Any tips on painting kitchen units?

Samson

Well, the doors actually.
I'm going to jazz up a fairly dated kitchen with new a worktop, new extractor and some new handles on the cabinet doors after I paint them.

Has anyone done this and has any tips to offer?

I intend to sand the (varnished) doors today and then apply some primer/sealer before painting. What I'm wondering is, for the best finish what is the best way to paint them, should I spray them?
Any recommendations on type of paint (I want a satin rather than gloss finish)?
Are there any paints available specific to the task, and if so, are they worth spending money on?

TIA.

amerden

I painted all my kitchen doors (29) two years ago, they were originally pine, solid wood, I sprayed them with cellulose paint (non gloss finish) after first priming them with the appropriate primer, the result was fantastic, a totally new kitchen and a very hard wearing finish.
There is also Melamine paint available for this type of job which can be brushed on, don't know what type of finish you would achieve or if you will have brush strokes afterwards.

Samson

amerden wrote:

I sprayed them with cellulose paint (non gloss finish) after first priming them with the appropriate primer, the result was fantastic, a totally new kitchen and a very hard wearing finish.
There is also Melamine paint available for this type of job which can be brushed on, don't know what type of finish you would achieve or if you will have brush strokes afterwards.

I don't want brush strokes, so I think I'd be more inclined to spray them.
Did you rent or buy a "sprayer", or did the cellulose paint come in a spray-can?

beldin

I did this a few years ago and it gave extended life to the kitchen. I painted the doors and they turned out okay although you would want to have a lot of patience doing it.
Spraying is often the best way to go but you have to have someplace to do it which is dry and clean and where the units can dry. Outdoors usually means you have some bugs fly in to investigate.
Any oil based paint should do if you go the brush route, not sure if these can be sprayed without using a lot of thinners.

amerden

Samson wrote:

I don't want brush strokes, so I think I'd be more inclined to spray them.
Did you rent or buy a "sprayer", or did the cellulose paint come in a spray-can?

I purchased an Earlex low pressure high volume sprayer from Argos, a very useful addition to my tool kit, would not recommend an electric sprayer they are not up to this type of job nor will you get a good finish. You will need a good indoor space for the job i.e. garage or very large shed, please also keep in mind safety, mask ventilation etc. and above all patience, its not the type of job you will want to rush and make sure you cover everything as you will get a lot of overspray. I purchased the cellulose from a paint supplier in Cork, they were able to mix whatever colour I wanted, and supply the correct primer and thinners.

Milkman

we painted a load of old built in wardrobes recently. I bought some radiator rollers, man they made the job so quick. Much easier than paint brushes and gave a great finish....

zelemon

Is there any specifc spay can paint that you can recommned for this job?