Your kitchen likely serves as a focal point of your Naples, Florida-area home. It garners frequent traffic and use, along with the wear and tear that comes with it. Kitchen renovations tend to be expensive, but a relatively easy and inexpensive makeover option can be achieved by repainting your kitchen cabinets. Kitchen cabinetry takes up a large percentage of relative space, the like-new look achieved by repainting them makes it appear as though the whole kitchen has been renewed!

Prep Work More Crucial Than the Actual Painting

“Preparation” is the keyword to consider in repainting your kitchen cabinets. Every step taken prior to applying that first coat of paint will affect the final outcome. With this in mind, make sure that you consider these essential preparation points:

Choose the right primer and paint—Typical wall paint and standard primers are not appropriate for cabinetry. You will likely want to use an oil-based primer to ensure the best paint adhesion and will need a robust paint that provides a smooth finish and will remain easy to clean for years. Specialized paints, such as an alkyd enamel, are worth the price. High-quality primers also ensure smooth and durable finish. Talk to your paint specialist supplier about what primer and paint will work best for your specific cabinetry.

Pick the color(s) that will enhance other elements in the room—This one is entirely a matter of taste, but whatever cabinet color you choose can either enhance, overwhelm, or totally clash with the appliance colors and other kitchen features. Whites, off-whites, and greys tend to work well with most kitchens. If you’re considering other colors, you should test them by using a palette tool to compare the potential colors with your primary appliances and major kitchen features.

Remove all cabinet doors and drawers—For the smoothest finish, cabinet doors and drawers should be painted while lying flat rather than perpendicular. Use a drying rack that has the fewest points or prongs needed to hold the doors and drawers in place. That way they can be turned over as soon as the paint is dry to the touch. Consider attaching cup-holder hooks to the top edges of the doors so they can be hung for overnight drying after all sides have been painted.

Remove hardware—Whether hinge, screw, knob or another piece, removing cabinet hardware ensures a smooth application of what will be the underlying paint. Make sure that you keep the hardware organized so that all of the pieces are returned to their original positions. There are various methods for organizing hardware, but if you use a numbered system, make sure that you cover any numbers drawn where the hardware is to be reattached with painter’s tape and that this covered area will be concealed when the hardware is replaced.

Clean and degrease—Your kitchen cabinetry probably experiences the most use of any fixed storage space in your home. They are likely marred by years of fingerprints, airborne grease, and any other byproducts of cooking and food preparation. In short, your cabinetry needs some serious cleaning and degreasing to ensure proper and smooth adhesion of the new primer and paint. Consider—at a minimum—a pre-paint cleaning solution of one-part TSP (trisodium phosphate) to four-parts water. No matter what cleaning solution and regimen you utilize, make sure all surfaces are fully dry before starting the primer and paint application.

Protect adjacent surfaces—Use drop cloths for bigger surface areas, such as floors and countertops, and use painter’s tape for the smaller areas that you need to keep paint free. Don’t second guess this point, because no matter what your level of painting expertise, drips and splatters happen.

Sand all surfaces—To ensure the best primer and paint adhesion, sand all surfaces after cleaning with 100 to 120-grit sandpaper. It’s best to lightly sand a second time, after your primer has dried.

Prep Work Done!—Now You Are Ready to Paint

The prep work constitutes the most laborious part of painting kitchen cabinets, and once you’ve jumped through the prep-work hoops you are ready to begin painting. Of course, you need to prime first, let it dry, and don’t forget to give the primer a light sanding to make sure that the new paint will smoothly adhere to the cabinetry for a silky, smooth, bulletproof coat.

Or Call Your Preferred Naples Painting Company to Handle the Job

Naples, Florida-based FCI Painting has extensive experience painting home interiors, including kitchens and their cabinetry, in southwest Florida. The professionals at FCI painting can handle all elements of kitchen cabinetry painting, from the pre-prep to the final coat, and then the reassembly of your cabinetry hardware, drawers, and doors. Our interior painting jobs come guaranteed, and you can be sure that your kitchen cabinetry receives a beautiful, long-lasting, durable finish that will make your whole kitchen appear renovated. To learn more about how FCI Painting can help you with all of your residential painting needs, contact us today or give us a call at (239) 435-1001.