Regrets on painting cabinets? Would you do it again? (countertop, ceiling, tile)
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We are in the process of doing it. We've done our top half. It's taken a lot of time because we've spent a lot of time cleaning, degreasing, sanding priming, etc. but we like the end result. It's probably taken about 3-4 times longer than what people we know have said but it looks great. We will see how it holds up.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I and doing mine a few at a time each weekend. With good prep and quality paint it should hold up fine. I'm using Benjamin Moore Advance Akyd, about $50/gallon and spraying with an HVLP gun, without thinning, at 50 psi. The key to this paint (high gloss) is to avoid contact for at least a week to cure, two weeks is better yet, and it becomes much harder than latex, more like old fashioned oil based paint.
I am torn between which I hate more. Painted cabinets, which look like a cheap cover up for something cheap or those cheap and aweful honey oak cabinets which now offesively cover my kithen walls.
I think mine look great. I did one coat of oil based kilz and 2 coats of lowes acrylic semi gloss white exterior paint. I chose this paint because it's higher quality for less money as they expect you to buy more of it if you're painting an exterior and it holds up well. I did the same thing with all the trim, doors, and closets in the entire upstairs and much of the downstairs, rather than go and replace them all. The result was impressive. I never liked white before but it grew on me really fast, especially with oil rubbed bronze hardware, lights, and varying shades of grey and beige paints on the walls. Hopefully it stays this nice bright white for years without yellowing. This house was built in 1977 so envision what 1977 doors and cabinets might be like.
If you use this paint make sure it's semi gloss and white, not the stuff that says "pastel base" or "must be tinted" on the bottle. Semi gloss should be used for trim, doors, cabinets, etc. for wipability. Although this paint is thick, I always recommend 2 coats.. the difference will be obvious after the second coat dries. Obviously, don't skip the primer either.
Mine did not have any sort of handles installed so I purchased these from amazon... I also replaced all the closet knobs with them... along with all the doorknobs and hinges in the entire house, also with oil rubbed bronze.
I figure I'd upload a before and after shot of the main bathroom... the only difference is after I finished and took the picture, I rearranged some of the floor tiles after realizing I was lining them up in the same direction so now it looks more random... one of those live and learn things for people who don't read directions, lol. The floor tiles were only a buck a piece and I had extras which was good since I destroyed the ones that I removed as they stick really strong. I would have kept the cabinets brown but age caused wear and I wanted consistency throughout the house. I'm not a big fan of granite or fancy counters in cookie cutter suburban homes, so I purposely left the old counters which look just fine to me.
I would totally do it again. In fact I actually might be doing it at my new house.
But...I am a professional painter. I have 20 or so years painting and have certifications and such.
I spray, not brush or roll. I totally remove them and disassemble them.
When I'm done, they look store bought new.
After hurricane sandy I redid the pickled maple cabinets in a satin ivory finish. Damn they looked great.
We have painted cabinets in 2 different houses. One house had painted cabinets and we needed to refresh those. The other house had "wood-look" cabinets that were pretty ugly. Preparation is key. We used Benjamin Moore oil based paint both times, although now I guess they have a good latex cabinet paint but I have not used that. We wiped them down with TSP, used a good primer and painted with a smooth nap roller for a smooth finish. I especially love how the second house turned out. We used a Wedgwood Green color on them and even 25 years later, I still love that color--although we don't live in that house any longer. Last time I saw, those cabinets are still the same color and holding up well-but that was about 5 years ago. I'm going back and forth about painting our current cabinets. They are in great shape but just dated. The debate isn't so much having painted cabinets as it is the work involved.
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The floor tiles were only a buck a piece and I had extras which was good since I destroyed the ones that I removed as they stick really strong. I would have kept the cabinets brown but age caused wear and I wanted consistency throughout the house. I'm not a big fan of granite or fancy counters in cookie cutter suburban homes, so I purposely left the old counters which look just fine to me.
