Refinishing the kitchen cabinets of your home is the best way to liven up your living space and increase the value of your home. You can get a remarkable kitchen makeover in just few days just by planning and updating your existing kitchen cabinets. Following is a basic overview and important clues on where to start with a kitchen refinishing project.
Assemble all Equipments and Tools:
You need to organize the project well by assembling all materials and tools before you get started. If you live near a local home improvement center, you can very easily pick up the last minute supplies in a short notice. However, if the store is not near, it is a good decision to bring all equipment before starting the job. Some of the most important materials and tools you may need in a kitchen cabinet refinishing project are hand tools like a good selection of high quality sandpaper ranging in course from 250 and up, cordless drill/screwdriver, putty knife, break-away knife, utility cutter, plenty of painter’s tape, masking paper, rosin paper & a roll of plastic sheeting.
If you’re brushing, buy the best quality paint brushes; if spraying, the same is true (note: home improvement stores carry basic sprayers, not finishing sprayers, especially cup-gun sprayers sold in home improvement centers are equipped with inadequate compressors to effectively operate the gun.)
Prepare the Surface:
It is important to prepare the surface before refinishing the kitchen cabinets. Many cabinets have melamine surfaces inside, this material is not recommended to paint. You can paint them in place, remove the doors & drawers to another location (garage?) and remove the cabinet boxes too, if necessary – especially if you want to spray them in your garage.
Either way, you need to remove all of the contents. Any grease or dirt remaining on the surfaces should be cleaned off, if not it will cause poor adhesion, fish-eyes, etc. If your cabinets are already painted, you must sand smooth any rough areas or bubbled or peeling paint or varnish. Then sand the entire surface area so the primer has a surface it can bite into.
Prime the Cabinets:
When painting for the first time, or if there’s a lot of dirt & grease, or if you had to perform a lot of surface prep, you prime the all the surfaces first. Primers have additional binding agents that paint products do not, and provide a stable surface for the new paint to bond. Some primers have stain blocking properties that may be necessary as well. The only circumstance where you may not have to prime is if the cabinets are recently painted, and you wish to change color or sheen.
Paint Your Cabinets:
Once you are done with the priming, and you have allowed the primer to dry overnight, you can begin to apply paint coats. If you’re using latex or acrylic, use a sprayer to get the best finish. A sprayer can provide you with a smooth, satin or glossy, and an even paint surface – it can also cause you a lot of trouble if you are not practiced in its use – try practicing on something first, anything that has a similar surface as your cabinets, even plywood or something smooth, the importance of this is to observe how much paint comes out, what the pattern is, etc. You can also check out youtube for videos demonstrating technique.
If you’re using oil, or acrylic-modified oil, you may achieve good results with brushing. An important caution: if you make a mistake – leave it alone! You will be able to correct it once dried, but trying to fix it while it is drying will only lead to more troubles. It is important to brush always in one direction. Never lay your paint on too thick, two light coats of paint is much better than one heavy layer. For cabinet refinishing in Park Hill, you may contact a professional company that can provide you with the best service, and be done quickly.