Hand painted kitchen units and furniture | How To

How To Hand Paint Your Kitchen Units & Furniture Like a Pro...

1. The first thing we do is empty the room completely. All cupboards are emptied out and taken out the room for the duration of the project. The floor is completely sheeted up and all work surfaces are covered and taped down with thick plastic sheeting.

2. We then remove all the handles and furniture from all the cupboard doors, label them and keep them in a safe place. All glass areas, hinges and shelves are taped up to maintain a neat and tidy finish.

3. Next step is to wash all the units down with a specialist detergent to remove all the grease from the units. Grease would affect the adhesion of the topcoats so this part is critical.

4. This next step depends on if the kitchen is wooden, melamine or  high gloss.

If its wooden units, we would sand all the units down with a fine grit sandpaper, ensuring all rough bits and edges are sanded flush, before hoovering all the dust from the surface of the units and then tack clothing the whole area.

With melamine or high gloss kitchens rather than sanding we wash the units down with a specialist product that allows the paint to grip.

5. Once the entire kitchen is prepared and ready for paint, we apply the adhesion promoting super grip primer. This is hand painted on using high quality brushes and allowed to fully harden over night. 

6. Once the primer coat is dry we fill all the minor surface imperfections and use decorators caulk to fill any gaps in the units. We use a two part wood filler, which is very hard wearing. Then all the filler is sanded flush and the entire area is hoovered and tack clothed to remove all the dust.

7. The next step is to apply the first coat of eggshell paint. We use an oil based version which adds the durability of the finished product. And again, the paint is hand painted on using high quality paint brushes. This is allowed to dry for at least 24 hours.

8. Finally, once the first coat is dry, we sand all the units again, hoover and tack cloth, and then finish with a final coat of paint. This again is allowed to dry for at least 24 hours.

9. Once the paint is fully dry, we return to put back all the door furniture, remove all the plastic sheeting and tape and give the entire area a thorough clean. If their are any bits that need touching up we do this now. We advise that the kitchen is left for a period of 48 hours from now to allow the paint to harden fully before use. 

And thats it! Another beautifully hand painted kitchen by Sublime Decor!