Spray painting is a fun and easy way to paint stuff. From cars to hand-crafted t-shirts, everything can get a boost in design and color with the touch of a spray can. But can you use spray paint on kitchen cabinets? And if you can, what is the most efficient way to do it? The following discussion will provide some answers.
Your kitchen cabinets can be repainted using spray paint. However, you will need proper preparation and setup before you can do it. Also, the type of spraying equipment is quite different from the average spray paint canister.
If you are repainting your kitchen cabinets for the first time, the following discussion can be really helpful for you. Stick around till the end to learn how you can repaint your kitchen without making a mess and invest the least amount of time and money.
Can You Use Spray Paint On Kitchen Cabinets?
You can use spray paint on kitchen cabinets without any hesitation. As a matter of fact, nowadays, more people prefer spraying on their cabinets rather than the traditional brush-and-pot when they repaint them. The main motivators are cost-effectiveness, time reduction, and the ability to do the work on their own.
Spray painting the kitchen cabinet is what it sounds like. You use pressurized paint to spray them on a surface. However, this activity is much different than what street graffiti artists do. You will need the appropriate tools, techniques, and preparation to spray paint your kitchen cabinet.
This method of painting has found much popularity these days. When you spray paint, you can get a unique finish. Moreover, using a spray gun provides you with more detailed paintwork. The results are sparkling and seamless. Plus, it can last from eight years to well up to fifteen years.
To get the best effect, many people hire professionals to spray paint their kitchen cabinets. However, if you have some previous experience with spraying paint, you can do a nice job on your own. Just make sure you have the right tools and proper preparation.
What Do You Need To Spray Paint A Kitchen Cabinet?
Before you get down to painting, it is very important to make sure you have the right tools. For which, there are two kinds of requirements. Tools that help you prepare and clean up. And the tools that you use to paint.
Firstly, you will need spray paint. You might think that you can easily complete the job with a couple of canisters. Here, you might want to consider that a typical can only cover about 20 square feet. Plus, how long can you keep your finger pressed on the canister before it starts to hurt and you get tired?
Therefore, using a paint sprayer is the smart thing to do. You can use a can when you only have a small amount of surface to paint. But painting an entire kitchen will require a sprayer.
Other than that, you will need a screwdriver to disassemble the doors and drawers. Keep a canvas cloth, masking film, soft sponge, painter’s tape, washing liquid, and sandpaper for surface preparation. To repair any damage before painting, you will need wood filler and a putty knife.
For similar purposes, you will want to keep a primer, paint brush, and protective clothing at hand.
Steps By Step Guide To Spray Paint A Kitchen Cabinet
You can spray paint on kitchen cabinets in the shortest amount of time and most effective if you follow a plan. Below is a step-by-step guide dedicated to this matter.
Step-1: Remove Items From The Cabinets
It is common sense that you need to clear items from the cabinets where you are painting. But this doesn’t mean just putting them away somewhere for a little while.
Painting the cabinets and letting them properly dry might take more than a day or two. Moreover, fresh paint gives off chemical fumes that you don’t want to get on food items.
So, first of all, you need to prepare a storage site for your kitchen items. Then, remove everything from the cabinets and put it in that place.
You should keep track of where each item is going. So that you won’t fall into a haphazard situation when you have to put them back in their rightful places.
Step-2: Take Everything Apart
You will want to disassemble your cabinets as much as possible. Take apart the doors, drawers, knobs, shelves, or whatever else you can unscrew with a screwdriver. Whatever you are unscrewing, put it in a bag.
The advantage of this is that you can paint these parts separately in your garden or garage and therefore make less mess in the kitchen. This will also save you time.
Keep all the removed parts in a safe and secure place. Organize them carefully so you can easily screw them back in when the painting is done.
Step-3: Cover-up properly
To protect your floor, walls, and other parts of the kitchen, you need to cover them up. Otherwise, the paint will get into these when you spray.
Step-2 is important in this respect. The more objects you can remove from the kitchen, the less you will need to cover them up.
Canvas cloth is great for covering the floor and surrounding fittings. Use a masking film to protect the walls adjacent to your cabinet. To hold the masking film in its position, you will need to use the painter’s tape.
Step-4: Free the Surface of grease
Even in the cleanest kitchens, the cabinets have an invisible layer of grease on them. This happens due to the many years of cooking that took place.
And this oil will prevent the primer and paint from working on the surface. Therefore, it is important to free the surface of grease before applying paint.
Use a mixture of warm water and dish liquid to clean the surface you will paint on. You should be using a sponge for wiping. If normal water and soap fail to do the job, use diluted vinegar.
Step-5. Make Necessary Repairs
If you are spray painting in your kitchen, chances are pretty high you are repainting. In that case, you can expect a significant amount of wear and tear on your cabinets. Before you can paint, you must repair these.
First of all, sand down the surface gently. Then fill in the damaged areas with wood filler. Use the filler to heal the areas. This means you have to press on it to smooth the damage. This is where you will use the Putty knife.
You must let the filler dry after applying it. This might take two hours or more. During this period, you have to let the surface rest, which means no priming or painting on it.
Step-6: Priming Before You Spray Paint on Kitchen Cabinets
Anyone who knows a thing or two about painting is aware of the importance of priming. Before painting your kitchen cabinets, you must prime the surface. Because this will prevent the paint from peeling off and give your work longevity.
Proper priming will also ensure less staining, odor, and buildup of grease in the future. So, invest time and care in this step. Apply primer on both sides of your frame, doors, and drawers. You have to wait for one side to dry up before proceeding to the other.
Give adequate time for the primer to dry up before continuing to spray paint. Otherwise, you will experience blistering or bubbling when the paint dries.
Step-7: Paint Your Heart Out
If you have completed all the steps above, this one will be fun and easy. Spray painting doesn’t take much time. So, you will be done in minutes. Before you begin, make sure that the kitchen or workshop has sufficient ventilation.
Always wear goggles, a face mask, and rubber gloves when using a paint sprayer. These paints contain a lot of corrosive chemicals. Inhalation can cause respiratory and other health problems.
When you spray, keep the sprayer a minimum of ten inches away from the cabinet. At the same time, you should always keep the sprayer moving. This will give uniformity to the coating of paint. If you want to add a second layer of paint, do it after the first layer dries up properly.
Types Of Paint Sprayer for Kitchen Cabinets
The quality and texture of the paintwork depend highly on the type of paint sprayer you use to apply the paint. There are mainly two types of paint sprayers widely used in painting cabinets. Their advantages are different too.
Compressed Air Paint Sprayer
This kind of paint sprayer is essentially a spray gun attached to a pressurized tank. A high-pressure hose connects the gun and the tank. This kind of sprayer is great for painting kitchen cabinets. Because it works with thin coatings of paint and gives off a smooth, impeccable finish.
A compressed air paint sprayer usually costs around a thousand dollars. So, it is wiser to rent one rather than buy one.
High Volume Low-Pressure Paint Sprayers (HVLP)
HVLP sprayers have a small built-in turbine in them. The turbine runs on electricity and compresses air to spray the paint. This kind of sprayer works with small amounts of paint. Therefore, it is suitable for detailed work. Plus, this means less mess when painting.
An HVLP sprayer might cost you around $100. This makes it the most cost-effective and popular paint sprayer for home projects. However, some models have a hard time working with thick paint. So, you might have to dilute the paint before use.
Conclusion
Spray painting on kitchen cabinets is a great option when you need to repaint. If you want a minimal amount of mess, and an overall perfect paint job, be sure to follow the step-by-step guide.
And if you think you won’t be able to handle it, don’t hesitate to get some professional help. Good luck!
