Painting cabinets

[deerefan]

Doing some upgrades in our kitchen, we are down to the last item- repainting the cabinets. We had new doors and drawer fronts made and I am priming them now. We are looking for durable paint that can withstand kids and cleanings/wipe downs. Also, satin or semi-gloss? My wife wants me to apply a "clear coat" after paint, is there a paint additive that does the same thing? Thanks for any and all help. Oh and the color we are using is linen white.

 

[EddieWalker]

With new cabinet doors and fronts, you need to make sure you get a good quality primer. I prefer the Zinsser brand of primers, but Sherwin Williams also sells a very good primer designed for raw wood. For the best results, easiest clean up and durability, nothing comes close to an oil based paint. Semi Gloss is the most common sheen used.

After sanding and cleaning with both a rag and vacuum, I would prime with the Zinsser BIN oil based primer, then after a full day of drying, I would pain with a good quality oil based paint from Sherwin Williams. The box stores just don't carry good oil based paints.

I have a Gracco HVLP spray gun that does a very nice job. The quality of the gun will show in the finished job.

Remember to tape and cover everything with plastic. When you spray, a small percentage of the paint will float in the air and settle on every single exposed surface there. Where a mask and cover every bit of skin you can, because what you miss will also have paint on it that you will have to use paint thinner to get off.

If you do not want to go with oil based and a brush/roller finish is acceptable, then stick with Valspar at Lowes or go to the specialty stores like Sherwin Williams or Kelly Moore. Paint went through government regulations a few years ago and they all had to reinvent it. Some companies that used to make decent paint, like Behr, don't anymore. Valspar is the only box store brand that is still half way decent. Also be aware that paint with primer in it is just a sales gimmick to try to make their paint sound better then paint without it. All you are getting is a better grade of paint. You cannot replace what primer does, which is bond and seal the surface to allow better adhesion of the paint with a uniform finish.

Go with a good primer. For brush or roller, I like the Zinsser 123 for raw wood and sheetrock.

With paint, you get what you pay for, and the more effort you put into it, the better the results.

I've never heard of or used a clear coat on a painted cabinet. Clear coats are for stained wood.

Eddie

 

[ultrarunner]

Spent yesterday turning over a vacant apartment with painted cabinets... painted them in 1996 with old fashioned Oil Enamel... 20 years later still great... almost like a car paint finish.

I would avoid anything latex... just me.

Problem is Oil Enamel is just about gone here... some carry quarts, most no longer make it do to the paint VOC regs.

The cabinets in the laundry room at the place my brother bought had a very nice enamel finish... sister-in-law was about to go over with latex and I stopped her... would have been a huge mess... adhesion and durability and cleanability.

For durability a stained cabinet is the most cost effective... a little Old English at turnover and looking good.

 

[deerefan]

Thanks guys. So far I have applied 2 coats of kilz general purpose interior water base primer/sealer. It is working well, but I feel I may have made an error with this. Hopefully I do not have an adhesion issue when wiping the cabinets down. The paint we have chosen is latex. I do not think I can apply an oil based paint over the primer I used?

 

[ultrarunner]

I know it is more of a problem when using latex over oil... especially semi and gloss.. the same properties that make these finishes great for washing down cause adhesion issues.

Works ok going the other way because the oil bites into the latex primer.

One point is water based use to be notorious for raising the grain in the wood... water is absorbed by the wood and swells... this was another reason for non water base products.

Zinser makes a product called Perma White that says it can be used over oil... I have used it and it is ok after knocking down by scuff sanding... still not the same as oil.

By the way... Perma White is the only product I use in closets and bathrooms for my rentals is oil is not an issue...

Never having to deal with mold is a huge plus when managing rentals... but this is a subject for another time.

 

[riptides]

Thanks guys. So far I have applied 2 coats of kilz general purpose interior water base primer/sealer. It is working well, but I feel I may have made an error with this. Hopefully I do not have an adhesion issue when wiping the cabinets down. The paint we have chosen is latex. I do not think I can apply an oil based paint over the primer I used?

I did a fast job with Kilz and a basic latex about ten years ago. It did the job. Survived the renovation activities, 3 kids, two dogs and me in the kitchen all these years. Rolled it on. That was the time consuming part.

 

[forgeblast]

I have been using milk paint (two coats) with two coats of pure tung oil (mixed 50-50 with citrus solvent) wiped on. I have been happy with the results on my chairs. (Realmilkpaint.com) I was surprised at the different colors they had available.

 

[Danno1]

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When I owned rental property I used an expensive oil based Benjamin Moore gloss in the kitchen. It would last several tennats. The other rooms got a middle of the road latex.



.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

When I was painting, if there was an adhesion issue, we always primed with white shellack. The folks who did the wall papering appreciated us painting over the lacquer overspray too.

 

[Danno1]

When I was painting, if there was an adhesion issue, we always primed with white shellack. The folks who did the wall papering appreciated us painting over the lacquer overspray too.

Oh, speaking of adhesion, instead of laboriously sanding the gloss off the old paint, I found that washing w TSP (which was necessary anyway bec of the dirt) would knock down the gloss and let the new paint stick.



.

 

[ultrarunner]

Must be popular now... an area home just sold for a new record high price with gorgeous maple cabinets... was wondering why a painter van was there all week... all of the cabinets and doors are now painted white.

I just don't get it... yet, it's not my home or money.

 

[Danno1]

Must be popular now... an area home just sold for a new record high price with gorgeous maple cabinets... was wondering why a painter van was there all week... all of the cabinets and doors are now painted white.

I just don't get it... yet, it's not my home or money.

That's been popular here for 30+ years. I stripped, sanded, stained, and poly-u'd a few doors in my last house. They really did come out beautiful afterwards.

I don't get it either...



.

 

[ultrarunner]

That's been popular here for 30+ years. I stripped, sanded, stained, and poly-u'd a few doors in my last house. They really did come out beautiful afterwards.

I don't get it either...



.

I have owned and do own older homes and some from 1960 back have painted cabinets and doors... almost always a problem on the rentals... some have so many coats of paint that I have to plane them down to get a proper fit.

Now the ones that are stained are very simple... a little scratch remover or old english and good to go.

My brother recently sold his home of 20 years and had done a lot of work... stain grade doors throughout, country oak kitchen, etc... several of the realtors told him to paint all white or do over....

Turned out he sold it too for a new record price and one of the reasons... the buyers were tired of all the white kitchens they had viewed...

Pressed wood and similar are prime candidates for paint...

There is a mansion nearby that is on the Historical Register... superb finishes except someone had painted everything white back in the 1920's... a team of volunteers stripped and refinished one of the main rooms... took all summer and magnificent all the way down to the balusters on the staircase... people can't believe 95% of the house was painted over in white.

 

[PILOON]

I have to agree with good primers and good oil based paints, however what do you suggest when the stores only carry water based finishes?
Oil base is outlawed around here now.
Only oil based left is Tremclad brand (metal finish) however they cleverly now label as OK for gloss wood finish.

I had to re finish my house exterior that was Siekiens, very popular, costly and and supposedly the absolute best at that time.
Well they wanted about $100/ 4 liters and would have needed 15 gals for the job plus I needed to sand to bare wood.
The new product claimed to be water based with suspended oil emulsifiers.

I got really lucky as a partially disabled fellow begged for work and offered to sand for $15/hr and paint as well.
Local dealer was dropping Olympic* stains line and offered balance of stock at $25/gal so I immediately booked 12 gals of opaque stain (to be tinted later).
Well we sanded, scraped to bare wood and applied 2 coats to the entire house and the finished job is fantastic.

*Olympic is what factory uses on Canexel and Maybec sidings.

 

[Budweiser John]

Eddie how big is the turbine on your Grayco Unit? And how much do you have to thin the material?
I've never had real good luck getting enamels through HVLP but use an airless pump with a 'fine finish' tip on the gun. Little to no thinning of material and great coverage.
I use HVLP for stains, lacquer sanding sealer, and lacquer top coat(s) but the enamel/HVLP has never really worked.

 

[deerefan]

Wanted to give an update. I put 2 coats of kilz latex primer and 1 thick coat of behr oil based linen white semi gloss this weekend. The cabinets look really nice. Thanks everyone for the input and guidance.

 

[riptides]

Wanted to give an update. I put 2 coats of kilz latex primer and 1 thick coat of behr oil based linen white semi gloss this weekend. The cabinets look really nice. Thanks everyone for the input and guidance.

Excellent. Enjoy your work. Cabinets are a time consuming, detail oriented project.