The DIY Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

When you enter the kitchen, the first thing that you’ll notice is the kitchen cabinet. If a curtain dresses up your house and makes it a home, the cabinets have a similar effect in the kitchen. It does not only provide storage for your utensils, cookware, and food but completes the kitchen as well. Its presence will also give you a certain ambiance that will motivate you to engage in more cooking and baking activities. It is important to always have these cabinets in good condition.

If you think your kitchen cabinet is in bad shape and you are tired of its old look, give it a spark by painting it, giving it a kitchen cabinet makeover. It’s not that difficult to achieve. In fact, it is fun and challenging. Read on how to do it yourself.

Prepare the materials:

• Rubber gloves
• Sandpaper  for hard to remove paints (graded between 80 and 180, medium coarse sandpaper)
• Sandpaper Grit 180-500, in case there are still traces left from the previous sanding. Also good for chipping paints
• Sandpaper Grit 1200 or higher for the final finish
• Liquid Paint remover for thin layers of paint
• Scrubber sponge
• Tack cloth
• Oil-based Primer
• Caulk
• Angled brush
• Small Paint foam roller
• Screwdriver
• Protective coat finish
• Paint itself
• Newspapers

Prepare the workplace:

• Remove the hinges, doors, and drawers by using the screwdrivers.
• Label the doors and drawers accordingly to avoid confusion when returning it to its proper place.
• Empty the contents from your cabinets. Put them far away from your workplace especially when it is food related. Paint can be harmful to our health.
• Put newspapers around the area to prevent the paint from spilling all over the place.
• Cover your kitchen appliances.

How to paint:

• Scrub your cabinets with the sponge to remove oils and residues. This will ensure that the paint will really stick.
• Use sandpaper grit 80-180 on all surfaces to remove the paint followed by sandpaper 180-500 to ensure that all traces of the previous paint were eliminated. Be cautious when you use the sandpaper because it can leave marks on the wood.
• Wipe the area with a tack cloth to clear out the remnants of your sanding
• Use the caulk to seal off any gaps or seams.
• Use a primer on the kitchen cabinets, doors and drawers to protect the wood and provide good quality painting.
• Once your primer paint has dried up apply the paint using the angled brush by sections and followed by the roller for the perfect finish.
• When your painting job is done, use the sandpaper 1200 or higher to hide off any paint blemishes.
• Apply the protective coat finish for the final touch.
• Reinstall the doors and drawers after the paint is totally dry. Oil based paints usually take 6 to 8 hours and ready to recoat in 24 hours.

If you wish, you can do the kitchen cabinet makeover one at a time.