Installing a new kitchen, even on a tight budget, can easily be $15K+ onwards including all trades needed to connect appliances and fittings, but have you ever thought about doing a DIY mini-makeover? A brand-new coat of paint can make a huge difference without breaking the bank, particularly when painting kitchen cupboards.
With any DIY job, it’s important that you do your research first, you don’t want to be redoing your hard work within a few short months.
In this blog post, we offer top tips on how to paint kitchen cabinets to give your kitchen cabinets a fresh look and make them more durable and chip-resistant.
What You Will Need For Painting Kitchen Cupboards
- Screwdriver / Drill
- Wipes / Soapy Water
- Epoxy Putty
- Laminate Cleaner
- Sandpaper
- 1 -2 cans of Primer
- Clean Roller
- Kitchen Laminate Paint
- Masking Tape
- Paint Brush
Starting Out
Before commencing your project, ensure you empty all cupboards and drawers. The doors that you can remove, unscrew and label them on the back so you remember where each piece goes.
– Give everything a good clean, with warm water, or sugar soap. This will remove any built-up grime.
– Before moving onto the next stage, if any of your cupboards or drawers have imperfections, now is the time to fix these. Use epoxy putty, choose a fast-drying product, that allows you to sand shortly after.
– If you have any laminate that is coming off, use a strong adhesive to assist in sticking it back down. If you have severely damaged doors, it would be worthwhile having these replaced, and once painted with laminate paint, no one will notice the difference.
All the doors and drawers will need a light sand; this will help the paint by allowing it to have something to grip to.
– Ensure the surfaces are given a thorough wipe over to remove all dust and dirt.
– The next step is to use a primer. It’s important to roll the primer in long, smooth strokes, to allow even distribution.
Once you have finished, run a clean roller over the doors, this is called layering and it will allow a smooth finish. You won’t need to do this if your cupboards are wood, but it is a very important step for laminate kitchen cabinets.
Now For The Fun Part
Now that you have prepared your cupboards, you can begin painting kitchen cabinets. Your local hardware will be able to advise the best kitchen laminate paint needed for your home reno. Dulux has a great renovator range to make your life a little easier and it’s available in their entire colour range.
Use a good quality masking tape, mask off any areas that you don’t want paint applied to. If you’re not painting the inside of your cabinets, it’s a good idea to mask around the edges so the paint you apply to the front doesn’t leach over to the back.
Apply your paint the same way you did your primer, long clean stokes to ensure you get a smooth finish.
Adding Coat
Work out the square meterage of your cabinets by multiplying the length by the height and then divide that amount by 12, which will give you the required amount in litres.
If you are painting the inside of your cabinets, ensure you double your amount needed.
You will need 1 -2 cans of primer as well.