What to Know Before Repainting Cabinets

If your cabinets are in good shape but want a new look, painting the cabinets you have is a great option. However, this is not a weekend project. Painting your own cabinets will be disruptive and time-consuming. However, once you’re ready to face the upheaval, you can enjoy a whole new kitchen with freshly painted cabinets.

 

Take Things Apart

Pull your cabinet doors and drawers. Be aware that you will likely need to pack up at least a portion of your kitchen to do this job properly. Once you pull the doors, clean the hardware in a degreasing solution, and put the clean, dry hardware for each cabinet in a Ziploc bag. Place the bag inside the cabinet you removed it from. Take the time to do this right; orderly hardware will make putting your kitchen back together much simpler.

 

Clean

No matter how careful you are as a cook, any Las Vegas painter will tell you that kitchen cabinets will be a bit greasy. Clean everything with a degreaser, such as TSP, and scrub the cabinets down with a microfiber sponge to remove all dirt and grease.

 

Sand

Prep work is key to a long-lasting paint job. The cabinet surface you’re about to paint will need roughing up, so it grabs the new color. Use fine-grade sandpaper and take the shine off the finish. When you’re done, clean the cabinet door with some mineral spirits and a tack cloth. You want the cabinet surface to be completely free of dust and grit.

 

Prime

Las Vegas painting company experts also know that the primer coat is key to a great-looking finish. If your cabinets were dark, you want to cover up that wood tone and keep it from bleeding through. Invest in fine foam rollers for all of your paint layers. You want all coats of paint to be as smooth as possible.

 

Choose the Correct Paint

Kitchens are naturally humid spots, and things will get greasy over time. Dust may eventually cling to your cabinets, so you want to choose a topcoat paint product that you can easily clean. Use a paint formulated for kitchens and bathrooms.

 

Color

Your color choice is a very personal decision. However, a paint chip probably won’t give you the full story. Get a sample of the color you’re considering and paint it on large posterboard or white cardboard. The paint color will always pop against brown cardboard; you’ll get a better idea of the intensity if it has a white background. Tape this cardboard to your cabinets to make sure you want that color on the full expanse of your cabinets.

 

Time

Take your time to paint your cabinets. Give yourself a week to do this project yourself, or contact us for a consultation and a quote. This is not a job that can be rushed, so if you don’t have the time to do it right, work with a professional who can give you precisely the kitchen you want.