I'm considering repainting my rather dark kitchen unit doors to brighten up
my kitchen. They're a dark wood, quite heavily varnished and with a strong
grain.

I'm planning on taking each door off its hinges, sanding and painting them,
then remounting them once they've fully dried. Are there any particular
precautions I should take when repainting them beyond lightly sanding them?
And in addition (you can tell I'm no expert at this), do I need a particular
type of paint?

Many thanks.

Bob, be carefull. The existing surface material must be removed fully and make sure you dry the doors properly before painting. You will need the correct wood primer to bond with the material too. The paint should also be able to resist water splashed onto it.

Are you sure you can't treat the wood you have - It seems a shame to paint over that natural wood ?

Andy

I'm considering repainting my rather dark kitchen unit doors to brighten
up
my kitchen.

Bob, be carefull. The existing surface material must be removed fully
and make sure you dry the doors properly before painting. You will
need the correct wood primer to bond with the material too. The paint
should also be able to resist water splashed onto it.

Are you sure you can't treat the wood you have - It seems a shame to
paint over that natural wood ?

Hi Andy,

Thanks very much for the words of caution. If you're right that I have to
take the doors back to bare wood, then I would hesitate at this stage to
move forwards - the original idea was that this was a relatively simple job
which could be done mostly by myself and on a budget. Adding something like
what you're suggesting causes me to wonder whether it's worth doing at all.

The doors themselves are, from what I can see, solid wood, dark varnished
fairly heavily and, as there are units both above and below the worktops,
the overall effect is of a very dark kitchen. I had originally thought that
a freshly painted ceiling and units, a new light and new floor tiles would
have the effect of a fairly significant makeover.

Hmm.

" Thanks very much for the words of caution. If you're right that I have
to
take the doors back to bare wood, then I would hesitate at this stage to
move forwards - the original idea was that this was a relatively simple
job which could be done mostly by myself and on a budget. Adding
something like what you're suggesting causes me to wonder whether it's
worth doing at all.

The doors themselves are, from what I can see, solid wood, dark
varnished
fairly heavily and, as there are units both above and below the
worktops,
the overall effect is of a very dark kitchen. I had originally thought
that a freshly painted ceiling and units, a new light and new floor
tiles
would have the effect of a fairly significant makeover.
You can do this without too much preparation if you use a liquid, solvent
based gloss paint. Make sure the first coat is very thin and well rubbed
into the surface. It should just look slightly duller than what you
started
with when dry. From then on, you can use an oil based undercoat to get a
flat white surface, and finish off with gloss, eggshell, or whatever, but
keep it oil based throughout. Water based paints don't look good and
aren't
tough enough.
A smelly job, with 24 hours between coats, but not difficult and not
expensive.

On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 17:25:48 -0000, "Bob C"
wrote:

I'm considering repainting my rather dark kitchen unit doors to brighten
up
my kitchen.

Bob, be carefull. The existing surface material must be removed fully
and make sure you dry the doors properly before painting. You will
need the correct wood primer to bond with the material too. The paint
should also be able to resist water splashed onto it.

Are you sure you can't treat the wood you have - It seems a shame to
paint over that natural wood ?

Hi Andy,

Thanks very much for the words of caution. If you're right that I have to
take the doors back to bare wood, then I would hesitate at this stage to
move forwards - the original idea was that this was a relatively simple job
which could be done mostly by myself and on a budget. Adding something like
what you're suggesting causes me to wonder whether it's worth doing at all.

The doors themselves are, from what I can see, solid wood, dark varnished
fairly heavily and, as there are units both above and below the worktops,
the overall effect is of a very dark kitchen. I had originally thought that
a freshly painted ceiling and units, a new light and new floor tiles would
have the effect of a fairly significant makeover.

Hmm.


Hi,

If they can be stripped thoroughly then a limewash effect paint or
stain might be worth considering, Sadolin may do something in that
line.

For painting over a dark varnish a neutral undercoat before the
topcoat should work, the manufacturer of the paint you choose will be
able to advise.

Would be well worth experimenting on some similar scrap wood before
doing the real thing, might even be worth getting them sprayed with
the right gear or paying someone to do it.

cheers,
Pete.

"Bob C" wrote in message
...
I'm considering repainting my rather dark kitchen unit doors to brighten
up
my kitchen. They're a dark wood, quite heavily varnished and with a
strong
grain.

I'm planning on taking each door off its hinges, sanding and painting
them,
then remounting them once they've fully dried. Are there any particular
precautions I should take when repainting them beyond lightly sanding
them?
And in addition (you can tell I'm no expert at this), do I need a
particular
type of paint?

Many thanks.

I have done this very successfully on kitchen unit doors at our previous
house by giving them a good sanding and painting with Crown Solo satin
finish paint. I was looking around in Homebase for a special paint to do
this, an elderly gent was standing nearby and asked me what I was
attempting. When I explained, he told me to sand the doors well and paint
them with Crown Solo. I took his advice and the doors were still in good
condition three years later when I sold the property.