Painting Cabinets

We have some old, crappy kitchen cabinets (Ikea, at least 15 years old) that I hate. I think we are probably only a few years away from a major remodel in the kitchen, so I’d like to do something in the interim that that’ll at least be aesthetically tolerable.

This is probably one of the dumber questions, but I’m pretty sure they are just wood veneer…can you refinish that type of material?

What type of person do you hire to do this type of work? A painter?

Does anyone have any recommendations to do this? Or any experiences to share?

ProspectWitch

in Bath & Kitchen 13 years and 5 months ago

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stevecym | 13 years and 5 months ago

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HD carries doors for their knockdown cabinets.  I am not sure the height will match but width of cabinets are pretty standard at 3″ increments (so 12, 15, 18, 21…).  Most non face frame cabinets use full overlay (3/4″) hinges which hide the cabinet box.  So one can replace the doors and very possibly hide the cabinets behind them.  Doors are available from other sources as well and we have made them for customers.  We have an example on out website. Feel free to call me if you have any questions about this process, even if you wish to do this yourselves, I do not mind answering questions. Steve http://brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/tinkerswagon

brooklynbemused | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Why not just replace the doors? The plain white ones start around 10 bucks each and the wood veneer ones are about $40.

stevecym | 13 years and 5 months ago

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Veneer can be refinished.  Some things one has to watch for are compatibility of finishes.  Chances are, the current finish on these cabinets is lacquer and even with sanding and priming, lacquer is not a good candidate for refinishing, unless of course, it is stripped completely or top coated with more lacquer.  Other finishes can be sanded and primed with an oil base undercoater and then gone over.  There are a lot of good urethanized water base products out there now which are durable and will go on with little odor.  Ceramic paint is another option as it will hold up to washing.  A really good painter should be able to handle this – though what you really want is a woodworker or someone who does a lot of wood finishing.  Ideally, this type of application is sprayed, but can be done by brush with good results if the person doing the job has some experience. Steve http://brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/tinkerswagon