Hey, all you kitchen cabinet painters, quick question for you..

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

I've declared 2009 to be The Year of the Paint Can in our house. We've been in our house for two years, and I'm DONE with the previous owner's paint-to-sell color choices.

 

While I can afford a bunch of paint, I cannot afford new kitchen cabinets, so I'm going to paint them at some point this year. I'm also going to paint the bathroom sink cabinets as well (one is in progress).

 

blah, blah, blah, OK, so my question is: what sheen of paint did you choose? satin, semi-gloss, etc.? And, did you put some sort of polyurethane top coat on as well? I've got Mirage White sateen that I'm painting on my bathroom cabinet, but it is looking, well, dull.

 

I know that the cabinets aren't going to have the hand-rubbed look that professionals would give, but do want them to look nice.

 

Thanks,

[specialmama]

I've done this a few times through the years and have loved the results! Especially from the nice, new hardware! :tongue_smilie: After sanding, put on 2-3 coats primer, then the paint. I used semi-gloss paint, and then applied a clear protective coat, which is essential. In one kitchen I did, I did not think it needed the protective coat, but in about 4-6 months, paint began to peel, especially where there was friction (where the cupboard closes or where 2 doors meet) so yes, definately go for a clear coat, one that repels water. Sounds like fun, enjoy!

 

 

[H.S. Burrow]

I'm not an expert...meaning that it has been several years since I paint cabinets. I'm sure that you will get more current advice, ;) but I would definetly spring for the "mildew resistant" kitchen & bath paint for your bathroom cabinets. I personally don't think that mildew resistant is necessary for kitchen cabinets.

 

My favorite brand for coverage/price is Behr.

 

HTH!:)

[LaxMom]

I would use a semi-gloss. It's just more wipe-able and doesn't tend to show rubs as readily. Also, frankly, it is the "expected" finish on cabinetry (or high-gloss, but that's WAY shiny) and a flat or eggshell finish would probably just look odd.

 

I love (LOVE!) oil based paint because it flattens out before drying, so it has that nice finish. A friend recommended to me that, since I can no longer, apparently, buy oil, I should thin out latex paint with a little water. It extends the drying time so it, too, flattens out before drying and there aren't any odd textures left by brush or roller.

 

Good luck! I feel you on the need to eradicate the old color scheme. Our house was battleship gray with darker battleship gray trim. Enormously depressing, until I couldn't take it any more and painted every room in a different, saturated color over the course of a year. Much better.

[Susan in TN]

I would also splurge on high quality paint from a reputable paint store, as opposed to less expensive paint from Home Depot or Lowes. We painted our dark wood-stained cabinets white 3 or 4 years ago and put on a couple coats of primer and a couple coats of high gloss paint. We didn't put on a clear protective coat, but I can see that it might have been helpful. The paint is holding up very well in general and cleans easily although it is a bit worn on the inside drawer edges.

[Spy Car]

A friend recommended to me that, since I can no longer, apparently, buy oil, I should thin out latex paint with a little water. It extends the drying time so it, too, flattens out before drying and there aren't any odd textures left by brush or roller.

 

I'm no painting expert, but our painters "trick" was to add a small amount of dish-washing liquid (of the sort used for "hand-washing" dishes). This makes the finish on semi-gloss water based paint extraordinarily smooth.

 

It really worked extraordinarily well.

 

Bill

[Harriet Vane]

I have gotten really gorgeous results from using a mini-sponge roller. Look for one with a really smooth foam sponge. On each coat, take the time to rub the roller on the wood a lot so that there are no streaks or thick spots.

 

I put on a coat of mildew-resistant primer first. After that I put on 2-4 coats of semi-gloss paint.

 

Cabinet doors often have angles and many different pieces joined together. I use a brush to make sure all the nooks and crannies have been painted. Then I go over the whole door with the sponge roller (with paint). The roller gives it a smooth sheen--no brush marks.

 

I would NOT put on a top coat of polyurethane as that will yellow over time.

[LBC]

I used melamine paint when I painted my cabinets. It's an oil based paint, so it's smelly, and a bit of a pain to work with. I used a sponge brush. The cabinets turned out well. This was over ten years ago, so maybe the recommendations have changed.

 

Lori

[Alessandra]

You have got such good advice already, but if you want one more idea ... have you thought of decorative painting? Something like a simple dragging technique can be very easy to do and should give the hand rubbed sort of finish you mentioned. I'd second whoever mentioned good surface prep and quality paints.

[Ferdie]

I have gotten really gorgeous results from using a mini-sponge roller. Look for one with a really smooth foam sponge. On each coat, take the time to rub the roller on the wood a lot so that there are no streaks or thick spots.

 

I put on a coat of mildew-resistant primer first. After that I put on 2-4 coats of semi-gloss paint.

 

Cabinet doors often have angles and many different pieces joined together. I use a brush to make sure all the nooks and crannies have been painted. Then I go over the whole door with the sponge roller (with paint). The roller gives it a smooth sheen--no brush marks.

 

I would NOT put on a top coat of polyurethane as that will yellow over time.

 

:iagree: Ditto on the mini-sponge roller. We painted my sister's kitchen cabinets using brushes and my cabinets using the mini-sponge roller and there was a big difference in the finishes. The mini-roller made the finish nice and smooth with no brush marks. We used semi-gloss paint after a day of prep work (sanding and priming).

[tnmomofboys]

I have painted the cabinets in 4 houses and here are the tricks that I have learned. Latex is easy to work with but the finish is not what I really like, but I am a detail person. Oil paint will give the best finish. Benjamin Moore sells a paint called Satin Impervo. I like the white dove color. It gives a beautiful finish, I use it for all my trim. Wash the cabinets really good. I use a sponge roller to put the paint on and then "lay it off" with a good brush. My most recent re-do was to paint dated oak cabinets. I did not want to have to prime so back to Benjamin Moore. This time I used a paint (oil) and no primer was needed. It is called IronClad. It worked great. The top cabinets are linen white and the bottom are black. Oh, and take the doors off to paint.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Now that I have a couple coats of the sateen (kitchen and bath finish) on the downstairs bathroom vanity, it isn't looking as dull as it had been. I think I'll look for a non-yellowing varnish/polyurethane top coat to make it look really crisp.

 

I've been using the mini foam rollers and I **love** them! it is giving me a nice finish on the doors.

 

For the kitchen project, I'll look into higher end paints.

[Desert Rat]

We have painted cabinets that were originally painted by a previous owner. They added texture to the paint and added decorative molding in a rectangular pattern on each drawer front and cabinet door. I love it! We have since painted a couple times but still love the texture. You can buy texture additive in the paint section. For touch ups on serious dings (I do have 2 boys and a kitchen that doubles as the play room 'cause it's so big) I've just added sand from the sandbox to a little paint.

HTH and have fun!