Transform your Kitchen Cabinets using Cornish Milk Mineral Paint, following our 8 Simple Steps.
Remodelling a kitchen is a dream for many people, but the cost of such a big project can be very high with new cabinets and fittings. The good news is that there are easy ways to renew your kitchen without spending thousands of pounds and this is by simply painting your old kitchen cabinets.
A fresh coat of paint on your kitchen cabinets can make a big difference in the way your kitchen looks and feels. Also, it can be an ideal way to save money and time during kitchen renovations.
The following is an easy step-by-step guide for painting kitchen cabinets using Cornish Milk Mineral Paint.
Did you know that you can transform a medium sized kitchen for under £100 using all Cornish Milk products.
Step One: What type of cabinets do you have?
The first thing you need to determine is if your cabinet can be painted.
Solid/Raw Wood Cabinets: Solid and raw woods are easy and great options for painting. For the best finish, follow our preparation guide below.
Melamine/Veneer: This type of material can be painted, but Cornish Milk must be prepared beforehand to adhere correctly.
Plastic Laminate: Painting plastic laminate is not recommended, but plastic laminate can be removed using a heat gun, prior to painting.
Previously been painted or varnished: Preparation is required before painting. It is important to make sure that your previous paint/varnish is sound and not chipped before painting.
Step Two: Remove hardware and doors
In order to achieve smooth, even surfaces and to protect your belongings, you need to remove everything from and on your cabinets before you begin. Here's how it should be done.
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All cabinets and drawers should be emptied.
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Features such as latches and pulls should be removed. Number each door and mark the appropriate location. If the doors are mixed up, the hinges will not line up correctly.
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Cabinet doors and drawers should be removed.
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All latches, pulls, knobs, and other hardware should be removed.
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Remove the screws and hardware from the door/drawer and place them in clear bags labelled with the door/drawer they belong to. As a result, reassembling the cabinets will be much easier.
Step Three: Make sure all surfaces are clean
Kitchens are frequently contaminated by grease, splatter, heat, and steam. Cleaning the surfaces of the doors and drawers prior to painting or sanding is a crucial stage.
You should scrub stains and clean all surfaces with Cornish Milk’s BioClean, then rinse well. Make sure to deep clean in all the small and hard to reach places on the cabinets. To prevent damage, avoid completely soaking the cabinets in water.
Allow all the doors and drawers to completely dry before painting or sanding.
Step 4: Preparation
Preparing the cabinet for painting requires minimal but effective preparation for the best professional finish. The first step is too lightly sand all cabinets using a fine sandpaper, normally using a 180 grit paper. You can avoid rounding the edges of cabinets with detailing by using a wood sanding block.
Previously painted surfaces: It is not necessary to remove all the existing paint when sanding the cabinets. Flaking paint coming off previously painted cabinets indicates a poor bond between the finish and the wood. These problems are usually caused by moisture or grease seeping into wood or underneath paint. After sanding these areas down, prime them with Cornish Milk’s Eco Primer to give you the best professional finish.
Step 5: Apply Cornish Milk’s Eco Primer
A properly bonded coat of Cornish Milk Mineral Paint on cabinets requires an even application of primer on all surfaces. Cornish Milk’s Eco-Primer gives you a solid foundation to paint with Cornish Milk Mineral Paint and best of all it is plant-based and has superior adhesion.
Paint the cabinets using a light coat and then wait an hour. Apply a second coat of primer if required, but this is completely up to you.
Step 6: Paint with Cornish Milk Mineral Paint
For painting cabinets you can use a foam sleeve mini roller, an angled brush or flat brush. To get the best results, paint each piece of your kitchen cabinets in the following order.
- Paint the openings and inside edges first.
- Then paint the sides of the outer cabinet and the frame face fronts.
- Any wood pieces or moulding should be painted.
- Cabinet doors and drawers should be painted. It is best to let the paint flow evenly into corners and gaps when these parts contain raised or detailed features. You should, however, avoid letting the paint accumulate in one spot.
Paint the entire surface with a thin, light coat off Cornish Milk Mineral Paint. A thin coat shows fewer brushstrokes and dries much faster. Between coats, let the paint dry for around an hour.
Two coats of Cornish Milk Mineral Paint are usually sufficient to give cabinets a rich appearance. A third coat, however, can help protect the cabinets from the daily abuse of heat, splatter, and frequent use.
Step 7: Protect your newly painted surfaces with lacquer.
Protecting your newly painted cabinets is vital, as this will insure that your newly painted kitchen will look great for many years to come. Using Cornish Milk’s Extreme Lacquer or another kitchen lacquer from a DIY Shop is very important.
Cornish Milk’s Extreme Lacquer can be applied using a roller or paint brush. We highly recommend giving your cabinets a very light coat and allowing this first coat to dry for up to two hours. Once dried you can then give your cabinets a second coat, waiting an hour and then painting a third and final coat. Three coats will ensure that your newly painted cabinet will be completely protected from high traffic use.
Step 8: It's time to put your kitchen cabinets back together again.
Now that all your cabinets have been painted. It is now time to put all your cabinets back together again, adding the hardware. Make sure to fix all your cabinets and drawers into their original places, using our plan and numbering from step two.
