The most important part when doing kitchen cabinets painting in Westlake TX is the surface preparation.
When it’s done wrong, you’ll have problems with adhesion, but when done correctly, your painted kitchen cabinets will be durable and look awesome in the end.
Painting kitchen cabinets is different than painting drywall.
There’s more prep work involved.
You can easily paint over drywall again if you don’t like the color, but with cabinets, you’d have to strip everything off and start over if the paint fails from improper surface prep.
At Brush & Color Painting, we do a lot of cabinet painting, and we would like to show you how to prep your cabinets, so the paint lasts and looks professional.
1. Remove Cabinet Doors And Drawers
- Draw a plan of the kitchen.
- Number each door where the hinges usually are attached.
- Remove the doors and drawers to work more effectively.
- Remove decorative hardware (hinges and handles).
2. Clean the cabinets
Clean the surface with a cleaner-degreaser to remove contaminants, greasy stains, and waxy residue.
3. Sandblast the surfaces
Lightly sand cabinet doors and cabinets with 180 or 220 sandpaper.
Important to clean BEFORE sanding because sanding greasy surfaces spreads and penetrates oily contaminants into the wood.
3. Dust Sanded Surfaces
Carefully remove the sanding dust; use a cloth, a synthetic feather duster, or a shop vacuum. Final clean with a cloth dipped in a furniture cleaner.
4. Apply A Super-Adherent Primer
The type of primer used when prepping kitchen cabinets for paint is very important. You might want to stay away from the latex primer.
It’s too soft, and it won’t keep the natural oil inside the wood from bleeding through into paint.
The best primer to use when prepping cabinets is either shellac primer or oil-based primer. Both dry hard and prevent stains from bleeding into your paint.
The best primer to use also depends on your application method. Some are awesome for spraying, but messy for rolling.
The primer should essentially dry faster, and the smell should not linger so long.
You can roll your primer, but if you’re willing to learn how to spray, you’ll have a superior finish spray painting your cabinets.
For rolling, foam rollers work well. They don’t leave heavy stippling on the surface.
We occasionally spray cabinet doors, including the wall boxes, using an airless sprayer. We recommend applying two coats of primer.
Two coats provide added durability and ensure the surface is totally sealed before painting them.
5. Allow the Primer to Dry
At a minimum, some products will require 2 to 4 hours. Others require a drying time of 24 hours.
6. Lightly Sand The Primer
Using sandpaper 220 or 320, sand between each coat of the primer. This step smoothes and evens out the surface, and helps remove potential dust grains and unevenness of the surface.
Bonus Tips On Painting
Apply 2 Coats Of Paint
There are paints designed, specifically furniture and cabinets. They have all the features you need to ensure a flawless finish and excellent durability including;
- adhesive and scratch-resistant resin
- increased leveling feature for an ultra-smooth finish
- resistance to abrasion and repeated cleaning
Allow the Paint to Dry Properly Between Each Coat
If the drying step is interrupted between layers, the paint may be less durable. When a second or third coat of paint is applied too soon, the solvent (water) is trapped, resulting in a softer and, therefore, less durable coating.
If you need professional help updating your kitchen cabinet, our team at Brush & Color Painting can help.
We offer interior and cabinet eco-friendly painting services in Austin, TX, Tarrytown TX, Clarksville TX, and Westlake, TX.
To use our services, book a FREE estimate or call us at (512) 947-0594 if you have any questions.