Not all cabinets will need to be primed before painting, if you're using DecoArt's Satin Enamels. Satin Enamels are formulated to adhere well to wood, and I've seen this to be true in multiple cabinet and furniture painting projects.
If you don't prop up your cabinets prior to painting, you risk missing edges and corners. Lay doors on painter's pyramids so you can more easily maneuver a brush around the bottom edges.
Labeling your doors, cleaning and prepping the wood, priming, and sanding in between coats of paint are absolutely necessary for a great finished product. But one thing they say you can skip? You don't need to sand your cabinets before painting them. In fact, they advise against it.
Yes, it is possible to paint cabinets without sanding. If you prep with the right products, you can save yourself the hassle with these tips!
Yes, when done properly. Don't expect it to be a fast DIY project where you can just messily slap on some normal latex paint. We recommend using the proper paint (either a latex enamel or Urethane Trim Enamel Paint) as well as a proper primer.
Painting Over Painted Cabinets
Allow them to dry thoroughly before applying a second coat. When using latex, a brush and roller will offer the best control to get into the nooks and crannies that tend to come with kitchen cabinets. Work the paint onto the surface from top to bottom in even strokes.
Liquid Sandpaper Works Faster
Liquid sandpaper does the work for you in about 15 minutes. All you have to do is apply it, wait 15 minutes, and wipe off any residue once it dry. Any varnish or glossy finish will have magically peeled away and you'll be left with wood that's ready for paint or primer.
While priming never hurts, whether it's necessary or not is determined by the type of paint (oil or latex) currently on your cabinets and the type you plan to use for repainting. If you're changing the type of paint or painting over natural wood cabinets, then it's important to prime the cabinets first.
The two primary differences between oil-based paint and latex-based paint on kitchen cabinets are final texture and dry time. Oil-based is more traditional and popular with purists who like the “painterly” look of brush marks, while latex gives a more consistent finish.
Whether you're priming a porous substance such as wood or a smooth substance such as metal, you need to sand the substance beforehand. Sanding a surface removes the top glossy layer, allowing the substance to receive the primer.
While there are many types of paint to choose from, the best paint for kitchen cabinets is typically semi-gloss, gloss or satin. Matte is not practical in kitchens and baths where you will need durable paint you can easily clean.
Always prime your walls before painting if the surface is porous. The surface is porous when it absorbs water, moisture, oil, odors or stains. For example, brand new drywall is a very porous material.
How Long After Using Liquid Sandpaper Can You Paint? Sandpaper with liquid is faster to apply, wait 15 minutes, and then wipe off any leftover residue once it has dried. You'll find that any varnish or glossy finish has magically peeled away, leaving you with a ready-made primer or paint.
It is generally not recommended to paint over varnished wood, but you can paint over it without sanding it. If you want to protect the surface permanently, you can use Chalk paint and seal it with a top coat. Or, you can use a special bonding primer to prepare the surface for painting without sanding it first.
Using a liquid sander also helps get into any nooks and crannies that you may not be able to get at with sandpaper. If you're working on a piece of furniture with a lot of etched detail, using liquid sandpaper/deglosser may save you a lot of time and provide the best results.
Wood, wood-laminate and metal cabinets usually can be repainted without difficulty. Plastic laminate cabinets might not accept a topcoat of paint — those that can be refinished often require special paints and techniques, and results can vary.
No matter what type of paint you're using, sanding the gloss of the existing paint is important. Don't use sandpaper coarser than 220-grit to sand the paint otherwise the sandpaper will leave scratch marks everywhere. I recommend using a 320-grit sanding sponge to lightly sand the painted cabinet doors and frames.
After painting dozens of kitchens, I recommend cleaning kitchen cabinets with TSP or Trisodium Phosphate. TSP is a powerful degreaser that cuts through grease and dirt like a hot knife through butter. This cleaner is very cheap and mixes up in minutes with hot water.
For wood, brushing is fine, but you may want to hire a professional for a good finish. Using a roller to paint cabinets is a lot faster than brush painting, however, the fabric on the roller will create a 'bobbly' texture on the surface. The texture a roller puts on cabinets makes it unsuitable for gloss paint.
Brushing allows the painters to apply the color directly to the surface of the cabinets, only wasting the small amount left on their brushes at the end of the project. Spraying atomizes the paint, meaning some of the droplets inevitably float away, and any paint left in the tubing of the sprayer goes to waste.
Rollers are not as consistent. The paint is applied unevenly. So, if you want a factory-grade finish, choose to spray your kitchen cabinets instead of rolling them. In addition to providing a higher-quality final finish, spray painting is faster than using a roller.
Bottom line: Either oil or latex will provide a good finish. If you do use a latex paint, make sure it's a 100 percent acrylic formulation, which offers greater durability and adhesion than vinyl acrylic paints.
While satin finishes tend to be fairly durable in high traffic areas, they're not as durable and versatile as semi-gloss against mildew and mold. Kitchen cabinets in high moisture environments can, therefore, do better with semi-gloss paints.