Kitchen Cabinets

Vanessa L
by Vanessa L
I am about to paint my cabinet doors and base in my kitchen and wanted to ask if it is ok to use a paint sprayer??
  30 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 07, 2012
    Spraying give the best results in the final finish...but the prep is more involved as all of the "non" painted parts will need to be masked off. Some people will build a small "spray booth" out of some jumbo cardboard boxes. And then use a roller to do the face frames of the cabinet bases. With the doors removed the whole masking off the rest of the room is eliminated. The doors can be hung from a wire stuck through the Knob hole.
  • Have you sprayed before? You may want to look into the Rustoleum kits at Home Depot or Lowes for redoing kitchen cabinets. They have some pretty rocking colors now and are fairly easy to apply.
  • If you have experience with spraying then go for it. Instead of a paint sprayer that you would use for painting your house, use the cup-gun type like they use for painting cars and such. You can buy one of those for fairly cheap ($30 or so) but you will need an air compressor to run it. If you don't have a compressor then you can maybe borrow or rent one.
  • Tammie W Tammie W on Mar 07, 2012
    I agree! Spraying won't ( shouldn't) give you lines like brushes. Keep the spray moving so not to cause runs.
  • Peace Painting Co., Inc. Peace Painting Co., Inc. on Mar 07, 2012
    Spraying cabinets is a highly developed process, a specialty profession. You can do alot of good or make a big mess in a hurry. If you want to invest in the equipment, spend some time practicing. Best, Charles
  • Jo Jo on Mar 09, 2012
    I'm scared to do this, but REALLY want to. Do you just do the doors? I have OLD white laminate cabinets and if I spray the doors one color, I'm thinking it might look really bad and sloppy if the cabinets edges peek out somewhat.
  • Linda V Linda V on Mar 09, 2012
    We painted our dated light oak cabinets with white glossy paint after 2 coats of stain blocking primer. They came out very professional looking esp after we added new brushed nickel hardware. We just used brushes on the edges and small foam rollers on the flat middles. Here is the before and after.
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 09, 2012
    The most common problem when paintng kitchen cabinets, is paint adhesion or quality issue due to soiling and contaminates on the cabinets prior to painting. Sanding will help with provideing a "mechanical" bite for the paint. But grease and oil resdues need to be thourghly cleaned away first. TSP (trisodium phospahte) is great for this.
  • Clemente V Clemente V on Mar 09, 2012
    Did you say they are laminate doors? I heard that HD has a paint the is made for such a surface. One of my customers is trying it out this weekend, because her old doors look weathered .next to the ones i just installed. I'd be happy to share the results with you
  • Jo Jo on Mar 09, 2012
    Please do share the results!! Thanks Clemente V!
  • Diana S Diana S on Mar 09, 2012
    I painted my bathroom cabinets white & they turned out great! (the cabinets are the same as the kitchen... Oak... Now to convince my hubby to let me paint the rest. I agree that sanding them is extremely important. Remove the hinges (very easy... if I can do it, you can too)... and plan on painting thin coats (3-4) and touch up any spots after it dries... Then, I added a coat or two of clear (water-based) polyurethane for a nice finish. While the doors were off, I sanded and painted the cabinet also. My husband framed the mirror and I added a few garnishes!
  • Reesa G Reesa G on Mar 09, 2012
    Ours doors were done by an auto body paint shop...highly recommend it. The type of paint that lasts the best and gives the best finish can be somewhat toxic and you want to make sure there is good ventilation
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 09, 2012
    Diana...great idea "practicing" on a small set of bath cabinets...this is a great way to refine your skills before jumping in to a bigger kitchen project.
  • Cher D Cher D on Mar 09, 2012
    you did not say what surface they were....but make sure that you prep the surface well....And remember when you spray paint there is overspray... so where ever you do not want the paint to go.. tape it off. I have sprayed painted many things in my garage, small items included and the over spray is horrible.It will turn into a powder. Or if something is close enough ( learned many years ago ) it will adhere to the item.
  • Sandra S Sandra S on Mar 09, 2012
    Beware of the Fumes
  • Pensacola Accents Pensacola Accents on Mar 09, 2012
    Remove the doors, take them outside (or into the garage), prep like crazy, and have at it. You MUST rough up the CLEAN surface with a sandpaper block. The cabinet surrounds that are left hanging on the wall must be prepared the same way. I roll the paint on with a sponge roller then lightly brush with a fine Purdy 3". You can also take the doors to an auto body shop which has already been suggested...more $, but a terrific, lasting job.
  • Nancy C Nancy C on Mar 09, 2012
    After painting my kitchen cabinets with a brush, I often wondered if I would have been as satisfied with spraying. I first cleaned them good, used primer and then 2 coats of oil based paint and sanded with very fine sanding paper in between the final 2 coats...they came out so smoothe...I also finished up with an antique finish...it was a very long process but I have to say that I absolutely loved the final result!
  • Vicki S Vicki S on Mar 09, 2012
    Water based poly OR oil based? What do you recommend?
  • Liz R Liz R on Mar 09, 2012
    Try a product called Reclaim...it's a paint/primer/finish coat all in one and is great for cabinets. I've seen it on a few things now, and will do my own cabinets in April...you can spray or roll this product on, it self-levels!
  • Kim J Kim J on Mar 09, 2012
    I recently hired a company who did an excellent job. It was a very timely process. Mine were oak. All the doors and drawers from were removed and done on their work site. They washed with tsp, sanded, then applied a primer, then I believe 3-4 coats of paint were sprayed on. I even had some holes filled on doors where I know wanted knobs vs handles. The frames had to be done at the house with the same method. Then a glaze was applied, even with hiring this out it was a small amount compared to getting new maple cabinets. They did my island in the same manner, they were even able to match the island with the wood on my barstools. The island was dark and the other cabinets were light.
  • Charlene S Charlene S on Mar 09, 2012
    Vanessa, give your cabinets a light sanding before you apply a base coat. Then you can use whatever kind of paint you want. Spraying is the best way to get a professional looking finish. Don't worry about a good cover the first coat of your finish, and let it dry between coats.
  • Tom S Tom S on Mar 09, 2012
    After 50years of remodeling and saving my customers alot of money by keeping their old cabinets and refacing or painting I can tell you it gives a beautiful finished look and is durable IF, I SAID IF,IF,IF, you do your prep. almost every surface finish is made by the prep. Clean well cooked on grease vapor is there get rid of it. Then as the lady before said Sand. using fine paper. on laminate 220 then depending on the type and consistency of your liquid finish go finer or you are ready to spray. Strain your paint and test! pressure makes a difference in the surface when done. about 40 lbs in general. alot of variables but it is worth it when you look at 10K for cabinets or more God bless
  • Marcia Neiss Marcia Neiss on Mar 09, 2012
    I built a new back to my island cabinets and primed & painted them with a brush using an alkaloid enamel paint - easy to brush on and it is very durable I'd never use anything else on wood - you won't get runs when the paint dries it is smooth as glass - buying a good brush is key you don't want bristles falling out - use one for varnishing and straining (very soft and flex-able) Never any runs - Good luck
  • Vanessa L Vanessa L on Mar 10, 2012
    Thanks for the great tips and responses! I have cleaned the cabinets with TSP and cleaned my hinges in simple green. Im going to spray the hinges with rust-olim and changing the front hardware. I used pledge to see the real finish in the wood. Its not a bad finish, SO, Im now stuck again.. Here is the question.. Keep them wood and put a nice stain, or go with the plan and spray creamish color with the stained edges. We are putting our money into the counter tops, going with solid surface and the floor i'm thinking about the Armstrong vinyl tile. I have a 3yr old who likes to play on the floor and it seems to be soft, easy to clean and less cost. I'll post a pic of the cabinets and thanks for all the great advice! Homes talk rocks!
  • Vanessa L Vanessa L on Mar 10, 2012
    Cabinets finish
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 10, 2012
    VAnessa...you might want to look at the traffic master Allure vinyl plank flooring...I have done a few projects with it..its very DIY freindly. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=BP_Trafficmaster_Allure as far as your cabinets go...to change the color with a "stain" going darker will work IF you remove all traces of the protective top finish (poly or lacquer) the stain will need to "contact" the wood not the previous finish....with that in mind the painting may be less work.
  • Peace Painting Co., Inc. Peace Painting Co., Inc. on Mar 10, 2012
    If you keep them stained, they will look better longer. This is because polyurethane is harder than paint so it will clean up better and be less likely to chip. Also, the stained look shows dirt less. Plus, you get to see the wood, if you like that. To do anything, first you have to remove all the polish, grease, etc. Go to the local Sher-Wms and pick up some of their waterbased deglosser. It works great and is fairly non-toxic. You then can go over the cabinets with a glaze to change the stain color to give them a richer look and freshen them up. At that point you are ready for 2 clear top coats. Here is a post of a job we just finished. You can pick any glaze color that there is for paint. http://www.hometalk.com/activity/143478
  • Vanessa L Vanessa L on Mar 10, 2012
    I have had my eye on the Allure! I would love to have it.. just looking for it to go on sale.. i have priced it out and its around 1.99 SF which is not bad, considering I would not need to buy the mat for it to lay on. I do believe Allure wins! Some times you can find it on sale around 1.59 SF at Home Depot.. just have to look around. Thanks KMS!
  • Vanessa L Vanessa L on Mar 11, 2012
    I got the Allure Oak today! I am so excited to put it in, but have to wait a couple days for it to adjust to the climate in my home.. I will post before and after by next week :)
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Mar 11, 2012
    Vanessa...make sure you vacuum well and keep the areas clear of "crumbs" and bits of debris. the allure works by have two "adhesive" surfaces stick to each other. debris can be a problem on the underside of the piece your installing as it is invisible.