You are ready to paint your kitchen cabinets, and you have watched a few tutorials. You think it looks super simple on Pinterest. With just a few coats of paint your kitchen will look amazing. Now stop there. Painting kitchen cabinets is a project better left to the professional cabinet painters. Here are some of the biggest mistakes N-Hance of Spokane has seen DIY cabinet painters make.
1. You don’t allow yourself enough time.
Most people think this is a weekend project. In reality it can take weeks if not months to paint your cabinets yourself. Do you have that amount of time? N-Hance of Spokane is licensed, insured, and has been trained to paint your cabinets. N-Hance of Spokane prides ourselves on quality workmanship and service.
2. You don’t clean the wood before painting.
You may think your kitchen cabinets are clean. They may even be spotless, but no matter how clean a kitchen is they still need to be degreased. You need to scrub all your kitchen cabinet surfaces with a grease remover. This is the most important step in preparing your kitchen cabinets to be painted. If this step is skipped the paint will not stick and you will get peeling and chipping not long after. N-Hance of Spokane takes this step seriously. We scrub all doors, drawers and boxes to make sure your paint will last for years. N-Hance of Spokane uses a commercial grade cleaner to do this.
3. You don’t remove the doors and drawers.
N-Hance of Spokane fixes kitchens that have been painted without the doors and drawers being removed. It is important that all the doors are taken off, the drawers fronts are removed, and the hardware knobs and hinges have been removed and stored in a safe place. Some people try to save time by painting everything — hinges and all. The finish will start to chip and show signs of wear within a month. If you want your cabinets to look like new it is important to do this step. N-Hance of Spokane takes all cabinet doors and drawers to our shop where we clean, paint and finish them.
4. You skip labeling where your doors, drawers and hardware go.
N-Hance of Spokane also get calls to help customers “fix” their cabinets because they forgot to label them when they DIY paint their cabinets. Cabinets need to go back in the same place when finished so they fit correctly. Hardware has to be adjusted to make the cabinet look like it belongs in that space. If this is something you do not know how to do it is best left to the professionals like N-Hance of Spokane.
5. You skip sanding.
To make paint adhere to cabinets in near-perfect condition, you still have to sand them. You will also need to sand them if the primer or paint has sat on the cabinets without the next step being done within a certain timeframe. Otherwise the paint and primer will have nothing to bond to. Multiple grit sandpaper needs to be used depending on the step. Just enough to remove the sheen of the finish. N-Hance of Spokane does this to make sure the next step will adhere. Because N-Hance of Spokane can get the job done within the correct time frame, N-Hance of Spokane doesn’t not need to do additional sanding. Sanding is cumbersome and takes quite a bit of time.
6. Your cabinets aren’t dust-free before you paint.
If you want your paint finish to look perfect it is important to remove any debris before you even think of painting. Just a few pieces of dust can ruin the look and your finish will be gritty and look like you painted over sand. To fix this problem you will have to sand it down and then repaint it again. N-Hance of Spokane wipes and vacuums all cabinets before spraying paint or finish.
7. You don’t elevate cabinets before painting.
If you don’t prop your cabinets up before you paint, you will miss edges and corners. N-Hance of Spokane spays all cabinet doors and drawers to give you a factory look.
8. You don’t use paint primer.
Some people think they don’t need a primer because their cabinets are in such good condition. What happens though is in a few months is tannin bleed. This comes from the wood and it will yellow your cabinets. N-Hance of Spokane uses a stain-blocking primer to give your cabinets maximum protection from bleed.
9. You choose the wrong paint.
Many homeowners think paint is paint. They are so wrong. Paint for cabinets needs to be able to take the wear and tear that cabinets take on a daily basis. N-Hance of Spokane uses cabinet paint that was created for this purpose. N-Hance of Spokane never uses paint that was created for walls.
10. You don’t use a finish coat
Homeowners think it’s super annoying to wait days for paint to cure. Why would then put on a finish coat and wait even longer? The finish coat is what protects the cabinets from all the abuse you put them under. N-Hance of Spokane has a finish coat that is cured with U.V. Not only does this make your cabinets super durable, but your cabinets are cured immediately. That means you can use your kitchen as soon as N-Hance of Spokane finishes them instead of waiting weeks.
If you are ready to update your cabinets with N-Hance of Spokane’s professional cabinet painting, get a free bid or estimate from N-Hance of Spokane, or you can give us a call at (509) 328-9663.