Do you know when to paint or not to paint your kitchen cabinets? Kitchen cabinets get a lot of use. Because of this, most people would like to make a remodelling change to their kitchen once in a while. So, if you’re ready to make a change to your kitchen, what do you need to know before you start? Often, a new coat of paint over your kitchen cabinets can make a huge difference. Some other times, you’ll need more than that, depending on your cabinets condition and age. Let’s look at when not to paint your kitchen cabinets so you can save time and money.
Kitchen Cabinets You Shouldn’t Paint Over
Open-grain Wood Cabinets
Open-grain wood kitchen cabinets should’t be painted. The reason for this is that, the wood contains holes and grooves as part of its rustic look. If you’re trying to paint this type of kitchen cabinet, your paint will not be even. If you insist on doing so, you’ll need to use a wood filler to cover all the holes and groves to ensure a smooth paint finish.
Wood Is Best But Be Aware of Non-Wood Cabinets
There’s a lot of choice on the market today when it comes to kitchen cabinets. From stainless steel, vinyl, laminate and engineered wood, consumer can pick their favourites based on budget and design. If you’re planning on painting your kitchen cabinets make sure they are made of wood. Reason being is that, the paint will not adhere to the surfaces mentioned above. In the long-run, the paint will peel off or chip.
Damaged Kitchen Cabinets
If your kitchen cabinets are cracked or severely damaged you may try to repair them. However, depending on the issue and how handy you are, a new paint coat may not solve your kitchen cabinet problem. Over time, paint will most likely start cracking at the joint that you tried to repair. So, keep in mind the size of the repair and when not to paint kitchen cabinets.
Oak Cabinets
Oak cabinets are still popular with a certain market segment. If you didn’t know, oak and maple are also classified as an open-grain wood. Because of this, we recommend against painting due to the possibility of the kitchen cabinet turning orange. Also, if you have maple cabinets, painting these will also not work well because these cabinets can change colour with humidity and cooking due to their wood nature.
So now you know when not to paint kitchen cabinets. However, if you insist on giving your kitchen a new coat of paint, keep in mind the above and also note the following:
- Avoid cheap paint and tools – you don’t to cheap out here. Buy the best rated paint for your kitchen cabinets. Even though you’ll be spending a bit more, it’ll be worth it in the end. You don’t want to paint your kitchen cabinets every year. Same goes for the tools you’ll need. Get good quality brushes and rollers.
- Chalk paint – this is still an “in factor” today and some people like to have a part of their kitchen cabinets as a writing board. Given that the cabinets are highly used in your house, this is not really the place for it. Instead try a wall that’s convenient.
We hope that these tips and tricks will help you understand when not to paint your kitchen cabinets. By keeping these in mind you’ll save a lot of time and money on your remodelling job. If you’ve done this in the past, please let us know what worked well and what didn’t. What lessons can you share so others can benefit from? For our best recommendation on paint, please see our article on Best Paint for Wood Furniture.
