Kitchen cabinet painting takes hard work, but it’s a budget-friendly way to get your dream kitchen makeover! Repainting your cabinets allows you to update old, dingy cabinets and give them a like-new look, upgrading your entire kitchen in one fell swoop.
For beginners, repainting kitchen cabinets can be unnerving If you’ve never done it on your own before. It’s normal to wonder what the best approach is and what kind of challenges you need to be aware of. We’ve worked as trusted cabinet painters in Boise, ID for years, so we’ve asked and answered our fair share of questions when it comes to repainting cabinets. Before you pick up your paintbrush and dive head first into the project, here are four questions to ask yourself first:
Question #1: How much time will it take to repaint my kitchen cabinets?
Even though cabinet painting is faster than a full cabinet replacement or kitchen renovation, it still requires a substantial amount of time. The more time and effort you’re willing to put into it, the better your results will be. Don’t hesitate to ask yourself if you have the time and patience to devote to this project. A demanding career or a young family are all factors to consider when thinking about your schedule and availability. The timeline of the project is dependent on your skill level and how many cabinets you have, but it can take anywhere from days to weeks to finish.
During this time, your kitchen and maybe even your whole main living area will be messy or even unusable. Everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the home, so any sort of kitchen remodeling project will impact your family’s daily routine in a big way. It’s important to discuss this with your family and ask how long they’re willing to undergo that interruption.
If it feels too unrealistic to dedicate that much time to your cabinet painting, then don’t stress! Calling in cabinet painting professionals like the team at N-Hance of Boise is still an affordable option that will get the job done much faster, and will allow your family to get back to their regular routine.
Question #2: What materials are my cabinets made of?
This is something most people don’t often think about, but knowing the type of material your cabinets are made out of is crucial when it comes to repainting them. Common materials are solid wood, or engineered wood like particleboard, plywood, or MDF. It’s important to discover this ahead of time so you can be well informed when choosing the right paint product for your cabinets.
When it comes to cabinet painting, solid wood is the easiest to paint and often brings the best results. If your cabinets aren’t solid wood, you need to be aware that paint doesn’t adhere as well to engineered wood and it could peel and chip more easily. You’ll need to take special care to focus on the prep work and make sure to sand down the cabinet surface before priming and applying the proper paint product.
Before you start cabinet painting, it’s best practice to test out your products on a small, discreet area first. Once you’ve sanded, primed, and painted the sample area, touch it frequently and repeatedly wipe it down with a damp cloth. This helps to mimic the daily wear and tear on a cabinet. If the paint starts to chip or peel, you may need to call in a professional cabinet painter in Boise who can tackle the job with expert knowledge and products.
Question #3: Do I want the wood grain visible?
Having visible wood grain creates a very different cabinet look than having it covered up. If you’re going for a more modern feel, then choose an opaque paint color and apply several coats to help hide the wood grain. However, if you’d prefer to keep the grain showing to provide a more organic look, then opt for a stain instead of paint. What shade of stain you use will greatly be determined by the current color of your cabinets. Lighter cabinets can be changed to darker, but it’s difficult to work with cabinets that are already a darker shade.
If you prefer the wood grain showing for a more natural wood look, you will need to use something like a stain rather than paint. What you use will depend on what color your cabinets already are and what color you’d like them to be. Lighter cabinets can be stained a darker color, but it’s harder to work with already dark cabinets.
If you have a specific vision in mind for your kitchen, it’s best to chat with a professional painter to get guidance on which products and application process to use.
Question #4: Am I particular about details and small imperfections?
If it’s your first time repainting kitchen cabinets, it’s natural to make a few errors during the process. You are your own worst critic, so will you be able to live with the imperfections? If you’re expecting near-perfect results and will spend hours obsessing over one small detail, then taking a DIY approach might not be the best choice for you.
Other Things To Consider When Repainting Kitchen Cabinets
It’s important to note that while cabinet painting does a great job at updating the look and feel of your kitchen, it won’t solve all of your issues. Chances are, if you already don’t like the door style of your cabinets, then you’ll still be bothered by it even if it’s a new color. Our cabinet door replacement service in Boise is a great way to fix this issue.
The same principle applies if you don’t like your current cabinet layout. If the layout isn’t what you want, then you may be better off with a complete cabinet renovation so you can reconfigure a flow that makes sense for your space.
And last but not least, always keep your budget at the forefront of your mind. Repainting kitchen cabinets is more cost-effective than a full cabinet replacement. But if you choose to tackle the project by yourself and make mistakes, then you’ll need to live with them or pay to have them fixed, which will end up costing more in the long run. That’s why we recommend hiring our experienced team of cabinet painters that have access to fool-proof methods and proprietary products. N-Hance of Boise will save you stress, money, time, and you’ll still get the cabinets of your dreams.
Want to learn more about hiring kitchen cabinet professionals for your cabinet painting in Boise? Call N-Hance of Boise at 208-392-1717 for a FREE consultation today.