Painting kitchen cabinets. Information on how to paint your cabinets yourself and how to do it. Where to buy the materials. painting kitchen cabinets.

You can lighten your whole kitchen by painting those dark cabinets a lighter color. They don't have to be wood, the paint sticks to veneered surfaces as well. Keep in mind that the better quality of paint that you have, the longer it lasts. Cabinets get used a lot so you want something that is able to withstand the everyday use.

The easiest way to painting kitchen cabinets is to leave the inside of the cabinets alone, except the inside part of the doors. The inside is only seen when the cabinet is open so it isn't as important. Also, if you paint the inside of the cabinet you would have to take out everything that is in them. However, even without painting the insides, this project takes three days so plan to do it when it is convenient.

Caution:
The fumes from the paint and the primer can get intense so you need to make sure that some windows or doors are open. Don't make painting kitchen cabinets a winter project.

Tools and Materials You Need:
Screwdriver
Newspaper
TSP (trisodium phosphate)
Sponge
Bucket
Sandpaper (a coarse and a fine grit)
Masking tape
Good quality primer, 2-quarts (water or oil-based)
Good quality oil-based paint, 1 gallon (get a satin, gloss or semi-gloss)
2 1/2-inch natural bristle brush
Paint tray
Two tray liners
Roller handle
2 or 3 roller sleeves (get the lamb's wool kind)
Paint thinner
Can (coffee can, big soup can, etc.)

Sandpaper Know-How:
Sandpaper comes in a range of grit or coarseness. There are the very coarse papers to very fine papers. This range is numbered with the coarsest having the smallest number and the finest the largest.

A good coarse paper is number 80. A good fine paper for this project is a 200 to 300.

Oil vs. Water-Based Primer:
Generally, the oil-based primer works better because the paint really sticks to it. Although, there are new water-based primers that work just as well plus they don't smell as much.

Check with Paint Pro at your local hardware store for advice on brands. If you can find a really high quality water-based primer, use it. Otherwise, it is better to stick with the oil-based primer.

To continue with the above project of painting kitchen cabinets click this link Do It Yourself and continue the step by step process.