Has anyone ever painted over oak cabinets? We have been looking into the Rustoleum kit (it's new) that has all the things you need to do it from start to finish but there are only a few colors to choose from. We have a very specific color we want and was wondering if it was possible to just pick that color and paint them on our own...however, I am very scared! We are moving into this house and if anything goes wrong, we wont have the money to replace them. So does anyone have any advice, suggestions, experience they could share?? Am I better off finding a professional to come and do this or is it easy enough to do on our own. THANKS!!!
I just got done painting mine. I wiped them down with de-glosser then lightly sanded them. I took all the doors off and sprayed them with the paint outside (you can buy a sprayer for less than $100). I then painted the cabinets with roller/paintbrush. I used oil based paint and if you buy good paint-no priming is necessary.
painting oak is a sin :)
Are they sealed or raw wood? Raw wood can be painted then sealed. If it's already sealed or treated, you may have to sand it down, then paint. And hey, if you mess up, you'll have to sand down and repaint anyway ;) Go to your local hardware store; they'll be able to tell you exactly what you need to prep, and what to use. Bring in one of the doors off the cabinets if you can. Good luck!
Oak is so dated; I would paint it, too. You are going to achieve the best results by having a professional spray the doors/drawers; you could save a bit by doing the rest (the actual cabinets) yourself. Ours need to be re-painted soon, too; I'm going to do this very same thing (have the pro do the doors and I'll do the boxes). I know that if you do it all yourself, you'll really need to do some online research and educate yourself about the required steps otherwise it can look pretty bad pretty quickly! And don't forget to paint the inside of the cabinets, too ... nothing worse than opening up the cabinets and it doesn't match the outside :) Good luck!
Lalalalalalala I don't hear you. Please for the love of god don't paint oak!
Get a professional who will keep you from committing such a sin.
Sanding and restaining is really not hard. You can still do color stains and get the look you want while still seeing the grain of the oak. Painting them is like taking an expensive piece of furniture and making it look cheap! Who would do that?
I did. We had 20+ year old oak cabinets that were disgusting in every way. They were too dark to stain. I couldn't afford anything else.
First I got a couple of those sample cans (they're tiny, only cost a couple of dollars, from places like Home Depot and Lowes). I asked the paint dept person about what finish would be best in a kitchen, for purposes of washing them, keeping them clean, light reflection, etc (they have different finishes like satin, eggshell, etc). I took his advice, but chose my own color.
I painted a couple of swatches on the cabinets, so I could see if I liked the color from all over the room, at different times of day. The swatches were not big, but big enough to view. I let myself have a couple days to get used to them. It turns out that they looked like a completely different color on the cabinets due to the oak, so I went back to the paint dept. They sold me a primer. I didn't know primers came in different colors. I ended up needed a gray-tinted primer. With my cabinets and paint color choice, gray was absolutely perfect and the color came out great.
A friend and I emptied the cabinets, cleaned them, took down all the cabinet doors, and took off all the hinges and handles, and first we primed/painted all the cabinet frames and sides. That was day one. When all that was dry all the dishes/glassware could go back in and I didn't feel like I was living in a warehouse.
We spread the doors out on huge paintcloths. We primed and painted them all, front and back. The one thing we bought besides paint was new hinges and handles.
It was 100% worth it. It wasn't a huge kitchen, and the paint required wasn't that much. Getting the new hardware was well worth it too. I would suggest telling a paint department person what you're going to do and taking their advice about preparation, etc.
The whole thing looks great.
Do not paint oak! Sand it then stain it!
Check out DIY network or HGTV websites!! I'm sure they have tons of tips
If you are renting, please do not paint any wood unless you get the ok from your landlorad first. When you are renting an appartment or home, it is not yours to do with as you please and painting just makes it more difficult for the landlord to keep clean. If it's a house you own, then you can use any paint over any wood. You can even use an interior paint that you use for the walls. Keep in mind that you are talking about the kitchen, which means you should look for paint that is easy to clean.
Wood cabinets can be painted. I think you can probably get all the information you need from the people at your local hardware or paint store. Pick their brains! You may need to do some sanding before you paint, but that's good because then you'll have a nice, smooth finish. Ask the paint store people whether you need to use a primer before your chosen color. It might be a good idea.
I would have to agree that it's best to sand them and then stain them (not paint) them. If you use a nice dark stain, it will look great. And they will look very up to date.
Check out younghouselove.com for great DIY tips. We painted over our dark oak cabinets and we love the results. Primer is key - must have a good coat of primer . Also, ACE makes a really good cabinet paint. Good luck!!
