Any eggshell or interior wood paint will work on wooden and already painted kitchen doors. Chalk paints are suitable for kitchen cupboards but you'll usually need to seal the top-coat with wax or varnish to achieve a wipeable surface.
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.
Ideally, spray painting cabinets is the most sought after method today. The quality of finish you get from using a spray gun is second to none, and it's by far a faster and more efficient method.
When it comes to painting cabinets, any kind of wood will do. “Unfinished, painted, and stained wood all work well, as does MDF, compressed/faux wood,” says painter Albert Ridge in How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets: 5 Tips from a Master Painter.
While painting kitchen cabinets is a relatively easy and cheap way to update your kitchen, unfortunately, you can't just whack paint on and hope for the best. First, you have to check your kitchen cabinets can be painted. If you have solid wood kitchen cabinets doors you are good to go.
You can paint the cabinets with oil-based paints, acrylic paints, or melamine paints once they have been primed. Moisture-resistant materials in the paint make Melamine paints ideal for painting laminate surfaces, since they are just right for the moisture and steam that are so prevalent in kitchens.
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.
Despite oil-based paints' reputation for easy application and long-lasting finishes that can be scrubbed and cleaned regularly, latex paint is widely considered the best choice for most kitchen cabinets since it offers lower levels of VOCs and dries faster.
Detailed Patterns, Warped or Damaged Cabinets
If your cabinets have detailed patterns or they are warped, chipped, cracked or have other damage to them, then painting your kitchen cabinets is not the way to go – it most definitely won't solve your cabinet problem.
Prime Kitchen Cabinets. Applying primer is an important step in the painting process. Primer provides a suitable surface for the paint to stick to and it covers imperfections.
Yes You Can Paint Laminate! What is laminate, you ask? It can basically be any type of furniture, cabinets, or wood-like product that is made by attaching a thin layer of printed plastic (sometimes called Melamine or Thermofoil) to a substrate of plywood or particle board.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Is Cabinet Paint Different From Wall Paint? Oil-based paint and latex-based paint differ primarily in the final texture and drying time of kitchen cabinets. Additionally, latex paint with a low or no VOC will have a significantly less offensive odor as it cures, so you won't have to worry about it.
On average, semi-gloss oil-based paint is the most durable finish for kitchen cabinets. Because of its sheen, semi-gloss paint can reflect light and remain durable for a long time.
Even though there are some drawbacks to white kitchen cabinets, they will never “go out of style.” The shapes of the doors or the layout of the kitchen may go out of style, but white in a kitchen will always look good.
On average, this trend alone can boost a home's value by $1,547. By painting your kitchen cabinets and then pairing them with some new hardware that dollar amount can increase significantly.
In general, enamel paint refers to any paint that has incredible durability and dries to a tough, hard finish that can withstand a lot of abuse. If a paint can label has the word “enamel”, you can be sure that it's some of the toughest paint around.
If your cabinets are stained, apply at least two coats of quality primer. For me, there's nothing better than BIN, Zinsser's shellac-based pigmented primer. It dries fast and flat, without brush marks (unlike most oil-based primers). You can buy it at home and hardware stores, as well as online (view on Amazon).