Tips To Help You Successfully Prepare To Apply A Faux Finish To Your Kitchen Cabinets
There are many creative options available for painting your kitchen cabinets in a faux finish. The preparation for this remodeling can make all the difference in your finished product, so it is important to take the time to complete it properly. Here are some tips to help you prepare to apply a faux finish to your kitchen cabinets.
Clean the Cabinet's Surfaces
Before you can refinish your cabinets, you will need to remove the layer of grease and oil that can easily accumulate on your kitchen cabinets. You can use a bucket of warm water mixed with several squirts of dish washing liquid and a rag to clean all the cabinet's exterior surfaces and other surfaces you will be painting. Be sure to use a dishwashing liquid that removes grease.
For more thick layers of grease build up, you can use a cleaning solution of trisodium phosphate, or TSP, which you can find at most grocery and home improvement stores. Be sure to follow the product's instructions when mixing the TSP with water for cleaning. You may also want to wear protective gloves as the TSP can hurt your skin.
Prepare the Cabinet's Surfaces
This step is important as it will repair any exterior damage to the cabinets to help give your faux finish a uniform appearance. Wood cabinets can become water damaged and warped from moisture. Wood veneer on cabinets can peel from their surface when they are exposed to repeated moisture.
Sand down any areas of moisture warping, swelling and peeling finish. If you are working with a wood veneer, sand down any areas where the wood veneer has begun to peel and come loose from the surface. Next, repair the peeling veneer with an application of wood filler putty. Apply it onto the surface of the cabinet to rebuild its shape and form. Allow the wood putty to dry, then sand it smooth to help it blend in. Use the putty filler to also fill in any dents or gouges on the surface of your cabinets. Sand these areas after they have dried.
Select the Colors for Your Cabinet's Finish
Most faux finishes consist of two more more colors to contrast each other and to create the faux finish look you want. Choose colors that will give your faux finish its dimension. For example, to apply an antiqued look on your cabinets, you will want to apply a lighter paint color as a base tone, then a darker stain to give the cabinets an aged look.
You can also create a country or shabby chic look with a base layer of paint covered by a second color of paint in a different color. Then, you can sand off the top layer of paint in various areas on the cabinets to give the look of natural age and wear to the exterior of the cabinets. Choose oil-based or latex interior paints to help your kitchen cabinets have a finish that can be easily cleaned up after cooking.
Remember and use these tips to help you in your next kitchen cabinet remodeling project and contact a business like Palm Beach Artisans.