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Best methods for painting kitchen doors?

10 replies

mylovelymonster · 20/08/2012 23:23

Hi - we have 'inherited' a Howdens kitchen, but the grain in the doors shows through a dirty grey under the cream & I would really like to paint them with a very pale cream or white eggshell to refresh them - am I on the right track? How do I go about it? Primer? Rollers? What paint for a tough finish or do I need a matt lacquer or something? Ta x

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 20/08/2012 23:36

what are the doors made of?

mylovelymonster · 20/08/2012 23:41

Hi PJ - that was quick! They are the Tewkesbury 'white' - apparently solid surround with veneered center panel. The paint is a matt-ish finish

OP posts:
mylovelymonster · 20/08/2012 23:42

solid wood surround - I think. Not much info in the catalogue..

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 20/08/2012 23:54

in a kitchen the surface is likely to have a film of greasy dirt.

I wouldn't use a water method such as sugar soap. White spirit will clean it off, you will see the dirt coming off on your rag. When you clean it again and get no more dirt, it's clean. You might find it then doesn't need repainting...

it will probably be some kind of hard sprayed laquer. Wipe it lightly with fine sandpaper to remove the shine and give it a key. Wrap the sandpaper round a cork block. You can sand harder on the solid frame than on the veneered centre. Then clean it again with white spirit to get the dust off. You may find an oil-based eggshell sticks OK, give it a try on a small piece. If not you will have to use an oil-based undercoat.

There are water-based primer-undercoats but they do not stick as well, especially to a laquered surface, and I find them softer.

A gloss finish will be easier to keep clean than eggshell.

Apply thin coats and wipe very lightly with extra-fine sandpaper between coats. And yes, wipe the dust off with a clean rag damped with white spirit. Wear plastic or nitrile gloves, it will eat through rubber.

I would use a smallish soft pure-bristle brush. There will be too many corners and edges for a roller. Do the edges first. If you are doing the insides of the doors, do them before the fronts. Take the doors off and stand them on tins so they don't touch the newspaper you have put on your worktop or workbench.

mylovelymonster · 21/08/2012 00:01

That's great, thanks. I will see what oil-based paints I can find.....

OP posts:
growingweeble · 21/08/2012 08:48

Call Howdens and ask. I was in there recently and asked about repainting those doors and it didn't sound that straightforward. It's melamine paint or something.

Shesparkles · 21/08/2012 08:54

I did this years ago very successfully , using a,product called "easy surface prep" all you do is wipe it on and allow it to dry for about 4 hours th en paint with gloss or eggshell.
It's Not available in any of the DIY sheds, I bought some recently here. It's not cheap but it's AMAZING stuff. I've been using it on all my household woodwork for years and it saves SO much time and mess-you can paint woodwork without even sanding it (I should really be on commission Grin

PigletJohn · 21/08/2012 10:03

Painting surfaces which are laminated with formica or similar (which is melamine) is quite different from painting wood, hence my initial question.

mylovelymonster · 21/08/2012 10:54

Thanks all. We have recently met our local Howdens rep who is really helpful so will get the skinny on the details of surface. I will investigate your tip, Shesparkles.
Another option is to paint the walls a different colour to refresh, but the worktop is dire - want to go a soft sage which will make the cupboards look fresher, but awful granite effect worktop which has too much blue in it - very dark also. Helps the grey lines stand out a treat :/
Alternative is to rip it out and start again - lottery ticket this week, I think!!
Thanks

OP posts:
StrangerintheNight · 21/08/2012 20:24

Thanks for the White spirit tip, PigletJohn . Cupboards round the cooker have come up lovely.

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