How to Prepare Kitchen Cupboards for Paint
Painting is a economical alternative to refacing or replacing worn or outdated kitchen cupboards. Painting your cupboards will give you more color options and replacing the knobs and hardware will create an entirely different look to your kitchen. Preparing your cupboards the proper way lets you feel confident about your project. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Painter's tape
- Sandpaper
- Cleaning rags
- Standard paint brushes
- Standard and mini rollers
- Acrylic enamel paint
- Drop cloths
- Paint holder (tin)
- Screwdriver (Phillips and flat)
- Tack cloth
- Water
- Cleaning solution
Instructions
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1
Dress the floor with a durable drop cloth. For extra protection you can tape the sides to the bottom of the floor to keep the drop cloth from moving while you are working.
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2
Slide all drawers out of the cupboards and remove the doors and any hardware that remains. This includes screws, slide bars, washers and knobs.
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3
Make a mixture of warm water and cleaning solvent to wash the items that are to be painted. Clean the corners as well as the fronts well as food and grease collect in those spots more frequently. Dry the items well with a clean cloth and check for any overlooked dirt.
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4
Promptly use a deglosser to remove grease and remaining dirt from the cupboard, doors and drawers. It is important to remove all grease from the areas because the paint will not stick to greasy spots.
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5
Rub a fine grit sandpaper over every surface of the pieces that need to be painted. To ensure a bondable surface, use tack cloths to wipe the areas clean of dust and debris.
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6
Increase the prevention of paint overspray by using painter's tape to mask off the areas in which the paint may come in contact with appliances or other objects that should not be painted. For large areas that need covered you can place newspaper or plastic in between the tape to form a barrier of protection.
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Tips & Warnings
If needed you can fill in small divots in the wood will joint compound and sand lightly before painting. Keep the temperature warm and breeze-free to get a great looking paint job.
Double check your cleaning work before painting. It not done correctly or thoroughly, it can lead to bubbles in the paint and later strip off the cupboard altogether.
