Should I Primer A Finished Cabinet Before Painting

5 Must Know Tips To Achieve The Smoothest Finish

Painting oak cabinets is a uncomplicated and very constructive manner to update your kitchen. Painting oak kitchen cabinets is non as difficult as you lot might remember, but information technology does require some preparation and attention to item. In this blog mail, I will give you 5 tips to help ensure the smoothest stop when painting oak cabinets!

If you buy a home built in the 80s or 90s, you'll more than likely exist inheriting a kitchen complete with oak cabinets. If you lot're non a fan of the dated wait or desire to update your kitchen with an easy and affordable do-it-yourself project, painting oak cabinets is a cracking way to go near it!

As much as I appreciate how solid oak is as a plank of wood, the orangey hue isn't exactly my jam. I'thou going to show you how I tackle painting oak cabinets, and what supplies and tools I apply. Plus, I'll share why it's incredibly important to prep them properly before painting (gasp!), and the terminal steps for a groovy-looking finished product.

How To Paint Oak Kitchen Cabinets: 5 Awesome Tips!

So what are the secrets for achieving that perfect end? There are five simple things you tin can do:

ane. Fill in the grain. Yes or No?

First things beginning – take a look at your oak cabinets. Run across that distinctive grain design? That'due south exactly what a lot of people DON'T want to see in their painted cabinets.

I'm going to be honest with you: filling the grain is a ton of extra work! And then let me be clear, you don't HAVE to do this stride if y'all don't want to. If y'all skip this step, your painted cabinets can still look really crawly! I find that 95% of my clients don't care that they tin can come across the grain design after the cabinets have been painted. Merely if you're part of that v% who does care about it, and you DON'T want to see it – and then you will need to fill the wood grain earlier you paint!

I've learned a lot almost filling in wood grain over my vii years of painting cabinets. I accept hands painted thousands of cabinets in this time, and have put together everything I know about how to fill in forest grain in this FREE mini-course!

2. Brush on the get-go coat.

Look, I get information technology. Once you've done the prep work of dealing with the wood grain, it tin be tempting to catch a can of primer and start spraying it. But, DON'T.

If you spray the primer on, you volition encounter tiny black holes/cracks/divots/voids where the paint has not seeped into the grain. Sprayed pigment merely sits on top of the surface and doesn't get into the deep grainy areas. Therefore it leaves the surface looking like this!

oak kitchen cabinet that has primer sprayed on — *Above: Oak cabinet door with primer that's been sprayed, leaving nighttime voids where the deep grain is still seen.*

To proceed this from happening, brush on the first coat of primer , and so spray all of the other coats afterward. Brushing on the first glaze will button the primer into the grain and will leave you lot with a surface with no black voids – you may still come across the grain pattern, but it will expect ameliorate than if you had only sprayed.

oak cabinets with brushed primer — *To a higher place: The primer on this Oak chiffonier door has been brushed so that it settles into the grain to get rid of the black voids and cracks.*

3. Put the h2o-based primer back on the shelf!

Water-based primers are not the best. I know, I know….this isn't what yous wanted to hear, simply trust me, using an oil-based primer is SO much ameliorate in the long run when you are painting oak cabinets.

There are a few very good reason for this:

Oil base of operations primer volition block all stain and tannin bleed through (something that h2o based primers cannot do).
It will sand as shine equally a baby's bottom, which is what you want in painted cabinets!
This type of primer is infinitely better at adhering to oak cabinets versus water-based primers.

tannin bleed thru from on painted cabinet door — *Above: The red arrows are pointing to discolored spots where tannins accept bled through waterbased primer and pigment.*

Simply considering oil base is awesome doesn't hateful that people are super psyched about it though. Typically when I mention the words OIL BASED PRIMER, homeowners shove their fingers in their ears and run abroad from shouting LA LA LA LA LA!!!!! Can you chronicle? 😉

Only, information technology's actually not that bad I promise!

If y'all need extra paw-property and moral support, check out my cabinet painting course. I have full-length videos on everything you need to know almost using oil-based primer when painting oak kitchen cabinets. I will walk you through all aspects, from how to thin it, applying it with my signature Scroll and Tip Method (which ensures the to the lowest degree amount of castor marks possible), and how to clean it up when you're done!

Trust me, oil base of operations is the fashion to go when painting oak cabinets (and any other chiffonier for that matter)

4. Choose your sheen carefully.

Hither's a handy rule to go along in mind: the higher the sheen, the more you'll come across the grain design.

Semi-gloss and gloss paints will reflect more light which will highlight the design of the grain. If you want to minimize the prominence of the grain, which we absolutely do, utilize a satin or an eggshell sheen.

five. Pick a different wood for add-ons.

When yous take the spring to pigment your kitchen cabinets, you may want to add together on some other features likewise. Whether it's additional cabinets, trim, crown moulding, or some other characteristic, information technology's the perfect opportunity to become the kitchen of your dreams!

If you're modifying your cabinets in whatever other fashion before painting, and so it's best to choose a wood other than oak.

I recommend using a smooth/airtight grain wood for those additions. One time everything is painted you won't know that different woods species were used.

Using non-grainy woods for additions is especially disquisitional if you're going to be filling the grain on your existing cabinetry! Trust me, I learned this one the hard way!

I'll never forget painting cabinets for this i client who added a ton of modifications to her existing kitchen. They congenital the frames up to the ceiling, added crown molding, beadboard, and other additions. Since her existing cabinets were Oak, she has all of the new additions fabricated of oak so information technology would "friction match". Yikes!

I totally empathise her reasoning. But, she really wanted none of the grain blueprint to show…then in the end, information technology created a ton more than work for me to make full it in. If they had used MDF and/or Maple for the new additions, information technology would've been loads easier!

Tips for painting oak cabinets, Oak Cabinets painted white, what does wood grain look like after its painted

Here's What You lot REALLY Need to Know Most Painting Oak Cabinets!

Recollect, oak cabinets are solid and wonderful, but the grain volition really show through unless you are extremely careful. I'll be honest: if you have existing oak cabinetry it is important to know that painting oak kitchen cabinets will crave more work than other materials.

That being said, you can still give your kitchen an entirely new look for just a fraction of the cost compared to make new cabinets.

With a little grit and sweat disinterestedness, y'all tin get those beautiful shine painted oak cabinets!

Have I convinced you lot to give it a try? By applying these oak chiffonier painting tips, you volition salve coin and have the pride of all your hard piece of work. Information technology'southward a great way to get creative and add color or update those tired-looking cabinets in your kitchen!

Catch this gratuitous list to help you get started with this project…