Painting Very Old Kitchen Cabinets, Any Recommenations?

sweepy on 13/03/2023 - 16:52

I have no idea where to start but I'm perfectly cable of doing the work so looking for some advice.

Moving into my Grandma's house and we'd like to update the kitchen cabinets before we do. Just looking to paint the cabinets for now (and replace appliances) as we will probably do a larger reno in the future and the kitchen layout will probably change. Just want something a bit cleaner and modern looking in the meantime!

Can someone recommend the best way of doing this? I don't know what type but the cabinets are solid wood. Assuming we'd need to sand them all back then prime then paint everything? Is there particular type of prime or paint products we should use? Do we also need to put a type of gloss over the top once the paint is dried?

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/O1SV0Wg

Any advice would be helpful! Thanks

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 13/03/2023 - 17:03
    +1

    All I can say is if you plan to sand, make sure to do it outside and ideally use a sanding tool with vacuum, and mark which ones go where when you're taking the doors off.

    • sweepy on 13/03/2023 - 20:16

      Thanks, great tip

    • MrFrugalSpend on 13/03/2023 - 21:32
      +1

      yeah no I'm fairly sure that's a laminate - you don't sand it!

      • Some Human on 14/03/2023 - 10:40
        +1

        I watch someone on youtube who sometimes paints laminate. She just roughs it up so the paint will stick.

        • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 13:17

          yes this is what ive seen based on some below's suggest of white night. rough it up with a light sandpaper, then use primer, sometimes 2 coats. then 2 coast of paint.

          • MrFrugalSpend on 14/03/2023 - 23:51

            @sweepy: fair enough. Would never occur to me to paint laminate but I guess you can sure

  • Stewardo on 13/03/2023 - 17:03
    +3

    What’s wrong with the 1982 look?
    The doors are particle board with timber grain laminate over them, With solid timber handles. You would have to sand them back then paint them with laminate paint.
    If you don’t prep properly it won’t stick.

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/white-knight-1l-white-satin-rene…

    The instructions will be on the paint can and the white knight web site, youtube.

    • sweepy on 13/03/2023 - 20:17

      thanks, helpful

  • iamherenow on 13/03/2023 - 17:18
    +2

    I'd be very surprised if it's solid.

    Getting consistent finish that will look good is a skill. Chances are it will look worse afterwards unless you put in a lot of practice.

    If you were to do anything, I'd look at the tiles/window fittings/laminate floor and dishwasher. With them updated it wouldn't look anywhere near as dated. I think the cupboards are acceptable as they are - dated but clean.

  • original15 on 13/03/2023 - 18:23

    Know you indicate you’re capable, just flagging we went down a different route and outsourced the cabinet respray, they came back looking a million bucks. It’s as if they used a special seal/skin to recover the cabinets and then spray them.
    The finish looked great, which have to assume was a spray, so if you can spray vs paintbrush I’d recommend it

    • iamherenow on 13/03/2023 - 19:09

      I got a cabinet in mdf professionally sprayed, and the finish is so beyond what anyone could ever do themselves. Metres long done in high gloss and not a single blemish. Mighty impressed.

    • sweepy on 13/03/2023 - 20:18

      thanks, how much did you spend on this out of interest?

      • original15 on 13/03/2023 - 21:42
        +2

        It came to about $2900 included all cabinet doors (about similar size to yours maybe) but also the end of the cabinetry where the bench ended and then the opposite side under the bench/brekky bar.
        Reflecting on it pretty pricy but it looked incredible and turned out 10x better than we thought it would. Looked like a brand new kitchen. Ours had a cutout/groove in them rather than flush like yours, not sure if that changes the end look or process to respray/paint.
        Also depends what you want to do with the place I guess and budgets or course
        Like the above, no idea how they sprayed it but it was a perfect finish, we went with satin finish which was amazing

  • stickingly on 13/03/2023 - 18:38
    +3

    I wouldn't paint them at all, will not end up looking good.

    I think if you replaced the countertops and tiles with contemporary white (or painted the tiles with white enamel) it would look much better

    You can also tile over the existing floor tiles

    • bargaino on 13/03/2023 - 19:07
      +1

      paint the wall tiles!?

      Tiling over existing tiles would create a trip hazard at the opening to the lounge.

      • stickingly on 14/03/2023 - 10:20

        I have painted over wall tiles several times before, including a bathroom, and had good and long lasting results. They key is to clean well, use an appropriate primer and oil based enamel paint

        https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/diy-skills/painting/h…

        • bargaino on 14/03/2023 - 10:56

          I'm impressed! Looks good.

          I did re-tile a kitchen's splashbacks, and it was not too hard. Less work and more benefit than a whole bathroom. Bathroom floor was the hard part.
          For kitchen, vinyl planks are an option.

  • c64 on 13/03/2023 - 18:41
    +5

    leave them alone. they will look like sh*t if you paint them

  • bargaino on 13/03/2023 - 19:05
    +1

    Very old? Hardly. Looks like an '80s renovation. Agreed, do not paint! They look OK.

    Some new laminate benchtops from Ikea, and wall tiles would work wonders. You can keep the sink and cooktop.
    Also, we need to talk about those floor tiles. Wall tiles are much easier to remove and replace, so you might just cover the floor tiles with some modern vinyl.

    Also, consider removing the separate cabinets to the right of the sink area, and replace with a traditional free-standing hutch/buffet.

  • AndyC1 on 13/03/2023 - 19:24

    Go tun Bunnies and grab a length of wood grained melamine and then take it to the paint department and ask them what products you need to paint this the end color you want. Once you have got it looking the way you want it to look then try a small door that is out of the way in case it does not work on the door.

  • sam-1966 on 13/03/2023 - 19:46
    +1

    When a friend of mine bought a house with a tired kitchen, he put contact over the benches - looked fantastic and worked well until they could do a reno. I think it was a marble look one…

  • jug123 on 13/03/2023 - 19:49
    +1

    change the handles & use White knight paint. If youre going to replace in a few yrs and can live with a few chips in the paint over time dont worry about to much prep before hand

  • boomramada on 13/03/2023 - 20:14
    -1

    Best option is to sell that and buy a new one bit far away from the city.

  • Keplaffintech on 13/03/2023 - 20:35
    +1

    Focus on the appliances, save for the bigger reno, and forget about painting the cabinets. Yes it doesn't look modern, but functionality first. You'll forget all about how it looks once you start using it.

  • Bonsaichop on 13/03/2023 - 20:48
    +3

    That kitchen looks great! Solid wood handles, cool retro tiles what is there not to love? Even the oven is awesome.

    If you want to make a huge improvement, get better and brighter lighting, over the sink too. Use a 3000k colour with LEDs with a high (90+) CRI rating, it will brighten the whole kitchen and make food look better (no really). Avoid cold colour lights.

    • AnnaZa on 14/03/2023 - 08:49

      Agree. I'd change the handles, though, and countertop, and light to refresh the look. Regrout the backsplash tile. Paint the dark wall white, add plants. Throw a couple of kilims on the floor. Refresh the wall paint and add some art. This will make the room look way better than any colour for the cabinets I can imagine.

    • bargaino on 14/03/2023 - 11:01

      Good point! Lighting can make a huge difference. Including bench-top task lights.

      But I like cool white over the cooking areas :-) Light colour can even help separate the cooking and dining areas in an open-plan home.

      Also, find a new home for the microwave, so as to reclaim some of the very limited benchtop space.

  • AustriaBargain on 13/03/2023 - 21:24

    What about feature wall and dark tiles https://imgur.com/a/Lm3lTVA

  • pdperth on 14/03/2023 - 07:24
    +1

    I had a similar era kitchen twice. I bit the bullet and re placed it all. Perth company http://www.freedomcabinet.com.au/ are very cheap compared to others. I bought second hand stone tops. The plumbing is the tricky bit. Making sure you don't shift the plumbing makes it a slow process to find the right secondhand tops. Was less than $5000 for it all but probably bit smaller than yours but stone makes it dearer. The cupboards and doors were less than $2000 from the cabinet company, top quality white doors etc.

  • saltypete on 14/03/2023 - 08:52
    +1

    That looks like a pretty decent kitchen from the ‘80s. It will likely be a timber veneer with solid timber details for the handles.
    If you are going to change the layout in future, You can sand and paint yourself for a quick fix.
    Number the doors, sand them outside. Wipe down with a solvent like acetone. Apply a primer, then a couple of thin coats of final colour with a light sand and solvent clean between each.
    Go to Renovateforums and have a look under paintings and kitchens.

    If you are happy with the layout for the kitchen I would consider getting them done professionally as they will basically be as new. Get new bench tops and do the appliances and re-tile the splash backs and you are set.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 14/03/2023 - 10:28

    Are you sure that’s solid wood? Pretty sure in that third photo on the cabinet above the kettle, that looks like laminate starting to peel away

    • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 14:24

      Yea as others have pointed out they are most likely laminate, have had some great tips from people. It may not look 100% but I'm confident I can get a decent look by painting them which will suit us fine for 18months or so.

  • onetwothreefour on 14/03/2023 - 11:55

    If you're going to do a reno anyway I would just save yourself the time, hassle and money and live with it until you do the renos. No point in doing the same job twice!

    • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 14:24

      18 months of my wife complaining… would rather paint them even if it's not 100% perfect will look much better.

  • WT on 14/03/2023 - 12:04
    +1

    people say its all in the prep which is true but if you cant paint then the end result will show that.

    You need to prep it, sand, repair etc

    Sand so primer sticks, fill any dents/holes you dont want showing and repair as needed

    primer, if you have imperfections showing here it will be in the end result

    Paint, spraying is the most even and will give best result but you can get a good result with the correct roller. You dont need a 100% finish, its not a show car. I would suggest enamel, oil is supposed to be "stronger" but is harder clean up and smells for a while. Water based is easy enough. May yellow in direct sun. Dont expect to be good at spraying, it takes practice and priming with spray should be enough to get your practice in depending on you.

    sealer, not really needed for enamel but for other paints it might be a good idea. Prob dont suggest a matt paint as it can absorb finger prints/dirt

    Spend $30 + on a good dust mask and sand it out side

    • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 14:24

      Great, thanks

  • Hirolol on 14/03/2023 - 15:40

    I don't know what type but the cabinets are solid wood

    Don’t bother mate.
    Sounds like you have no idea what you are doing.
    No idea of how big a job it is.
    If not done properly the paint can just fall off when it slams shut and it may chip easily.

    Get a pro to do it as some others have said.

    • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 19:21

      i see the glass have full, ill be having a crack.

      ive learnt some very useful things in this thread alone which has given me more than enough confidence to proceed. no need to go pro when i can do it.

  • peteru on 14/03/2023 - 16:16

    We've done our kitchen about 15 years ago and it still looks great. It's fairly simple.

    • Wash every surface thoroughly with sugar soap or even better, Tricleanium (available from Bunnings). Make sure you use hot water and rinse well.
    • Allow everything to dry well.
    • Use 80-120 grit sandpaper to rough up the surfaces. You don't need to sand right back, you just need to create enough texture for the paint to grip.
    • Vacuum off any dust so that you start with a clean surface.
    • Use Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer on all surfaces to be painted. This is great stuff - it even worked on ugly 70's brown kitchen wall tiles.
    • Use Dulux Aquanamel for the final 2 or 3 coats. I took the cupboard doors off and used a short nap roller while the doors were placed horizontally in an area that was well ventilated, but not dusty. The wall tiles were obviously painted in place.

    Be careful around the painted surfaces for the first month or so as the paint cures and becomes harder and harder. The end result is a durable finish that can be washed with water and a bit of dish detergent.

    • sweepy on 14/03/2023 - 19:23

      thats great thanks very much for the advice

  • Sinnerator on 15/03/2023 - 08:31

    Consider buying factory seconds and buy all new. Then just focus on fixing any problems with the seconds?

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