Learn how to paint kitchen cupboard doors. Why pay out for a completely new kitchen, when you can just paint what you got. This is probably the easiest way to change the colour of your kitchen cupboard doors. It offers an instant transformation, within a low budget. See our guide below to learn how to paint kitchen cupboard doors yourself:
1. Remove handles and hinges
Start by removing all the kitchen door handles and hinges, leaving you with only the bare doors. You can then place them away from your precious kitchen, ready for painting. You may also want to consider painting the interior/exterior of the cupboard. If so, then be sure you remove the contents of the cupboard. Plus ensure the hinges attached to the kitchen carcass is covered with masking tape to protect them from being painted.
2. Wash and sand cupboards
We advise you lightly sand down each door before painting, using 120 to 220 grit sandpaper. Using a fine sandpaper like this will smooth out the imperfections in the wood and prepare the surface to be painted.
Tricky or uneven surfaces could be done by wrapping the sandpaper in something mouldable, a sponge for example, and use that to help sand down the door.
3. Selecting a primer
To get the best finish, we recommend you apply a primer to your kitchen doors first. This is particularly necessary with wooden doors as it stops the grain from showing up through the paint.
Shellac based primers are recommended for kitchen cupboards because they dry quickly. Get a more even coverage by using a small roller.
4. What paint to choose?
It is vital you choose a durable paint. The kitchen is always a hub of activity, especially when guests are round. We recommend semi Gloss, gloss or satin. Not only are these paints high quality looking, they are also wipeable and hard wearing. Matt paint is not recommended.
The paint colour you select will be highly dependant on the style of kitchen and atmosphere you want to create. But just remember, whatever colour you choose, will likely have a big impact. Colourful cupboards can really make your room stand out, particularly against a white or black wall.
5. How to paint over gloss
Painting over glossy doors requires a slightly different primer to wooden surfaces. Use a super grip primer for glossy surfaces, these will stick to the cupboard door better than other primers. These primers usually only required one coat but may take longer to dry, so be sure to account for this. Make sure your door is cleaned of any grease, some sugar water is sufficient to wipe down your surfaces beforehand.
6. Spraying or respraying
This may seem like the quickest option when it comes to painting or repainting your kitchen cupboards, but it can be the trickiest. First, you need to construct yourself a serial killer type lair by covering up the entire space with plastic sheets. It may sound obvious but paint sprayers use a fair amount of air to spray paint onto surfaces. As a result, things like dust and general dirt can be blown onto your cupboard door which can leave a less than desirable finish. The chances of this happening are quite high so have a roller on hand to even out the paint and give your doors a smooth finish.
Tip: Two coats should be the minimum amount you aim for to avoid a patchy or uneven finish.
About the Author:
Lark and Larks is an online kitchen and bedroom store. Before you can consider what colour you want to paint your kitchen cupboard doors, you need to find the perfect ones. You may already have cupboards that just need a fresh lick of paint. However, instead of repainting them you could treat yourself to a completely new set from Lark and Larks. Get in touch with them to see how they can transform your kitchen or bedroom.
