I painted my kitchen cupboards and they look awful - help!

Carol Moller
by Carol Moller
I cleaned them with TSP, then washed that off, then painted them with a self leveling paint, but they still came out with brush and roller marks all over them. What do I do? or what did I do wrong?

  11 answers
  • Linda Jessie Sellers Linda Jessie Sellers on Mar 28, 2018

    Sounds like you are painting with a dry brush or roller. I was taught to keep both wet with paint . Be careful not to get the paint to thick on cupboards or it will run

    • Carol Moller Carol Moller on Mar 28, 2018

      Thank you for the advise, my brush was wet. It looked fine when I painted it, it showed the lines when dry.

  • Dfm Dfm on Mar 28, 2018

    There is an additive for latex paints that makes them spray able, used with a brush the brush marks are much less. One brand is flo trol, I’m sure there are others.

  • Oh dear, I am so sorry. 😂 First, you did not use a primer, I am not a fan of the all in one paint formulas for this reason. Did you remove the doors before painting? For cabinets I prefer a good quality foam applicator. Your option is to strip or sand, clean, prime then paint. Not something I am sure you are looking forward to.

    • See 1 previous
    • Still not a fan, my personal preference is for two separate products, yes it takes longer, you have to paint the same pieces 3 to 4 times, but it does make a difference in the end result as you have experienced. I would research and test foam applicators before you start again. My guess you picked up the paint from a local hardware or home improvement center. Before you decide what to do next, visit a real, stand alone paint store, the personnel are far superior overall and can help you remedy just about any paint problem - including yours. Again so sorry!

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Mar 28, 2018

    Bless your heart. Sand lightly to remove any ridges. Thin another cup of the paint with a cup of water. Have plenty of drop cloths. Choose one cabinet or door. Paint it with the diluted paint with a brush. Let that dry completely and see if you are satisfied with the result. If you think the paint needs to be a little thicker in order to be smoother, prepare another cup of paint with only 1/2 cup of water. You could experiment with smaller amount, but the cup of paint plus the water gives you enough paint to see how it affects the surface. In the worst case, you can’t repair the paint job. If so, sand or strip all the paint. Then stain or paint the cabinets, using a different type of paint. Get advice from the manager of a paint store, or from a professional painter (I hang out in the paint dept. until I see somebody with clothing with lots of paint stains!) Then repaint, and seal. Best wishes ☺️

  • 7218805 7218805 on Mar 28, 2018

    Might it be the quality of the paint you used? We did this in our first home, but used a "melamine" type paint; it gave it a nice finish with a slight sheen that was easy to clean. Lightly sand the marks, then use that type of paint...hope it's still available!

  • 7218805 7218805 on Mar 28, 2018

    I should add, that we only used TSP, no primer was needed, thank goodness! :)

  • Sharon Sharon on Mar 28, 2018

    Did you take the doors off to paint? what kind of roller did you use? did you drag the surface to remove any paint texture with a good brush? To correct, sand them so you can't see the marks with increasing sandpaper grits to get smooth. I use a 6" smooth foam roller for applying paint, and then drag lightly with a badger brush. Primer and 2 thin coats gives best results rather than one thick coat.

  • Carol Moller Carol Moller on Mar 28, 2018

    Yes I did take the doors off, they were laying flat when painted. I used a mini mohair roller, I did not drag the surface with a brush. I will strip the paint and start over. Thank you.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Mar 28, 2018

    I use the foam brushes for a lot of painting, I don't notice the brush marks and don't seem to get bubbles either as long as it isn't too wet.

  • Melanie Czoka Melanie Czoka on Mar 28, 2018

    Rustolium makes a kit for this.

  • Linda Jessie Sellers Linda Jessie Sellers on Mar 28, 2018

    Did it have paint lines before you painted , If so you will have to sand smooth