Kitchen units: to paint or not to paint

Ruby Ring · 25-01-2020 10:39am #1

I recently bought a house and had initially thought that I might get the units painted. My brother's carpenter friend was visiting and the first thing he said when he saw the kitchen was "Don't paint the kitchen!" Has anyone regretted painting their units?

Wyldwood · 25-01-2020 11:11am

I suppose it depends on the age of the kitchen units. I have oak shaker doors in my kitchen and several people have told me to paint them but I'm happy to leave them be. I've seen varnished doors that are painted and then chipped and it looks a lot worse than the original finish. It doesn't take much to chip paint (professional finish or not) in a kitchen with all the knocking about a kitchen gets, especially if you have children. It's a personal choice.

Ceepo · 25-01-2020 10:29pm

Wyldwood wrote: »

I suppose it depends on the age of the kitchen units. I have oak shaker doors in my kitchen and several people have told me to paint them but I'm happy to leave them be. I've seen varnished doors that are painted and then chipped and it looks a lot worse than the original finish. It doesn't take much to chip paint (professional finish or not) in a kitchen with all the knocking about a kitchen gets, especially if you have children. It's a personal choice.

If the correct process is followed, ie cleaning primer etc then chipping should not be an issue.

dok_golf · 25-01-2020 10:35pm

Modern paints if applied correctly ( as mentioned above) are very durable. Of course, nothing will escape if e.g. it gets hit with a sharp metal edge, but most kitchen resprays ( when done correctly) are very robust

Triboro · 26-01-2020 3:33pm

Had cherry shaker kitchen fitted new in 2002, got fed up lookin at it so decided to paint it,went with colortrend grey wolf in eggshell.Scrubbed it all down with sugar soap,applied a coat of colortrend prime that they mixed in the same colour as the finish,applied first coat of eggshell and next day a quick rub down and applied second coat. Rolled everything for the most part with a bit of cutting in.
Looked great when finished and happy I painted it,holding up well so far albeit only at eight months yet! Kept the stuff for touching up down the line.

Can pm pics of before & after if it helps!

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 9:04am

Triboro wrote: »

Had cherry shaker kitchen fitted new in 2002, got fed up lookin at it so decided to paint it,went with colortrend grey wolf in eggshell.Scrubbed it all down with sugar soap,applied a coat of colortrend prime that they mixed in the same colour as the finish,applied first coat of eggshell and next day a quick rub down and applied second coat. Rolled everything for the most part with a bit of cutting in.
Looked great when finished and happy I painted it,holding up well so far albeit only at eight months yet! Kept the stuff for touching up down the line.

Can pm pics of before & after if it helps!

Hi, I'm doing the exact same with colourtrend primer and their satin wood finish on our kitchen. Time consuming but taking my time and following the same approach you took. 10 months on from your last post, how's the finish holding up?

beauf · 10-11-2020 9:59am

Anyone who works and loves wood will hate getting it covered up. However it's fallen out of fashion here. considering doing it myself.

grayzer75 · 10-11-2020 10:23am

Not sure what part of the country you're in but this guy is excellent:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/haugheypainting/posts/

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 11:55am

beauf wrote: »

Anyone who works and loves wood will hate getting it covered up. However it's fallen out of fashion here. considering doing it myself.

Can't say I love melamine!

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 11:59am

grayzer75 wrote: »

Not sure what part of the country you're in but this guy is excellent:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/haugheypainting/posts/

Thanks but doing DIY. I've done a lot of painting and get really good results. All about being patient, thorough and using the right tools and materials. My only concern is durability of the colourtrend primer. My go to is Zinsser BIN but couldn't get it. So far I really like it - no smell, brushes last much longer, and it dries fast. After a light sand the top coat is taking to it really well.

25 doors and drawers... It is taking an age but hoping it will be worth it. Would be great to hear experience of the colourtrend paints on a kitchen.

Thanks

Ceepo · 10-11-2020 12:19pm

stiofan85 wrote: »

Thanks but doing DIY. I've done a lot of painting and get really good results. All about being patient, thorough and using the right tools and materials. My only concern is durability of the colourtrend primer. My go to is Zinsser BIN but couldn't get it. So far I really like it - no smell, brushes last much longer, and it dries fast. After a light sand the top coat is taking to it really well.

25 doors and drawers... It is taking an age but hoping it will be worth it. Would be great to hear experience of the colourtrend paints on a kitchen.

Thanks

I have been using colourtrend satinwood on kitchen units for over 15 years and highly recommended as a finish.

With regards to primers. I di t normally used colourtrend primers. I fine the "epoxy primer" good but it doesn't keep in the tin once open.
I dont like the colourtrend oil or waterbased primer.
I wouldn't normally use "bin primer" or " Bradite one can" which waterbase as a primer

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 12:25pm

Ceepo wrote: »

I have been using colourtrend satinwood on kitchen units for over 15 years and highly recommended as a finish.

With regards to primers. I di t normally used colourtrend primers. I fine the "epoxy primer" good but it doesn't keep in the tin once open.
I dont like the colourtrend oil or waterbased primer.
I wouldn't normally use "bin primer" or " Bradite one can" which waterbase as a primer

Great to know you're a fan of their satin wood.

Thanks, it's the epoxy primer I'm using. They only had a massive tin of it, which I'll not use up on this job. I've to repaint all of the skirting and doors in the house + stairs, so maybe I'll get through a good bit of it. Had to put a price on my time driving around trying to find BIN vs just taking the one they recommended, even if it was way too much. So far so good though. Good to know it goes off - any idea how long I've got before it's no good?

Triboro · 10-11-2020 1:40pm

stiofan85 wrote: »

Hi, I'm doing the exact same with colourtrend primer and their satin wood finish on our kitchen. Time consuming but taking my time and following the same approach you took. 10 months on from your last post, how's the finish holding up?

Yeah holding up fine so far.
A few marks on the pots/saucepan drawer and thats to be expected I suppose but easily touched up so no regrets really.

illdoit2morrow · 10-11-2020 5:00pm

Colourtrend do a paint finish (wb50) for kitchen cabinets which is meant to be a bit tougher.

I got my kitchen sprayed a few years ago with it and its holding up well.

Bargain_Hound · 10-11-2020 5:04pm

We recently moved into new second hand house. I recently re-painted out kitchen and re-tiled it. A lot of work, but for 60 euro worth of paint supplies and a weeks hard work, it paid off IMO.

With tiles floor & wall, paint and new counter, handles & knows ... it all came in well under 1000 euro.

Before

After

It ain't perfect but its close! Should get a few years out of it.

Primer: Zinsser primer cover stain (2 coats)
Top Coat: Fleetwood advanced Satinwood mixed in Hague Blue (3 coats applied with mini roller).

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 5:26pm

Bargain_Hound wrote: »

We recently moved into new second hand house. I recently re-painted out kitchen and re-tiled it. A lot of work, but for 60 euro worth of paint supplies and a weeks hard work, it paid off IMO.

With tiles floor & wall, paint and new counter, handles & knows ... it all came in well under 1000 euro.

It ain't perfect but its close! Should get a few years out of it.

Primer: Zinsser primer cover stain (2 coats)
Top Coat: Fleetwood advanced Satinwood mixed in Hague Blue (3 coats applied with mini roller).

Love it. We went for Colourtrend Mussel Blue, which is almost identical to what you went for. I'll share my before and after. Thankfully don't have a floor to tile, but will likely do a splashback.

This is Mussel:

I've already painted the walls in a Colourtrend grey (Oyster Bed), so just the splashback to do, which will probably be a Covid 19 xmas project..cos...well won't be much else to do!

thanks for sharing

Bargain_Hound · 10-11-2020 5:34pm

Looks very similar alright.

I forgot to comment on durability. Ours has been done over 2 months and so far no marks. There is one or two small scuffs on the corner edge of 1 or 2 heavily used cabinet doors, pin hole in size so barely noticeable. I do think the darker colors are harder to maintain though but we can live with the odd blemish, knowing it could be re-painted again with 5/10 minutes work.

stiofan85 · 10-11-2020 6:32pm

Bargain_Hound wrote: »

Looks very similar alright.

I forgot to comment on durability. Ours has been done over 2 months and so far no marks. There is one or two small scuffs on the corner edge of 1 or 2 heavily used cabinet doors, pin hole in size so barely noticeable. I do think the darker colors are harder to maintain though but we can live with the odd blemish, knowing it could be re-painted again with 5/10 minutes work.

Great!

Did you paint the inside of the cabinets also? I'm wondering would it be too dark?

Ceepo · 10-11-2020 6:47pm

illdoit2morrow wrote: »

Colourtrend do a paint finish (wb50) for kitchen cabinets which is meant to be a bit tougher.

I got my kitchen sprayed a few years ago with it and its holding up well.

While WB50 is a good product. It is far more suitable for spraying rather than brush and roller.

illdoit2morrow · 10-11-2020 7:13pm

Ceepo wrote: »

While WB50 is a good product. It is far more suitable for spraying rather than brush and roller.

The fella who did my kitchen used a sprayer for the entire room, walls, woodwork and the kitchen units, he did mention that it was his first time using it on cabinets and that it worked well with his sprayer.

ebayissues · 15-11-2020 10:04pm

Bargain_Hound wrote: »

We recently moved into new second hand house. I recently re-painted out kitchen and re-tiled it. A lot of work, but for 60 euro worth of paint supplies and a weeks hard work, it paid off IMO.

With tiles floor & wall, paint and new counter, handles & knows ... it all came in well under 1000 euro.

Before

After

It ain't perfect but its close! Should get a few years out of it.

Primer: Zinsser primer cover stain (2 coats)
Top Coat: Fleetwood advanced Satinwood mixed in Hague Blue (3 coats applied with mini roller).

Looks great

calliealbert · 18-11-2020 4:48pm

Don't just jump right in: You should start by painting the back of the doors instead of the front. Why? Because if you flip the door too soon and the paint smudges, it will at least face the inside of the cabinet.

Little Miss Fairy · 18-11-2020 8:51pm

Bargain Hound, that's some transformation. Very tempted to do something similar here.

stiofan85 · 18-11-2020 9:39pm

Little Miss Fairy wrote: »

Bargain Hound, that's some transformation. Very tempted to do something similar here.

I was also tempted. Full of regret now but over halfway through. I'm doing an hour or two and evening working around two small children so if you've more free time maybe won't take so long

Full of regret!

Westernworld. · 18-11-2020 9:40pm

stiofan85 wrote: »

I was also tempted. Full of regret now but over halfway through. I'm doing an hour or two and evening working around two small children so if you've more free time maybe won't take so long

Full of regret!

What do u mean, too much trouble?

dok_golf · 18-11-2020 9:42pm

calliealbert wrote: »

Don't just jump right in: You should start by painting the back of the doors instead of the front. Why? Because if you flip the door too soon and the paint smudges, it will at least face the inside of the cabinet.

There is a relatively simple way of painting all sides at once.

Bargain_Hound · 19-11-2020 5:23pm

I feel your pain. Its time consuming. As I said, I spent the guts of a week (Work holidays) doing mine. Every accessory removed, holes filled and sanded then painting went something in the order of

-Primed Sides/edges
-Primed Back
-Primed Front
(Repeat for 2 coats)
-Top Coat Sides/Edges
-Top Coat on Back
-Top Coat on Front

Next job: Remove the T&G & Plaster the ceiling.

Mid-way through (Still gives me nightmares):

stiofan85 · 19-11-2020 5:26pm

Westernworld. wrote: »

What do u mean, too much trouble?

I was being a tad sarcastic. It's a lot of work. We've a good sized kitchen and an island, so there's a lot to do. I've 2 small kids so I've had to do it in the evening and now I'm about 2 weeks in doing a couple of hours an evening. Really slows progress and took the kitchen out of use while I was doing the cabinets. Another problem I have had is drying space. I can't leave the doors out to dry horizontally as little sticky fingers will mess them up. I ended up making a vertical drying rack based on this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJWvTcNxh74

I'll have it all back together this weekend. Now the wife wants the backsplash tiled and a different extractor hood...

Learnings from doing this:

Sugar soap is great
No matter how clean you think the cupboards are, there will still be dirt and grime you can't see.
Good masking tape is great. Poor masking tape is really not worth it.
If you don't have enough time, don't bother. You really have to take your time.
I put all the hardware in sandwich bags and put the bag in the cabinet it corresponded to.
Then I wrote the number of the door inside the recess from the hinge and a piece of masking tape with the number inside the cabinet.
Take your time. Seriously.
Drip clothes are essential, no matter how neat you think you are
Less is more - the paint dries more evenly if you use less. Don't over work the paint either
Use a good brush & good quality sandpaper
If you're doing it bit by bit like me, put your roller into a plastic bag and wrap it tight when you're finished for the evening. Keeps the paint fresh. Same for roller tray. Use tray liners also.
That drying rack was worth the 2 hours to build and the €40 of timber and screws
Remove the microwave and oven to get a good finish around them.
Remove the drawer fronts if you can

beauf · 19-11-2020 6:26pm

Looks fantastic. Big job though. You need plenty of time and space to do it properly.

stiofan85 · 21-11-2020 4:20pm

If anyone is thinking of taking this on, the drying stand I made is a game changer.

I no longer need mine however, so if anyone on this thread wants it free of charge, get in touch.

http://www.adverts.ie/22220865

I put a price on free stuff on adverts to stop undesirables showing up at my door. Has happened more than once..mods, if the adverts link is no bueno, feel free to pull the link

Fine Cheers · 08-02-2021 10:43pm

Great topic folks, just about to post something similar. We have a beech shaker style kitchen in about 20 years and overdue a facelift. Did you use brushes ? I know the pro's generally spray but if I go DIY I'd prefer to brush and roll. Love the Colourtrend greys so really impressed with the photos provided.
How big a job is it to replace wall tiles and worktop ?
House is timber framed so tiles bonded to plasterboard. I guess works case scenario is to replace plasterboard just in case they get damaged. Wall tiles are currently full height ie to underside of wall units, but if we replace will just go up a tile or 2 high. Tempted to go with those coloured glass splashback pehaps.

Kitchen units: to paint or not to paint

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