Paint Laminated Kitchen Cabinets
When you want to paint laminated kitchen cabinets, you need to choose the right type of paint and prepare the surfaces correctly so that you will be able to get great results and that your kitchen cabinets last longer. It will take you several days to accomplish this task because you need to remove the cabinets first and painting laminate cabinets really takes a lot of patience and effort. This is due to the laminate surface that is different to wood or wall and it needs a special paint in order to paint this type of surface.
What you need:
- Detergent TSP (trisodium phosphate)
- Screwdriver
- Medium grade sandpaper (80 to 120 grit)
- Fine to very-fine grade sandpaper (150 to 220 grit)
- Paint roller with dense roller cover
- Shellac-based or alkyd (oil-based) primer
- Latex or alkyd paint
- Polyurethane sealer
- Newspaper or drop cloth
- Painter\’s tape
- Roller or paint pad
- Cooking oil
Method:
- First of all, you need to prepare the cabinets by washing and removing the dirt, grease or grime on its surfaces. You can use TSP and wash the laminate cabinets in order to remove any remaining grease and help de-gloss them.
- Make sure to rinse the cabinets thoroughly.
- Next, remove all the cabinet hardware such as the doors from the hinges and place them on a cloth or newspaper.
- Then, sand the entire surface of the cabinets using medium or fine grade sandpaper.
- After that, remove the gloss of the laminate so that you will have a surface for the primer paint that it can connect with.
- Once finished, wipe off the cabinets using a damp sponge in order to remove of the dust that was caused by the sanding exercise.
- Start to paint the cabinets with a coat of primer either by using a tinted shellac or alkyd (oil-based) primer. Normally spray-applied primers holds better than brush on primers. Leave the primer to dry and cure thoroughly for two up to 48 hours.
- Then, lightly sand the primer using fine grade sandpaper so that the primer will be smooth to provide the paint with a better surface to adhere with.
- Once dried, you can apply a thin coat of paint and allow it to dry. Once dried, apply a second coat of paint before allowing it to dry. By applying two thin coats, it will provide better coverage and provide a long lasting life for your cabinets.
- After that, you need to protect the cabinet using two or three coats of satin or high-gloss polyurethane sealer. Then, allow them to dry for up to 24 hours before installing back all the cabinet doors and hardware. You should also apply a tiny amount of cooking oil where you notice that the cabinet doors are touching the cabinets to ensure that the paint does not stick but still allows them to cure accordingly.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4810172_paint-laminated-kitchen-cabinets.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-paint-laminated-kitchen-cabinets.htm
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancyhugo/421729919/
