Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Painting kitchen cabinets is an easy and inexpensive way to bring old cabinets back to life as I say in my video, which shows you how to paint kitchen cabinets. And it's true. Painting kitchen cabinets is simple and provides stunning results. If you don't want to buy all new cabinets, but need a way to spruce up your kitchen, painting kitchen cabinets might be just the thing for you.

Unlike when you stain, painting kitchen cabinets gives you much more color choices. Plus, you have more room to be creative. There are numerous different types of paint finishes you can choose when you paint kitchen cabinets. For example, you can glaze, stencil, paint stripes or use crackle paint on your kitchen cabinets. To see some examples, watch the video. To get the most out of your new paint finish, you might want to consider also changing your cabinet hardware. A fresh coat of paint and new cabinet hardware will do wonders to a drab kitchen.

What You Will Need When Painting Kitchen Cabinets

• A drop cloth, if you're a bit messy like me.
• Mild soap, a clean sponge, a clean cloth and a bucket.
• A screwdriver to remove your cabinet doors and hardware. You will also need a flathead screwdriver to open your primer and paint cans.
• Liquid deglosser and a-lint free rag, or sandpaper.
• Clean, high quality paintbrushes. Cheap paintbrushes are much harder to work with.
• An oil based primer.
• Oil based paint.
• A couple of days without using your kitchen cabinets.

Choosing a Color When Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Keep in mind that the color you choose will look much different on the paint chip at the paint store than it will at home on your kitchen cabinets. That's because the lighting at paint stores is different than the lighting in your home. To make sure you get a color you love, buy a few small paint testers and paint them on test area of your kitchen cabinets. Let them fully dry before you decide on a color because the color of paint when it's wet is much different than paint when it is dry.

How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

1. Before painting kitchen cabinets, you should remove the cabinet doors and cabinet hardware. It will make the cabinet much easy to clean and paint.
2. Once the cabinet doors and hardware have been removed, clean the kitchen cabinet base and doors with a mild soap and water. After thoroughly cleaning the cabinets, dry them with a clean cloth.
3. Then you need to rough up the kitchen cabinets to help make the paint stick. To do that you can either use a liquid deglosser or sandpaper. A liquid deglosser is much easier and faster to use. To use a liquid deglosser all you have to do is rub it on with a lint-free cloth and let it dry for the recommended time period. Then you can paint. I know, it's incredibly simple. If you decide to use sandpaper, you must make sure to clean up all of the dust left on the cabinets before you paint. Otherwise, the dust will ruin your paint finish.
4. After your kitchen cabinets have been all roughed up, it's time to start painting your kitchen cabinets. First, you need to apply your primer. You should use an oil-based primer because it sticks much better. To apply the primer, use a clean paintbrush. If you have beveled cabinet doors, you should always start painting the center raised portion of the door first and then work your way out. Painting the door in that order will help to eliminate drips. When painting flat doors and the base of kitchen cabinets, start painting on the top of one side of the cabinet and then work your way across. Use up and down strokes for the best result.
5. When you painting both cabinet doors and the base of the cabinets, use straight even strokes. If some of your strokes look heavier than others, go over them and blend them together. To blend your strokes together, start your brush stroke applying the amount of pressure you normally use when painting and as you move through the stroke, gently lift up your brush. Just like that. It will make your brush stroke disappear and blend into your previous brush strokes.
6. If you do find drips, don't worry. They are easy to eliminate. First, get all of the paint off of your paintbrush. Then blend the drip into the rest of the paint, using the blending technique I just showed you.
7. Once your primer is dry, it is really time to start painting your kitchen cabinets. You will want to start painting your kitchen cabinets as soon as the primer is dry to touch. Waiting too long after priming will make the paint finish less durable. Use an oil-based paint instead of a latex paint because it will have a much more durable finish. Apply the paint the same way as you did the primer. Let the first coat dry, and apply a second coat if needed.

After painting your kitchen cabinets, let them fully dry. Then attach your cabinet hardware and hang the doors back up.

Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.

In order to make better use of your kitchen floor space, you need to put up the maximum amount of counters. Plan your design with deeper counters to cover as much of the area not occupied with appliances with counter space if the difference in floor space is a matter of a few square feet.

Squeeze as many cabinets into your design as possible. Deep cabinets that can hold plates should be located near the dishwasher, and large cabinets with slide-out drawers should be placed near the oven.

Another space-saving device is to include built-in facilities. You can have built-in ovens, microwaves and storage for small appliances. This will make your kitchen appear less cluttered. Built-in storage for foods like potatoes and onions and bread storage cabinets will also give the kitchen a cleaner look. You can also opt for waist-high, sliding shelves that hold mixers and toasters. Your small appliances can remain hidden in these shelves and still be easily accessible.

If there is no room for a pantry in your kitchen, consider converting a closet outside the kitchen area to store your cutlery, pots and infrequently used items. You can also include rollout pantries that can be pulled out to view the items you have, but rolled back into a space.

Choose a large sink. It will be easier for you to clean bigger pots and pans. Moreover, a large sink is a great place to stash your dirty pots. A large sink can also serve as a utility sink, too.

You can increase the efficiency of your small kitchen by putting a wire basket on the inside the cabinet or under the sink to hold trash bags and other frequently used items. You can mount an instant hot water heater on the sink to replace the sprayer or soap.

A tile back splash on all the walls above the counters, stove and sink make the kitchen easier to clean.

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Kitchen Cabinet - Kitchen Cabinet Clutter

The last time you opened one of your kitchen cabinets did things fall on your head, were you afraid to venture behind some old boxes of Noodle-Roni, because of what might be living back there? It doesn't have to be this way. You can eliminate clutter from your kitchen cabinet with just a little fortitude and a bit of time.

First of all, don't let the enormity of the task overwhelm you. You don't have to tackle the whole job all at once. Break it down into sections and work on one section at a time. For instance, you can decide to do all the drawers first. In your cutlery drawer, get rid of flippers that have seen better days and the broken serving spoon you have been saving. In your junk drawer, get rid of old receipts and telephone numbers with no names. Put pictures and keepsakes in their special place before they are ruined or lost. You will probably find pens without ink and pencils with no tip or erasers. Throw it out. In no time at all, it will be as cluttered as it was before.

Get rid of any dishes, bowls, and cups that are chipped or broken. Do the same with your drinking glasses. Reorganize the kitchen cabinet if you want while you are doing this task. Chances are you can find a more convenient place in another kitchen cabinet for some of the items that you use every day. Your pots and pans should be the easiest kitchen cabinet to tackle. Most of those items you will keep, so just put them back neatly and get rid of anything that is worn, such as the finish on non-stick pans.

The kitchen cabinet that holds the food is usually the most frightening. Many of the items you purchased will still be edible, but you find your family just doesn't like it. Donate these items to a food pantry or a homeless shelter rather than throw them out. One mans garbage is another mans treasure. Canned items and boxed items are best for this. It will be greatly appreciated by a family in need and you will feel good about helping someone else.

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