Should I Paint or Replace my Kitchen Cabinets?

Painting your existing cabinets can be a great way to update your kitchen and it can be done for a fraction of the cost to purchase and install new kitchen cabinets.

The many steps we follow when painting kitchen cabinets professionally and properly are as follows; the whole process takes time, patience and attention to small details. 

Before the paint can be opened, the most important steps of prep and protection of surfaces must be done first. You will notice below, the necessary prep work is 80 percent of the process.

• Prep, review and plan a working area. We try to do all painting onsite if space allows, which minimizes transporting cabinet doors back and forth to a shop and eliminates damage to freshly painted doors during the return trip to your home. 
• Prep; removing all cabinet doors and hardware…Taking time to label each piece so everything can be returned to the exact same locations once painting is finished.
• Prep; thoroughly cleaning all surfaces to be painted…Cabinet doors, drawer fronts, cabinet boxes, insides of cabinets if applicable.
• Prep; masking off and protecting all surfaces not to be painted…Walls, countertops, back splashes, inside of cabinets, ceilings, floors and any cabinets not to be painted. This also includes masking off areas of house in proximity to kitchen, creating walls to keep the kitchen area separate and sealed from rest of house.
• Prep; scuff sanding all surfaces to be painted and removing all dust.
• Priming; using a high quality bonding primer to make sure adhesion to existing surface is optimized. Depending on existing cabinet finish and wood type the primer can be oil based or waterborne. 
• More prep; sand primer to make surface as smooth as possible and remove all dust again.

After doing all of the above prep, the paint can finally be applied. Depending on wood type and existing surface of cabinets we will use either a hybrid oil product or a waterborne lacquer. There are different reasons for using one product over another and this is decided based on the needs of each customer and the existing cabinet surfaces in your home. Every situation is different and the best results will be achieved by reviewing all the variables involved.

Once the paint is applied, all the masking materials can be removed and cleaned up. All the doors and hardware can be re-installed, including new door and drawer bumpers. 

Paint requires time to achieve full cure and optimal hardness. This required time will vary depending on product used and can be a week or two and up to 30-45 days. We suggest using care during this final curing process. Once cured the cabinets will be ready for all the abuse a typical kitchen endures.

The process of painting cabinets in an occupied space of your home can be tricky, but with the right equipment/tools, thorough prep, and quality products, DBK Painting can deliver consistent and very durable results that will bring amazing new life to your old cabinets.

Are you thinking of updating your kitchen cabinets?

Click here to contact us to schedule an estimate so we can discuss options and what might be best for your needs.