....

Our stove and fridge have fairly easily replaceable cabinetry. They're whirlpool Energy Stars. You're looking at a couple hundred bucks, but compared to the cost of new appliances, that's cheap. You'll need some coolers (because you'll have to take everything out and unplug the thing), a full day, a helper and ours needed a screwdriver and new door gaskets. It's also a great time to do that total cleaning and vacuum behind, under and in the coils, and wash the floor under the appliances.

We replaced a door panel on the fridge because it had gotten a really long, nasty scratch that was rusting, and the fridge is only 4.5 years old. Of course, once we got it on, we realized that the other one looked funny in comparison....

According to my grandmother, my uncle had his beer refrigerator refinished at an auto-paint shop; he wanted one in Chicago Cubs colors to match his sports room. (It apparently is blue with the big red and white C; I haven't seen it.) He had the enamel baked on and then clear-coated. It's worth looking into, if you can afford to be without a fridge for 48 hours or so. (Sounds like an interesting thing to have done while on vacation...)

[OnionPatch]

6. Ok, so I'll roll them

That's two opinions that they should be rolled, so I'll go for it. Thanks for the tips with the trisodium phosphate. I wouldn't have known to use that but those cabinets do have a good coat of crud on them, especially above the stove. Still, they're sturdy and in decent shape so I think they'll look great once painted.

As for the insides...They are finished wood like the outside. If they had been painted some other color, I would definitely paint them white as well, but the finish inside the cabinets still looks new and clean. And none of the doors have any windows or anything, so, at least for now, I'm probably not going to paint the insides. They're going to stay wood. I have too many other projects to do. I'm going to replace the old counters (they are awful!) with tile and after that, we're going to put laminate wood floor throughout the entire house. So we have our work cut out for us. I'll probably be back here often in the next four or five months. :hi: I already got some good advice from the thread about the laminate floors.

[NMDemDist2]

7. you sound like us!

be sure and take lots of pictures of the process

and TSP does work great, be sure to wear rubber gloves and keep some glasses on!

[OnionPatch]

8. I saw your tile pics

It looks great! :thumbsup:

I'll have to refer back to them when we start our tile.

[Catshrink]

10. Kilz2

I would prime them with a coat of Kilz2 before painting them white. Kilz will help cover the darker color and if the cabinets are dry, the wood will suck up the Kilz instead of the more expensive final coat.

I just painted over paneling in my house -- 2 coats of Kilz2 followed by just one of topcoat. It looks great.

I'm also using Kilz Oil Based "Odorless" (odorless my butt) on the subfloor before laying laminate. It seals in pet mistakes, in theory anyway.

I'm a big fan of Kilz -- maybe I should buy stock or something.

[NMDemDist2]

11. excellent suggestion

it will seal in any grease that the TSP didn't cut too.

[OnionPatch]

14. It does help with the pet mistakes

I used it. A cat I had a few years back kept spraying on the block wall next to the door in the garage. I scrubbed and scrubbed that wall with every chemical I could think of. Then my sister (who is a painter) told me to use Kilz, the oil based kind. She said they use it professionally to seal in smoke damage, etc. and pet odors. I used it and there is not the slightest hint of cat pee odor in that spot anymore.

[fudge stripe cookays]

12. Hi Onion--

I did mine, and you would not BELIEVE the difference a gorgeous coat of glossy white does. Seriously.

I had the hideous, beat-up wood-colored stock 80s cabinets, and hated them from the minute we moved in. After I'd painted the entire LR, DR and kitchen walls, I did the cabinets a glossy white. I'd suggest the super glossy finish because it wipes clean more easily in the kitchen (what with the grease and all).

Here's what I did: A coat of Kilz primer, then 2 coats of paint inside AND outside! Trust me-- you'll think it's more work initially, but painting the inside makes it look so much more polished, and it looks MUCH more like you shelled out the money for new cabinets.

After I repainted, we sprang for the gorgeous brushed pewter knobs, and brushed pewter bin pulls from Lowe's (like a buck or 2 a pop). Then, we swapped out our cheesy flourescent fixture for a multidirectional one from IKEA, and a $40 pot rack from Ikea. You wouldn't believe it's the same kitchen.

Good luck!
fsc

[OnionPatch]

13. Thanks, I'll get some Kilz for sure

I hadn't thought of that, but that's a good idea.

I can't wait.

[unhappycamper]

15. Knobs and pulls add a lot to the finished look.

Lowes & Home Depot have an OK selection, but if you're looking for something different try http://www.outwater.com/ .

Even adding in the shipping, these guys are a lot cheaper than L & HD. I'd suggest you stay away from metric hardware unless you have a metric screw cutter.