As a central hub in the home, the kitchen serves as your locale for most of the family’s daily activities. You likely spend a large portion of time here, leading to more wear and tear over the years. Time can also lead to changes in style, leaving your kitchen outdated and worn down. Most homeowners are constantly trying to strike a balance between quality and price, as the two usually come as a package deal. Your kitchen cabinets likely take up a majority of your wall space and often serve as a focal point in the space. One DIY approach that may prove beneficial is to paint your cabinets. While some DIYers enjoy the pattern and character of their wood grain, others opt for a clean and precise appearance. It’s essential for those taking this task on to plan ahead and follow professional advice, as minor errors can lead to costly repairs later on.
If you are looking for home remodeling in Dunwoody or Atlanta, the team at Detail Design & Remodeling is here to offer a cost-effective solution that provides lasting solutions for your kitchen. We provide cabinet refacing to Georgia homes, giving your boxes a “facelift”. Our home remodeling contractors deliver comprehensive services that rely on old-world craftsmanship for true quality and individuality. We specialize in kitchen cabinet refacing, cabinet refinishing, and more!
Today, we’ll continue to highlight the most common errors homeowners make when painting their cabinets. If you’re looking for amazing results with half the cost of a full remodel, be sure to contact us today!
Skipping the Primer
It can be all-too-tempting to skip this crucial stage in the painting process. Primer is essential for creating a cohesive and adhesive surface for your paint, providing a secure attachment that simply performs better when compared to painting sans primer. Beautiful outcomes that skip proper priming will look great to start, but a wide range of environmental factors will work to chip away at that beautiful finish. Impacts, friction, oxidation, moisture contact, and more can all play a role in the long-term beauty of your cabinets. Remember that knots can appear later on, bleeding through your paint and creating unsightly surfaces.
Failing to Tint Your Primer
One pro tip that may make a big difference in your project is to prime your primer. That is, you can add a tiny amount of your selected paint choice to your primer, tinting it and providing better overall coverage. DIYers and professionals alike benefit from this process, as an initial layer can help to darken your first layer of paint. The goal here is to save time and money by reducing the number of layers needed for a quality finish. Remember that colors such as white may feel impossible to cover, so plan ahead and tint your primer for the best results.
Utilizing the Wrong Paint
This may be more of a personal opinion, but choosing the wrong paint color can result in big problems for the overall aesthetics of your updated kitchen. Colors that clash can cause chaos while colors that blend together easily come off as bland and boring. Be sure to plan ahead and take in the full picture of your kitchen before getting to work. Our custom cabinet professionals recommend investing in a small sample (such as a small, painted board) and seeing how it works with your floors, countertops, and appliances.
Also be sure to invest in the right type of paint for your cabinet refinishing project. Saving a dollar or two at this point may result in dramatic changes in your kitchen! We recommend reaching out to your local paint pros or our home remodeling contractors for assistance in finding the best fit for your kitchen.
Reassembling Too Soon
Painting your cabinets and not allowing for the proper dry time can result in saturation, warping the grain pattern and possibly ruining the surface of your doors. Likewise, it is also important to practice patience when reinstalling your cabinet hardware. The purpose of taking your cabinet doors off was to provide full-coverage painting with minimal errors. Assembling your cabinets soon after the paint phase can result in problems such as smudges and staining. We recommend waiting until every piece is dry. Jumping too soon here may lead to the need for repairs, which will add considerable waiting time to your project!
Painting your cabinets can help to provide a fresh and vibrant facelift. As with all DIY home renovation projects, it’s important to adhere to your plan to ensure the best outcome. Small errors now may result in costly remedies later, making it important to do it right the first time.
If you’re wanting long-term quality without the hassle of doing it yourself, the team at Detail Design & Remodeling is here to help. We provide unbeatable cabinet refacing to Georgia homeowners, delivering long-lasting quality that is hard to match for the price. Contact us today to learn more and to schedule your free consultation!