DIYbanter - View Single Post - Repainting tired kitchen doors

Stuart Noble

wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:
wrote:
Steve wrote:
Clive wrote:

Hi,

I'm going to give my Mum's kitchen a bit of a "lift". The units are
fine, the doors are dated, the worktop is knackered.

I am having the worktops fitted by someone who has done it for me
before and he did it beautifully with great joints.

I am going to have a go at painting the doors. The doors are, say,
20 years old, only one is swelling. The doors have a chipboard /
fibreboard core with a "plastic" laminate coating. My approach is /
might be:

1. Clean doors thoroughly with dissolved Soda Crystals or Sugar Soap
to get rid of the grease.
boiling caustic soda solution. Insulating gloves of course.
Way OTT. Bicarbonate of soda, or washing soda if they're really greasy.
2. Rub the surfaces gently (with what?) to create a key for the
undercoat.
fine sandpaper?
Yes but a good quality, non-clogging type. 3M etc

Anything I have missed or will be a lot trickier than I have
thought? The reason for painting the doors is not just cost because
the painting will take time but that the wall cabinet doors are old
and very long and there isn't a modern equivalent of this size.
You can try painting them but don't expect too much.
Car spray paint if thats the route you want to go. It gets on
everything, and must be done outside the house, but the finish quality
is pretty good if sprayed evenly.
I've had good results with ordinary liquid gloss paints, providing the
first coat is applied sparingly with a rag and left to dry for 24 hours.
Once you have the initial bond, you can brush a couple of more generous
coats. It's a long process though.

How do you plan to get a shiny finish with no brush strokes using
a brush?

Liquid gloss takes a long time to dry so brushmarks shouldn't be an issue

I once painted a set of kitchen stuff with gloss when a
kid, and cant recommend it, unless your total budget for a refurb
is only a tenner, the finish really is knackered, and youre not fussy.

The other issue with household gloss is that it isnt really tough
enough to survive well.

Car paint is fine on metal, and possibly on mdf. On a beat up old
surface ordinary gloss might be more accommodating