Painting Your Kitchen? Find Answers to Your Questions.

By: Colin Byrne

Question

I am currently in the process of revamping my kitchen, I currently have a solid oak kitchen and am thinking of having it handpainted in cream, I am worried about the maintenance of a cream painted kitchen ie will it chip easily? Also how many coats of paint should it require, is there a specific brand of paint which is better than others to give a stronger paint effect. Spraying my doors is not an option as I have used furniture polish on them (or so I have been told). Any help or advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

Answer

Many thanks for putting your question to us. Our aim is to provide information and advice along with a full directory of suppliers to anyone looking to buy a new kitchen or wardrobes or revamp an existing one.

Handpainted kitchens tend to keep quite well as long as it doesn’t take too much abuse. In my experience, I haven’t had anyone tell me that they regret having a handpainted kitchen and you will be amazed by the transformation of your kitchen once you paint it.

As your existing kitchen is oak, you may find that because oak has a heavy grain, this might show through the paint. You will probably find that it will take two coats of paint on top of a primer to give a good finish and it is best to use an eggshell paint with a good purdy brush so that it won’t loose it’s bristles. Any good brand of paint is good to use like Dulux or Crown or for a more luxurious finish you could us Farrow & Ball. Just make sure that the kitchen is completely de-grease and given a light sanding before you start applying the primer.

I hope this helps and if you need any further advice please let me know.

Question

Thinking of painting an existing pine kitchen - what way will I go about this and what type of paint do you recommend for the job?

Answer

The first you need to do is make sure your kitchen is completely clean and de-greased. Do do this rub your kitchen down with hot soapy water (squeeze out the cloth before you wipe the kitchen down) or use a kitchen de-greaser to clean it.

You can then give it a very light sanding using the finest sandpaper you can get. Your kitchen is pine which is a soft wood. The last thing you want to do is scrape the pine with the sandpaper. It’s just a very fine sanding to remove any rough patches. Note that it is best to remove the kitchen doors before painting to make it easier on yourself. Give the kitchen a wipe down then to remove any dust and then apply a quick drying primer to give a good undercoat and seal. Then using a good paint brush or small roller (even using a small roller a brush will be needed for awkward areas) give the kitchen its first coat of an eggshell paint. When that coat is completely dry, apply the second coat of eggshell. This should be more than enough to give a good even coat.

Remember to make sure your brushstrokes are even as you don’t want the finished product to look messy. Just take your time and you will be fine. If you need any further advice or if you would like to source a professional handpainter for the job, please let me know.