When painting kitchen cabinets the process a professional follows is much different than an average DIY project and clients often ask how the pros make their results stand out ? Professionals will execute their process after considering different factors and here is our cabinet painting process.
Remove the doors and drawers
The first step of our cabinet painting process is to remove the doors and drawers from the shell. The doors and drawers are numbered so they are reinstalled in the correct spot and are transported to our offsite painting booth at the end of the first day.
Masking the kitchen
Masking the kitchen is the most time consuming step of our cabinet painting process. Painters plastic and paper is taped to cover the floor , counter-top and appliances. A plastic barrier is set up around the kitchen to contain small paint particles inside the kitchen . The inside of the cabinets are covered with paper however we can spray inside of the cabinets upon request.
Clean and lightly sand the cabinet shell
We prepare the surface of the shell for painting by cleaning dirt or grease accumulated and afterwards lightly sanded with an orbital sander . The purpose of sanding is to scuff the surface just enough for the primer and paint to properly bond to the cabinets. The shell is wiped with a tack cloth to remove any dust from the surface .
Spray the cabinet shell with primer
A lacquer based primer is used that dries fast and one coat of primer is sufficient , two coats are sometimes needed . Lacquer primer is a very important aspect of the cabinet painting process therfore a high quality primer like Zinzzer BIN is our preference.
Cabinet paint colour selection
Here is a link to Sherwin Williams virtual colour selection and cabinet colour trends in 2023.
Spray the cabinet shell with the cabinet paint
Our preferred paint is Sherwin Williams Gallery Series urethane cabinet paint. Gallery Series was launched in stores during the spring season 2023 ,with very successful results . It was designed specifically for kitchen cabinets and is only recommended to be applied with airless paint sprayers. Gallery Series paint adds extreme durability to your cabinets , and has faster drying time. Darker colours require a longer dying period because of added pigment and usually we are able to spray the second coat (top coat)of paint on the first day . Lacquer primer dries very fast allowing the paint to be sprayed immediately after the primer . When using a light colour we wait a minimum of 1 hour before spraying the top coat of paint and we leave the masking paper in place until the final re-installation is complete. Spraying paint to the shell may be necessary after the first day .Clients will have access to their sink, fridge and any cabinets they need after the first day of our cabinet painting process.
Prepare the doors and drawers to be primed and painted
The doors and drawers are transported to the offsite spray booth , and are prepared to prime and paint . We clean the doors and drawers and lightly sand the surface with 150 and 220 grit sandpaper . When necessary we will fill flaws with wood filler to create as smooth of a surface as possible . Changing the hanldles / pulls we may need to fill old holes with wood filler and drill new holes .Filling and drilling new holes increase time to complete your project and will cost a fee .
Prime and paint the cabinet doors and drawers
The doors and drawers are primed and painted using an airless paint sprayer and we inspect each door and drawer before each coat to maintain a high quality finish. Sometimes the doors and drawers are lightly sanded between coats to give a smoother final finish. Airless paint sprayers used by an experienced painter will give your cabinets an ultra smooth finish . Paint sprayers avoid brush strokes and produce a much smoother finish .After completing our cabinet painting process, your cabinets will look as if they are brand new and have been freshly painted by the manufacturer.
Final inspection and prepare doors and drawers for transport.
The cabinet doors and drawers are inspected after the second coat has fully dried. Keep in mind that darker colours can require a longer drying time than lighter colours due to added pigment in the paint . We carefully wrap the doors and drawers in a protective film for transportation back to the original location.
Install cabinet doors and drawers and cleanup
The doors and drawers are carefully re- installed to the cabinet shell. The cabinet pulls or handles are reinstalled and your newly painted cabinets are inspected for any imperfections. We also install new cabinet padded stops for functionality and protection. The masking paper and plastic is carefully removed and put in bags for recycling.
Timeframe
The time frame to complete our cabinet painting process can vary depending on some factors . The size of the kitchen, the colour of paint and amount of cleaning required . One to two days are required on location painting the shell. One to three days are required to prep , prime and paint doors and drawers off site . Our cabinet painting process is completed in a minimum of 3 days, maximum of one week. Every cabinet painting project is unique and has different requirements to complete the project.
Conclusion
We require a booking deposit prior to scheduling the start date of your project and we guarantee our workmanship. We will touch up any scratches or imperfections , scratches are rare but can be caused by transport or re-installation but above all customer satisfaction is our priority.
