Why painted cupboards fail, and how I stop it
Kitchen doors take more knocks, steam and grease than any other painted surface in a house. Most peeling cupboard paint comes down to one thing: it was put straight onto a surface that wasn't clean or keyed. Grease from cooking sits on every door, even ones that look clean, and paint will not grip it.
So I work in this order:
- Take the doors and drawer fronts off, label them, and remove the handles and hinges.
- Degrease every surface with a proper sugar soap or degreaser, then rinse.
- Sand to give the surface a key, and fill any dents or chips.
- Prime with a primer made for the surface: a bonding primer for laminate or melamine, a stain-blocking primer for wood with knots.
- Apply two finish coats of a hard-wearing paint, lightly sanding between coats.
Hand-painted or sprayed?
I do both, and I'll recommend whichever suits your kitchen. Spraying gives the smoothest, most factory-like finish with no brush marks, which suits modern slab and handleless doors. Hand-painting suits shaker and period kitchens, where a fine brushed texture looks right, and it means less masking and setting up in your home. Either way, the preparation underneath is the same.
Which cupboards can be painted?
Solid wood, painted wood and MDF doors all take paint well. Many laminate and melamine doors can be painted too, as long as the surface is sound and a bonding primer goes on first. Vinyl-wrapped doors that are already peeling at the edges are a different story, because the wrap will keep lifting under new paint. If I think your doors won't hold paint, I'll tell you before you spend anything.
Choosing a colour
Painted kitchens look best when the cupboard colour works with the worktop, floor and splashback you're keeping. Deep greens and blues, warm whites and soft greys are popular because they suit both wood and stone worktops. I can paint the island in a different colour to the wall units, and I can match a colour from a sample or a paint brand's chart.
How long it takes
A typical kitchen takes several days, because each coat of primer and paint needs time to dry and harden before the next. You can usually keep using the kitchen while the doors are being painted. Once the doors are back on, treat them gently for the first couple of weeks while the paint fully cures.
Want a different look altogether?
Painted cupboards don't have to be a flat colour. I can add a painted wood grain or a faux marble panel, the same techniques I used on film sets for years.