Paint kitchen cabinets. Before and after photos and tips

Painting the kitchen furniture is a quick and cheap solution to completely renovate the kitchen. It is a simple task that can be done by everyone and the change will be so radical that it will look like a new kitchen. For this you have to choose colors well, see examples, and correctly apply paint to old kitchen cabinets and furniture. That is why we have prepared this article in which we are going to see photos of kitchens with furniture painted in different colors, examples of before and after painting furniture and cabinets and how to paint a kitchen with the right steps, paint and materials.

The article is divided into different sections so that you can go to the one that interests you, if that is what you need.

Photos and ideas for painting kitchen furniture

Let's go with a source of inspiration, in case you are not sure what color to choose to paint the old cabinets in the kitchen. Take good note with these images and colors.

of yellow.

Photography A Beautiful Mess

Bright and cheerful, yellow seems like a very good option for painting kitchen furniture, and if it is combined with white it is even better.

A nice dark olive green.

Lemon Thistle Photography

Although it looks gray, this kitchen is painted in a nice dark olive green, and you can see the before and after here.

pastel blue.

Holland Avenue Home Photography and Project

A color between mint, soft turquoise and pastel blue. A calming and luminous cold tone perfect for the kitchen.

turquoise.

Design and photography Evgezmesi

More powerful and energetic, the color turquoise, to create a kitchen in full color.

Of white.

Project and photography of A Pizca de Hogar

White is always right to paint any space, and a kitchen too.

light gray.

Photography Dear Lillie

If white seems too bland, you can always paint the furniture a light gray, which is still bright, matches any other color and is not white.

Of Orange.

Design and photography Colorful Kimmes

This color is not for everyone, but we must recognize that in this kitchen it has been spectacular.

black.

Kitchen & Interior Photography By Kathe

Another color that is not for all tastes, but it is certainly one of the most elegant. If you have good light in the kitchen, you may be interested in this color. If so, here you can see 25 stylish black kitchens. Now let's look at the next color.

Red.

Photography Reloved Ruby

Powerful, aggressive and with a lot of personality, if combined with white it looks great and doesn't recharge so much.

Green.

Photography Old Brand new | Instagram @dabito

Along with blue, one of the most relaxing and cool colors out there.

Each color has some properties, advantages and disadvantages that we must previously study.

The light colors create a greater feeling of spaciousness than dark colorsbesides that they recharge less the stay.

The cool colors are relaxing and create the feeling of receding.

On the contrary, warm colors are not relaxing and recharge the rooms more.

You can learn more about colors by viewing the color wheel.

Now let's see the before and after that are always very inspiring.

Before and after

Although the theory and the examples are very good, there is nothing like seeing a few before and after of kitchens with the old painted furniture and cabinets to get a much clearer idea.

From natural wood to broken white and black.

Project made by Red Head can Decorate

From natural wood to pale blue.

Project carried out by Life in Grace Blog

From natural wood to white.

Project made by Dear Lillie

From orange to white.

Project made by Shabby love

From black to white.

From natural wood to white.

Project carried out by The Stier Aesthetic

From natural wood to white.

Project carried out by Rain on a Tin Roof

From natural wood to white.

Project made by Jennifer Rizzo

From white to black.

Project seen on Apartment Therapy

From natural wood to white.

Project seen on Remodelaholic

From natural wood to medium gray.

Project made by Addicted2Decorating

From natural wood to blue.

Project carried out by Dans le Lakehouse

As we have seen, most of the before and after examples were of natural wood cabinets, painted white.

And it is the safest option.

Not the best or the preferred one, that is up to your tastes, but it is the safest; because white combines with everything, creates a feeling of spaciousness, offers greater light to rooms, something that comes in handy in kitchens since most are relatively small, and it is a timeless colour.

If you have decided to paint the furniture, then I will explain how to do it step by step.

How to paint wooden kitchen cabinets step by step

To paint kitchen furniture and cabinetswe can do it by disassembling the doors and fronts of the cabinets and moving them to a place prepared to paint them, such as the garage or a well-walled room, this is the best way to do it, or we can also paint them on site.

-To paint the furniture and cabinets of the kitchen that are finished in wood, first you have to sand them to open the pore to the existing varnish and leave them matte.

With this we get the paint to adhere when the time comes to apply it.

We can do it with an orbital or orbital sander, and we'll do it real quick, or we can do it by hand.

With a medium grit sandpaper What can we buy here?

We will also need medium-grain sandpaper sponges that we can buy here, to sand the areas where the sander does not reach. We have to leave the surface dull.

-Once sanded, you have to clean them. With a damp cloth or paper We will clean the entire surface, leaving it completely clean. Yes we use a much better degreaser.

-Now that they are sanded and clean, it is time to paint them.

-To paint old furniture and cabinets we need synthetic enamel of the chosen color. enamel can be to water or solvent. Nowadays water-based enamels offer very good hardness, anchorage and resistance, so I recommend water-based enamel.

-Both to dilute this type of enamel and to wash the painting tools, it is done with water. If we choose solvent-based enamel, we will need a universal solvent to dilute it and clean the tools.

-For apply the paintcan do it with zero pore rollerit's a foam roller that leaves no hair, and that we can buy here; with a short wire roller, which is a roller with short and very fine hairs, or apply the paint with a spray gun.

-Let's use the tool we use, we will apply two coats of enamel, leaving between hand and hand the pertinent drying time. Read the product or ask the clerk for a reference.

But if there is good ventilation 12 hours is more than enoughif it is water enamel. If it's solventbetter leave 24 hours between hand and hand.

Do not load the roller too much, better to drain it well so that it does not drip, and stretch the paint well.

-Once the first coat is applied and dry, We will pass a fine-grain sandpaper sponge to remove the impurities that may have fallen giving the first coat as hairs from the roller or a speck of dust.

Once the door has been sanded and we wiped it with a damp cloth to remove any remaining sanding debris, we proceed to apply the second coat.

–Usually two hands are needed at least almost always, but if with one covered perfectly, we can skip the second hand. Or, in case the opponent still hasn't covered well with two hands and they look clear, we'll give him a third, or a fourth, or as many as are needed until he covers. But as I say, usually two hands is enough.

-When the doors and pieces are dry, another 24 hours, we proceed to put them back in the kitchen cabinets. Even if the paint is dry to the touch, it does not mean that it is completely dry. Until some 72 hours, minimum, the paint will not begin to acquire its greatest hardness. Therefore, they must be handled carefully so as not to mark them.

Note: If the pieces are damaged, we can use metal putty, the kind used to repair cars, if they have major damage, or wood putty, if they have little or superficial damage.

If we apply a lot of putty, it is necessary to give it a primer after, so that the putty does not "suck" the paint. The primer can be any 4x4 primerwhich we find in all paint, DIY and/or decoration stores.

Once the primer is applied, we proceed to paint the cabinets following the steps we have just seen.

How to paint lacquered kitchen cabinets

To paint some furniture or kitchen cabinets with enamel, which are already lacquered, first you have to sand the surface until they are dull, to open the pore to the paint and that the one we add adheres perfectly.

Once the entire surface to be painted has been sanded, we will proceed in the same way as we have seen in the previous steps.

If we choose lacquer to paint, instead of enamelyou need to know a few things:

This painting is better to apply it with a gun to leave a smooth, even, professional finish.

There are two types of lacquer: nitrocellulose lacquer, which is a single component. In other words, it is only a product that, when applied, no longer needs anything else, neither drying nor polishing.

And the two component lacquer. Which are: the lacquer itself and the catalyst, which acts as a dryer. Generally it goes 2 to 1. Which means that for every two parts of lacquer we will add 1 of catalyst. Example: 1 kilo of lacquer = half a kilo of catalyst. Once we have catalyzed the lacquer, we will have a limited time before it dries. We will apply the catalyzed lacquer within two hours or else it will dry.

I strongly advise that, for greater comfort, you choose nitrocellulose lacquer. This is already prepared to apply directly and does not dry out, in addition to being somewhat cheaper. We only need nitro solvent to dilute it correctly.

if we decide apply with roller and brush, we will never getno matter how well we apply it leave it completely smooth and even. Let it be clear: if what we are looking for is a smooth and perfect finish, we need to apply the lacquer with a spray gun and if possible, inside a paint booth so that no speck of dust falls.

Still, if you decide to apply the lacquer with a roller, it is applied in the same way that we have seen in the previous steps. It is given two coats, respecting the drying time between coat and coat and that's it. Although honestly, if the lacquer is not going to be left with a professional finish, I consider it silly to use this paint, because the synthetic gloss enamel, which is much cheaper, leaves the same finish. The lacquer should be used when the finish is to be professional.

How to paint melamine kitchen cabinets

To paint melamine furniture and cabinetswe must know that it is a material with zero porosityso, or so sand well to open the pore and then apply a primeror the paint we use, whatever it is, will not have adherence.

That is, first Sand the surface to be painted with a medium grit sandpaper block. until we remove the shine, opening the pore to the melamine.

Once sanded, the we clean and apply a 4 x 4 primer or any other that works.

Once the primer is dry, we give it a sanding pass with a fine sponge sandpaper, gently to remove any impurities that may have remained, we clean it and we can now apply the paint, following the steps that we have seen in the previous points.

Types of paint for kitchen cabinets

The types of paint that we can choose to paint the kitchen furniture are:

synthetic enamel. To water or solvent. It is sold in any paint store and is available in an almost infinite variety of colors. It is diluted in solvent or water, depending on what type it is and usually has a price of around €7/8 per kilo. A very cheap price.

Lacquer. It can be nitrocellulose or two-component. This paint is harder, more resistant. But it is advisable to use it only when we are looking for a professional finish. Otherwise it is not worth using it and spending that money.

I understand that it can be difficult just by reading to understand, perhaps, some concepts. If you have any questions regarding the application of any paint for kitchen furniture, as well as tools, drying or primer, leave a comment so I can help you in a personalized way.

See more ideas to decorate the kitchen