Small-scale DIY paint jobs are fun and provide a sense of accomplishment besides improving your DIY skills. However, when you take on the task of painting your kitchen cabinets, it’s certainly no small DIY job and you need to be careful about various elements.
If it’s your first time for a DIY paint job and you’re going for the kitchen cabinets to spruce up the interior, it’s really important that you should get prepared for the task. By preparation we mean, you should not repeat the same amateur mistakes just like everyone else. So, what do you need to know before painting kitchen cabinets?
Continue reading this post by Custom Furniture Dubai to get yourself the most helpful piece of advice that can prevent potential mistakes from happening.
The 10 Most Helpful Tips For Painting A Kitchen Cabinet Like A Pro
You need to make sure that you remove all the cabinet doors, hinges, and handles for adding efficiency to your DIY job. Also, you have to arrange all the essential tools and equipment beforehand to avoid disruptions during your project. Below, we’ve enlisted and briefly explained all the tips and tricks that when followed precisely will get you promising end results.
1. Look For Damages Beforehand
First and foremost, you should not set up any unrealistic expectations from the start. Yes, paint jobs can completely transform the look and feel of your kitchen cabinets, however, they can’t cover up structural damage scenarios, chips, dents, cracks, etc.
When you are painting your kitchen cabinets DIY, you can expect a smooth, gleaming finish as the ultimate result, and nothing more than that justifies your expectations. Especially, when it’s your first DIY paint job and you’ve no previous experience.
For damage scenarios, it is recommended that you fill the holes with a filling compound paste applied to the crevices. Don’t start with painting until the filling compound has completely dried.
2. Cleaning And Preparation
No paint gives you a smooth, gleaming finish when painted on a dusty surface and it’s irrefutable. This highlights the importance of cleaning and preparation before a paint job. You need to make sure that the cabinet surfaces are clean and smooth.
You should carefully clean the area because once it’s painted, there’s no way around to clean the dust, dirt, and debris underneath. Plus, it won’t allow the paint to stick to the cabinet surface.
3. Don’t Rush Things
People who hurry up to get the paint job finished can’t complain about the end results because there has to be a significant difference in the aesthetic appeal. The more time and effort you put into the task, the better will be the results and vice versa.
Depending on the number of cabinets and size, you need to idealize the total time span of the job. For instance, it takes around 15-20 minutes for painting a single cabinet or it may be longer depending on whether or not you’re experienced.
Hence, you can easily estimate the total time for this DIY project and select a day with no other arrangements. This way you can put attention to even minute details and get desirable paint finishes.
4. Label The Hardware Before The Removal (Depends)
It’s a minor detail but can put you into great misery after the completion of your paint job. This step is of no importance for cabinets with identical hinges, doors, and handle pulls. However, if all the handles and doors are distinct, you might get into trouble when locating the ideal placement for all of them.
5. Always Buy High-Quality Paint
Why use a low-quality paint when you’re spending so much of your valuable time and work painting your kitchen cabinets? Let’s take a look at some of the downsides of using low-quality paint i.e. poor adhesion properties, uneven coverage, limited durability, increased maintenance, health hazards, etc.
Thus, painting your kitchen cabinets with a low-quality product is a short-term investment that is to be repeated and therefore, not a budget-friendly option. All this described thought rightfully explains the importance of using premium quality paint for DIY and professional projects.
6. Determine Painting The Inside Of The Cabinets
You need to decide beforehand whether or not you should go for painting the inside of the cabinets. It surely will add a pop of color to your kitchen design but is not an efficient, simple, and straightforward job to be DIY performed.
Also, you will require additional paint and there will be an addition to the total time span for project completion i.e. it may take more than 2 days depending on the moisture and humidity in the environment.
7. Avoid Using Paintbrushes
Don’t get confused reading this sub-heading because there’s an obvious reason for that. Actually, paintbrushes are designed to help you get a detailed finish and should not be used for painting the cabinet surfaces on the whole i.e. you’ll end up with brush marks on the cabinet face.
You can use a paint spray gun as the best alternative to a paintbrush for painting your kitchen cabinets. In this context, you can enjoy smooth, plain, and ultra-edged paint finishes by using a piece of cardboard placed on the cabinet surface. Similarly, a foam roller can also be used for this purpose.
8. Work In The Open (Outside The House)
Using a paintbrush for this DIY project, you can cause visible damage to the countertops, sink, accessories, and appliances i.e. paint splashes, drips, marks, etc. Similarly, a paint spray gun is also not a good idea when working inside the kitchen interior.
It’s advised that you always work outside and in the open to prevent such damages. Not to mention that you should wear gloves and an apron to protect yourself and your clothes against harmful chemicals.
9. Kitchen Renovation Any Time Sooner
If you plan to upscale your kitchen interior in the meantime, you should avoid painting your kitchen cabinets in the first place i.e. 6-8 months. There’s no point in investing too much time, effort, and money for such a short span of time. It should only be that you’re not getting your kitchen renovated for the next 2 years or so.
10. Decide On The Budget Limit
You can avoid the incoming financial distress just by mapping a financial plan or layout for your DIY project. From paint purchases to additional hardware and essential tools, all things must be taken into consideration and the budget must be determined.
The Bottom Line
Painting your kitchen cabinets DIY is a fun activity for sure, however, you need to think about some important aspects of this project. In this post, we have explained all the important tips and tricks that can help you complete this DIY paint job and get expert-level results, without having to pay (excessively) to the professionals.