THE KITCHEN GUIDE BOOK

Prep work is 80% of successful cabinet paint job, and painting technique is the remaining 20 percent.

1. Start by taking all the cabinet doors, and hardware off and labeling the door positions inside the hinge mortise.

2. Before painting the doors must be completely clean using household cleaners, or a special cleaner for paint from the paint supply house, (usually very toxic). The doors also need to be repaired with putty and sanded well to smooth the imperfections, as well as provide a rough surface for the primer to stick to.

3. Treat the face frames and cabinet bodies as same as the doors for prep work, and painting.

4. A coat of primer will assure a strong and sealed finish product. After the primer lightly    sand with fine grit sand paper.

5. Painting by hand is fine if there is no sprayer available, or no space to go spraying paint around. Set the doors on triangle painter stands and paint in smooth strokes. Use a kitchen and bath semi, or full gloss high quality paint. Paint all sides of the doors, and give the front 3 coats sanding lightly between painting.

Water base paint will work, but use oil base if you want it to hold up better with harsher cleaning chemicals. A marine grade paint would be even better than a typical house oil base paint. Consult a knowledgeable paint shop other than a box store paint shop.

6. Painting with a sprayer will give the best finished product. Hang the doors from a screw on the back, from the ceiling in a clean environment. Spray coats of paint very lightly in a constantly moving motion, or there will be drips. Sand lightly with fine grit sandpaper between coats. Give the doors 3-5 coats for a creamy great looking paint job. Let everything dry a few days and reinstall the doors.

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