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Kitchen Painting Ideas
There are lots of stylish ways to update your kitchen without a complete remodel. One of the easiest and cheapest remodeling tricks is a fresh coat of paint. By touching up or re-painting your kitchen cabinets or tile surfaces, you can make the busiest room in your house look like new.
Visit your local True Value hardware store for the products and advice to get started. Then follow our step-by-step guide below to give your kitchen a fresh, new look.
Paint Kitchen Cabinets
Paint Ceramic Tile
Paint Kitchen Cabinets
Painting kitchen cabinets is a simple do-it-yourself project that takes a little bit of your time. The results will speak for themselves. Kitchen cabinets see a lot of use, so you'll want to use True Value EasyCare® brand paint to withstand the daily wear-and-tear.
When painting your cabinets, you don't have to paint the interior of cabinets themselves. That part of the cabinet is only visible when the cabinet is open, and leaving the inside of the cabinet as is won't have any effect on the final result. You will want to paint the both sides of the cabinet doors.
Safety Alert!
- Remember to ventilate the room adequately before painting, either with fans or open windows.
Step 1. Remove Cabinet Hardware and Clean Surfaces
Remove the door handles, knobs and closures using a screwdriver. If you're going to paint with the doors on, you don't have to remove the hinges. You can paint the hinges so they match the cabinets, or cover them with blue painter’s tape. If you aren’t planning on painting the hinges, you may want to remove the doors to avoid the hinges altogether.
Be sure to protect your floor or countertops with drop cloths or plenty of newspaper. If you choose to remove your cabinet doors altogether, it might be easier to paint them in the garage.
Clean the cabinets with TSP (trisodium phosphate) – a heavy-duty cleaning powder. Dilute the TSP with water according to manufacturer’s specifications. Use a sponge and the TSP solution to wash the doors and the cabinet exterior, letting them dry completely.
Safety Alert!
- Use TSP as directed by the manufacturer. TSP can corrode metal and damage finished wood. Be sure to wear protective eyewear, clothing and rubber gloves.
Sand any shiny surfaces with coarse grit sandpaper until they are dull. This will give the surface a rough texture for the primer to bond to.
Step 2. Prime the Cabinets
Using a roller, apply True Value EasyCare® brand primer to the front and back of the cabinet doors. Then prime the cabinet façade. When you're done with the roller, go back over the primed surfaces with a paint brush and prime any areas the roller couldn't reach. Make sure the cabinet doors don't close during this process—your cabinets might stick shut. Leave the cabinet doors open and let dry overnight.
Step 3. Paint On First Coat
After the primer has dried, apply the first coat of True Value EasyCare® brand paint. Follow the same pattern you used for priming the cabinet. Again, leave the cabinet doors open and let the paint dry for 24 hours.
Step 4. Apply Final Coat
Using a fine-grit paper, lightly sand away any bubbles that formed with the first coat of paint. Now it's time to apply final coat. Do the brushwork first in the areas you know the roller can't reach. Then finish up with the roller. When done, let the cabinet doors dry for 24 hours before hanging them. Take care with your freshly painted cabinets—the doors can be scratched for a couple of weeks.
Step 5. Clean Up
Good brushes will last for many years if you treat them well. Use a brush comb to separate bristles that stick together near the heel of the brush. Rinse the brush out in either water or paint thinner. When it runs clear, put the brush in a spinner if you have one or thoroughly shake out excess liquid. Put the brush back in its protective sleeve or hang it on a nail or hook until you’re ready to paint again.
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Paint Ceramic Tile
If you're tired of the color of your ceramic tile or you're changing your decor, painting can save you the expense of re-tiling. The key is very careful preparation, the right primer and the proper paint.
Your local True Value hardware store has the products and expert advice to get this painting project started right.
Step 1. Clean Tile and Grout
Use a good commercial bathroom tile-and-grout cleaner to remove all grease, dirt and grime. If there is mildew, be sure to use a product designed to kill the mildew and remove any stains. Use a non-metallic abrasive pad to clean. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of cleaner.
Safety Alert!
- Wear rubber gloves and goggles to protect skin and eyes from harsh cleaning chemicals.
Helpful Tip:
- If grout repairs are required, they have to be done at least 48 hours prior to painting so the new grout will have adequate time to cure.
Step 2. Sand the Tile
For the primer and paint to bond properly, you have to sand the tile adequately. Use a very fine, 220-grit sandpaper to remove the gloss without scratching the surface of the tile. Any scratches on the tiles will show through the new finish, so take care when sanding the tiles.
Safety Alert!
- Wear goggles, a dust mask and other protective clothing when sanding.
Helpful Tip:
- Put a window fan (set to "exhaust") in the work area and open a nearby window. This keeps dust from entering other areas of your house and exhausts much of it outdoors.
Step 3. Remove Dust
Clean the tile thoroughly with a vacuum, a soft brush and a slightly damp, lint-free cloth. This will remove all sanding dust, but it will also reveal any areas that you missed, which will look like glossy patches. If necessary, re-sand the glossy patches.
Step 4. Apply Primer
Use True Value EasyCare® brand stain-killing bonding primer. Because the primer is critical to a successful paint job, you may want to apply two coats. Cut in around windows, doors, corners, ceilings and floors with a brush or pad applicator, and apply primer to the remaining area with a roller.
Step 5. Apply Topcoat
Using the same technique as with the primer, apply True Value EasyCare® brand latex semi-gloss or gloss paint over the primer. Paint the second coat after the drying time specified on the label. Latex primers and paints may take a full 14 days to become resistant to scratches and abrasions.
Step 6. Clean Up
Good brushes will last for many years if you treat them well. Use a brush comb to separate bristles that stick together near the heel of the brush. Rinse the brush out in either water or paint thinner. When it runs clear, put the brush in a spinner if you have one or thoroughly shake out excess liquid. Put the brush back in its protective sleeve or hang it on a nail or hook until you're ready to paint again.
Congratulations! Your kitchen has been updated without the cost of a complete remodel. Turn to the experts at your local True Value hardware store for all of you painting project needs.
For more projects, go to TrueValuePaint.com. >
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