Painting kitchen cupboards

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Emmet Brickowski
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Lots of help on the internet, all different.
What's your experience?

To paint these cupboards do I need a primer first, or a (so called) one coat cupboard paint?
If you've done something like this yourself and got a good result what paint and primer did you use?

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I find Zinnser products to be good.

BINS would do it, but it's meths based, 123+ is also good & water based, so easier to deal with. All Coat may do it without any primer - I've found that results vary. HTH
 
Comfortably Numb said:
I find Zinnser products to be good.

BINS would do it, but it's meths based, 123+ is also good & water based, so easier to deal with. All Coat may do it without any primer - I've found that results vary. HTH
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Thanks for the reply :)
 
I was in a posh house and they had the painter in painting the kitchen units.
He said this was the best stuff to use...

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Make sure the doors are totally grease free. A wash down with sugar soap and then a damp cloth is probably good.
Undercoat with a suitable colour and then top coat.
Farrow and Ball have a higher pigmnet content than most suppliers - a good depth of colour- and a consequent difference in price.
 
F&B eggshell is a great finish but use an oil based undercoat first. (obviously after degreasing)
 
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Whatever paint you use as they are kitchen units, how will the paint cope with cleaners and wipe downs?
 
The problem with all kitchen surfaces in general is the inevitable ingrained film of grease on them. This is harder to remove on porous surfaces like wood than on laminates.
This is especially true where the surface has been bruised, like edges and corners.
Degreasing is a must, and probably worth doing twice over from scratch. sugar soap is traditional as is the use of an ammonia based cleaner.
If grease is not fully removed, the paint will peel over time what ever is used as an undercoat.
 
I'll also emphasis degreasing importance. Got to be very thorough and then do it again. Once you've finished degreasing, do it again! You'll be able to tell if there's still any grease as the paint won't bond properly and you'll see it whilst painting. I did our cabinets as a mid-term refresh before we change the kitchen and found spray paint easier and a more consistent finish but more expensive.
 
I would also go with spray painting if possible
 
My sis in law painted her units with a specialist kitchen cupboard paint. That was a few years back it still looks good now. I have seen a house with units that have been painted by a so called professional and they have chips on them after just a year
 
I've done a few (it's part of my job)
I degrease with Krud Kutter first to give a good clean, then a gentle sand, possibly with wire wool, then clean again with meths.
Prime with Zinsser Cover Stain or Benjamin Moore Fresh Start.
Then I'd use Benjamin Moore Advance satin or whatever.
Farrow and Ball have (or maybe had, but it's a hard thing to loose..) a bit of an iffy reputation as some decorators had problems.
BM paint is expensive, but painting a kitchen is a slow and laborious job that requires lots of patience and a fair bit of skill to do it right so skimping on materials is a bit silly.
Quality brushes, a mini foam roller (roll on, tip off with a brush on large flat panels) and time. Lots of it - 3 if not 4 coats per side of each door....
I use a rack that allows me to stack doors so I can do one side of 30 or so in a small space. It cost a lot but has paid for itself - there is a bit of a theme here, it's not a case of a splosh of paint with a £2 brush if you want to do it well....
 
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Another couple of tips - Abranet abrasives (sandpaper) are very good and last ages.
Turn off the heating and 'mist' the room to dampen the air - it'll help settle the dust and keep your wet edge for longer.
Vacuum. Lots.
I usually add a bit of latex extender to the paint too (water is a cheaper option) just to help it level off.
 
Seems like a heck of a lot of work. If the doors are standard sizes I would replace them with new ones in a colour you like.
 
Al1944 said:
Seems like a heck of a lot of work. If the doors are standard sizes I would replace them with new ones in a colour you like.
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There's also the frames at the front which show and various trims to consider. I had to paint the whole lot but still easier than replacing.
 
Mintchocs said:
Whatever paint you use as they are kitchen units, how will the paint cope with cleaners and wipe downs?
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I was worried about this but they seem to be fine, the paint cures pretty hard. I was tempted to put a few layers of clearcoat on the doors but then the trims wouldn't match.
 
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