Planning a Kitchen Wall Painting Project
Sequencing the work that way reduces the amount of prep work and cutting-in. If you're painting your cabinets and the whole kitchen, paint the ceiling first, the cabinets second, and the walls last.
To protect the drywall and for a professional finish, we recommend painting behind kitchen cabinets.
How Long Should Paint Dry Before Hanging Cabinets? If the cabinet is not fully cured to a solid, durable surface, it is more prone to chips and mark damage. You should wait two nights before reattaching the cabinet doors and hardware, so keep the doors from slamming or scraped until week two.
We recommend painting once all major structural and functional work is done, but before new flooring or carpet is installed. Essentially, floors come last so you can avoid the heavier wear and tear multiple contractors, tools and dust the full renovation brings.
Install drywall first for the best finish. Kitchens feature a combination of construction elements and fixtures, and it can be confusing when you're trying to figure out the best configuration for these elements.
Paint before units go in and then touch up if any damage during fitting. Once the walls are plastered, allow them to dry right out. Reduces chance of the fresh plaster cracking under your paint quite so obviously. Then paint the walls.
If it's visible it should be finished. If you ever plan to clean it then it should be finished. If it will come in contact with water or grease will land on it then it should be finished. If it's behind a cabinet where you'll never see it then that's pretty common to leave it unfinished.
While painting your walls, you might be worried that freshly painted cabinets will be damaged while installing a new counter. So yes, you should paint the walls before installing countertops. Before installing the counters, avoid painting, tiling, or wallpapering the area above the countertop.
While there is no best way to clean walls before painting, most walls can be washed using a sponge and warm water. For surfaces that have exposure to oil or grime, like kitchen walls, wash with a solution of water and grease-cutting detergent and follow up with clean water to remove any residual cleaning agent.
Wood cabinets are ideal for painting, but any surface that can be scuffed with sandpaper can be painted. Laminate cabinets require a special bonding primer. The laminate must be in good condition for best results. Choose a high-quality paint.
Air Circulation. One benefit of using plywood panels when hanging kitchen cabinets is that air can travel freely between the wall and the cabinet, drying potential water or damp. Cabinets around the stove, dishwasher or sink are more prone to dampness and water, meaning an increased chance of mold and decay.
Installing flooring before your cabinets is the best choice for most hardwood floors. When professionals install floors then cabinets, it's easier to get everything to standard heights. It's also a safer installation process for your cabinets since you won't risk any damage to them as professionals install the floors.
Soffits themselves are often described as big, bulky, and box-shaped structures that are built to hide all of the wiring and mechanical components between your cabinets and your ceiling. They are most often seen in a kitchen, although soffits may exist in other parts of the home as well.
If you're unable to do your remodeling project all at once and opt to do it in stages, then consider painting the cabinets first since they often have a bigger surface area than your countertop(s) and have a bigger overall impact.
Prep them first, including a coat of primer before. Install, get everything to fit -- you may need to sand, putty etc. Spot prime, sand and paint. Paint the doors and other removable items off the cabinets.
Blocking for cabinets is a must for your kitchen renovation project. If you have metal framing, use framing lumber for your blocking. Do not use metal framing for your blocking. If your blocking goes over pipes or electrical, install nail plates.
If you're building vertical cabinets, 1/2 plywood is strong enough and is often more than enough for general use. However, you need to provide proper support for it because it still tends to bow over time. Using 1/2 plywood for a horizontal cabinet isn't ideal because it'll sag after putting on some weight.
Typically the bottom of your uppers will be set at 54" above the floor, which is 18" above the countertops, then depending on how high your uppers are : 30", 36", 42" or larger, is where the blocking should go.
If you don't clean before sanding, contaminates (like cooking grease) will be pressed down into the wood. Contaminates will keep the soon be applied paint for sticking. You can remove the doors here in the process or wait until after you wash them down. It is totally up to you and situational dependent.
Using a paint sprayer is one of the easiest ways to get a super smooth finish on your cabinets. By their very nature, paint sprayers eliminate brush strokes and roller marks completely. And painting with a paint sprayer is almost always faster than using a paint roller and paint brush.
You should sand cabinets before beginning your how to paint kitchen cabinet project to give the new paint a good surface to grip. But you don't need to sand to bare wood. If your cabinets have a factory finish, sand lightly with 120-grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge.