Painting Kitchen Cabinets

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

08 May 2008 05:13 PM

Do you know what you should do when painting kitchen cabinets? For example, there is a very good reason why using certain cleaners, such as Windex, is a bad idea when cleaning the surfaces before painting them. I wish I would have known that before I cleaned our base board heating covers with Windex before we painted them.

Here are the basics that you need to know before you paint those kitchen cabinets.

The first thing that you want to do is to remove all of the drawers and doors from the cabinets. Then remove all of the hardware.

Next, find a well-lit area to work and clean all of the surfaces with a gentle cleaner. Ammonia-based cleaners are a no-no, because there is no way to extract the ammonia from the cabinets, and once it is on the surface underneath the paint, it can cause the paint to yellow or discolor. Don't forget to clean the cabinet frames, if they will be showing.

Next, evaluate the current finish. If it is sealed and has a shine to it, then your best bet is to strip away the finish, or your new paint will not stick to the surface. If the doors and drawers have a dull finish or have been painted before, then you can probably get away with a light sanding.

After cleaning, rinse the surfaces throughly to remove any cleanser residue.

If your doors, drawers or frames have any nicks or dents in them, fill these areas with a non shrinking wood putty. Then lightly sand again.

Next, apply a primer to the surfaces you will be painting. Most of the time a basic primer will do. Oil-based paint may give you a smoother surface, but it is much harder to work with than is the water-based latex. It is also harder to find. For latex, you want to select a high quality paint and choose paint that is 100 percent acrylic for the best results.

Check back for more information about painting kitchen cabinets.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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