Mistakes to Avoid When Painting Kitchen Cabinets 

Painted kitchen cabinets look so amazing on HGTV programs or Pinterest pages. In fact, these shows and websites make the process look so easy and practically flawless that many DIYers forget that there are some fairly important steps that go into properly painting kitchen cabinets. 

Before you begin any paint project, it is important to ask yourself if you have the time, equipment, and painting know-how to get the job done well. If you can’t answer yes to each of those points, you may want to consider hiring a professional team that can get your project underway. 

If you do plan to attempt kitchen cabinet painting, there are several mistakes that you should avoid to have a positive outcome in your kitchen. 

Temper Your Expectations 

If your cabinets have a textured wood grain that is fairly noticeable, the paint will probably show the grooves of the grain even after several coats of primer and top coat. Realize that the surface will not be 100% smooth. Temper those expectations first before starting the painting process. Cabinet refinishing or replacing is the only thing that will completely remove the grained texture. 

Label the Cabinets

What many DIYers and novice kitchen cabinet painters don’t realize is that once you remove all the cabinets it’s difficult to know where they need to be rehung without labels and a key that shows which doors go to which spot in the kitchen layout. 

Many professionals label not only the doors and drawers, but also the hardware that goes with each. Keeping all the screws and pulls in a baggy labeled by the cabinet door will be very helpful when everything is painted and ready to be rehung. 

Don’t forget to Clean Thoroughly

No matter how clean your cabinet doors and drawers may look at first glance, you will still need to use some elbow grease and grease cleaner to remove all the kitchen splatter and gunk that has built up over the years. 

Many professionals sand each cabinet down to remove the old paint especially if there are chips, bubbles, or stains that would show through the primer and final coat. 

There is no cabinet that needs more pulling than the one where the trash is hidden away under the sink or the one that contains the dog food or doggy toys. Those cabinets need extra cleaning and potentially scraping to wipe away years of built up grease and grime. 

Paint Cabinets on an Elevation

Many newbies don’t realize that they need to paint all sides of the cabinet that requires having each door up on an elevation to be sure to get every corner and side. This process requires allowing one side to completely dry before making the flip to the other. As always time and patience is needed to make this process successful. 

Looking to avoid these issues? Talk to our team at Jerry Enos Painting about a professional paint project on your kitchen cabinets. 

Categorised in: Kitchen Cabinets