Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets - Saving Money While Taking on a Fun and
Creative Project

Water - Water-based paint uses water instead of oil, which is mixed
by the painter upon preparation. It is not resistant to moisture but is
relatively cheaper and is often used to paint walls and ceilings. A popular type
of water paint is calcimine, which is composed of whiting (white chalk), glue
and coloring. It does not rub off after it dries and is odorless as compared to
oil paints.

Plastic - Plastic paints are often used to achieve a textured
finish as it can be thickened while mixing so that it will not flow after
application. Plastic paints can either be oil and white lead-based, or
water-based and is typically applied using special texturing tools like embossed
rollers.

Crackle Finish

This is a great way to
fashion unique designs of cabinetry. Crackling can provide a subtle change or a
bold statement with the appropriate choice of colors. Include some crackling and
glazing to transform very old but good quality cabinets into modern

ones.

Antiquing

This entails distressing the
current finish or antiquing and combining a new stain. Many unique decorative
effects can be done using this refinishing technique.

If you find the
existing look and appeal of your kitchen beautiful, but you want the "new" feel
and look, you just have to use a little elbow grease, some good tools, and
appropriate materials to bring back the life of your
cabinets.

Refinishing kitchen cabinets is one of the most economical but
efficient home improvement projects for homeowners like you.

One of the
quickest and most economical ways to give a tired kitchen a make over is to
paint your kitchen cabinets. Applying a coat of light paint to dark wood will
not only brighten up a dingy kitchen, it will also give the illusion of more
space. It doesn't matter if your cabinets are wood or veneer, with the proper
preparation both surfaces can benefit from the application of good quality
paint. Bear in mind that kitchen cabinets take quite a beating - from sticky
little fingers to oil residue from cooking, so the better quality the paint, the
longer the paint job will last.

This project can take about three days to
complete, so allowing yourself enough time is important. The key to any
successful painting job is preparation and when painting cabinets this is most
important. Generally, you don't have to bother with the insides of the cabinets,
other than the insides of the doors and maybe the frames, so you can save
yourself a lot of time and energy by concentrating on the outer surfaces
only.

PREPARATION:

o Remove all doors and hardware.

o
Hardware is expensive and very often it can be salvaged rather than replaced. If
it has been previously painted, you can soak your hardware in a bucket of paint
remover (outside or in the garage - as the fumes can be dangerous). After a day
or so in solution, carefully remove hardware, using rubber gloves, and then soak
in a bucket of warm, soapy water. If necessary, you can then give the pieces a
quick scrub with a scouring pad. In most cases, the paint will peel right off
and your hardware will look brand new.

o Before you begin to apply paint