I am professional painter, and my advise is to make sure that you use a good grade of OIL BASED paint on kitchen cabinets. Oil paint lasts longer and you can wash it (which is needed in kitchens). It also is a harder finish in that if you were to bump it with a pot or something it shouldnt chip off where latex (water-based) will. One of the biggest points to using oil over latex is that with latex you see every brush stroke in the finished product where oil paint levels itself out before drying. As with any painting project, the finished piece is only as good looking and durable as the primer underneath. With kitchen cabinets, whether they are raw or varnished wood, lacquered MDF (prefinished painted cabinets most cabinet shops and home improvement stores sell) metal or laminated, they will need a quality oil-based primer applied first. This will make the finish paint adhere best to the painted surface as well as seal wooden cabinets that may have knot holes or any other grain pattern that might burn through. I'm sure if you are tackling this project yourself you already know the steps to doing this, but in case you need advise here it is:
1. remove all doors and drawers ( NUMBER YOUR DOORS so you know exactly where they go. This makes reassembly so much easier).
2. Remove all hardware including all knobs and pulls as well as all hinges. ( if you are reusing your existing hardware one tip to cleaning these before you reuse them is to place them all in a pot of hot water with dawn dish liquid or any other grease fighting dish detergent and let sit overnight. Take them out and put them in the utensil basket of your dishwasher and wash them. Do this immediately after taking them from the water as letting them dry will just make the oils and dirt stick back to them. When cycle is complete your hardware will be good as new).
3. clean and sand all surfaces with a fine grit sandpaper.
4. dust off sanding residue with a rag or old paint brush.
5. Caulk and fill all holes.
6. tape areas not to be painted such as back splash.
7. paint primer on going in the direction of the wood grain and let dry 24 hours.
8. lightly sand primer for a smooth finish making sure not to remove primer from edges.
9. Again, dust off sanding residue.
10. Apply coat of finish paint and let dry.
11. repeat step 10. ( a second finish coat may seem unnecessary, but for the best overall finish on your completed project two coats of oil gives a more solid job and a thicker finish).
12. replace hardware and doors and you are finished.
1. remove all doors and drawers ( NUMBER YOUR DOORS so you know exactly where they go. This makes reassembly so much easier).
2. Remove all hardware including all knobs and pulls as well as all hinges. ( if you are reusing your existing hardware one tip to cleaning these before you reuse them is to place them all in a pot of hot water with dawn dish liquid or any other grease fighting dish detergent and let sit overnight. Take them out and put them in the utensil basket of your dishwasher and wash them. Do this immediately after taking them from the water as letting them dry will just make the oils and dirt stick back to them. When cycle is complete your hardware will be good as new).
3. clean and sand all surfaces with a fine grit sandpaper.
4. dust off sanding residue with a rag or old paint brush.
5. Caulk and fill all holes.
6. tape areas not to be painted such as back splash.
7. paint primer on going in the direction of the wood grain and let dry 24 hours.
8. lightly sand primer for a smooth finish making sure not to remove primer from edges.
9. Again, dust off sanding residue.
10. Apply coat of finish paint and let dry.
11. repeat step 10. ( a second finish coat may seem unnecessary, but for the best overall finish on your completed project two coats of oil gives a more solid job and a thicker finish).
12. replace hardware and doors and you are finished.
