Wooden kitchens - paint or stain or what?

[Pipistrella]

We're having our tiny kitchen built by a local joiner, out of pine, very simple hopefully, it's an awkward shape so can't really use standard units without wasting a load of space.

I don't know how to finish the wood on the doors. Paint? Stain it?

Can anyone suggest anything? Obviously want it to look nice but also need to be able to clean it and wipe it down easily iykwim.

Thanks very much!

I really like painted kitchens, and an advantage is when you get fed up with the colour you can repaint. Im not sure you could change the colour of the stain so quickly. What does he recommend? He must have customers who have done both.

Thanks for replying (sorry namechanged earlier!)

I don't think he has built many kitchens tbh. He's fairly young and seemed not to have any real suggestions about it.

I think you're right about paint. I'm not sure what to use though - gloss? Eggshell? (if eggshell still exists)

I will ask him though.

I usually get the doors sprayed at local car place as that gives a really tough wipeable finish

This might be really expensive, but Kitstone/Neptune sell paint in about 30 different colours for their kitchens. Could at least go in and see what sort of paint it is and how to apply it.

Ooh both great ideas. Nodders - so they do the whole door or just one side of it? Not sure how that would work!

I will check out specialist kitchen paint and see what sort it is.

Thanks for this. Excited to be having a kitchen we can USE at last (had a free standing sink, cooker and small tabley thing since Christmas!).

I usually get whole door

Thanks - will ask garage if they'll do it! That sounds really good.

pip where are you, and how much is it costing?

I have a painted kitchen and did it with zinnser primer and eggshell. Very durable, washable, easy.

Ooh thank you, I will look into that primer.

We are in the SE and have been quoted £600 ish. Seems inexpensive but as I say it's a small kitchen - I hope he is going to build it solidly, will have to wait and see!

There's basically a corner sort of arrangement, one side is 8ft long, the other 3ft. Just building a framework, shelves inside, floors in solid pine, and some doors and fitting the worktop and sink.

How much have you been quoted?! £600?

Yes, if you like painting or don't mind it and are used to it, and are on a budget, painting your own kitchen is easy.

Oh that's for the kitchen, not the door painting. I have no idea how much that will cost.

Building the kitchen is 600.

Sorry for repeating what you said! Just amazed..seems like a good price! Hope it goes very well for you, sounds good.

If you paint the doors yourself it won't cost much!

I painted my kitchen last year. I used Zinnser primer and Ronseal Kitchen Cupboard paint. The paint was a bit thick but the finish is good and it seems very durable. I have touched up one scratch (DD caught a knife in a drawer and it gouged a scratch in the drawer front) and I can't now see where it was, so I can't fault the paint. In fact I have also done a couple of old kitchen chairs to match :)

Oh no problem! I'm a bit worried tbh that he isn't charging more.

Tranquilty was that old kitchen doors or new ones?

They are old ones, Happenstance - about 20 years old and solid wood I think.