Question for anyone who has painted kitchen cupboards

TomsMom

I'm just wondering, if anyone has painted their kitchen cupboards can you tell me this. Have you painted the decor sides of wall units - the melamine sides?

I'm talking about the wall units you'd have by the side of the cooker which can get splashed with grease, etc. and occasionally need a good wipe over with a kitchen cleaner. If these have been painted, is it possible to give them a real good clean, if so what paint?

Steve_Groves

It is quite easy as long as you do not skip on the preparation work.

I used some melamine / kitchen unit undercoat paint from B&Q.

Firstly make sure that you give the surfaces to paint a very good clean. And then clean against and again until no dirt is coming off any more.

When it is completely dry then apply several coats of the undercoat paint (I did three).

Then apply multiple coats of a good quality silk/softsheen paint. I used one of the kitchen paints so stopped there but if I was to use one of the chalky paints (Farrow and Ball) then you can get a sealant/varnish that will create a good barrier between the paint and the dirt so you can wipe away marks.

If it gets too grubby then save some paint for touching up

TomsMom

Thanks so much Steve for your very detailed reply. I'll print it off and keep it, it's going to come in very handy.

vintage1977

I had good results by using 3 coats of primer, 2 coats of matt emulsion and several coats of hard wearing clear varnish.
It's a method I've also used for painting my fish tank cabinet with good results.