Am I Mad... Considering Painting My Kitchen Units Myself

Lorien Rock · 24 Feb 2020

Hi there,

I would like to change the colour of my kitchen units to a matte black. I have attached a photo below of my current kitchen, and an inspiration photo below that of what I would like it to look like.

I'm struggling to get a painter that can start anytime soon, as most are quoting 6-8 weeks minimum.

My better half and I are considering to take it on ourselves this weekend, however I have some questions that hopefully someone can help with:

01 - Would a hand painted job still give a good finish, in comparison to a respray finish?

02 - Can anyone recommend what type of paint would be best for this job?

03 - Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

CURRENT KITCHEN

DESIRED LOOK

sparkwright · 24 Feb 2020

It might look good if you are both skilled with a paint brush, and do a good job without cutting corners. If you rush it, it will look awful.

There is a wide choice of kitchen paints out there. Some require a special primer. Some if not all will require sanding the old kitchen down first to get a good key.

Are you sure you really want to put yourself through all this work?

opps · 25 Feb 2020

I used to specialise in painting bookcases, wardrobes and kitchen units.

I would guesstimate that it will take about three weeks to hand paint the units in photo 1, particularly if painting booth sides of the doors (which will need to be removed).

IMO, shaker style doors look better when hand painted (to a high standard).

With regards to paint types, what are the doors made out of, where they definitely sprayed previously?

SFK · 25 Feb 2020

Suggestion - go down B&Q (or look in local skips) and buy a Kitchen door from their DIY Kitchen section.
And have a go at pointing that yourself and see if you like the look, and see if you can cope with the time it takes, and the handling process (Ie how you you minimize fingerprints).
https://www.diy.com/departments/kit...ors/DIY824280.cat#Icamp=Nav_Kitchen_DIY824280

SFK

Lorien Rock · 25 Feb 2020

Thank you for all of the feedback and suggestions... I can gladly say I won't be doing this myself

OchAye · 25 Feb 2020

Only to say, that the photo you posted is not of "black" units but some dark grey/charcoal [at most] colour. Black will be a lot more in your face. Find some samples of what you think you like and remember, that is a one way trip.

plastic_peanut · 27 Feb 2020

Glad to hear you aren’t taking it on. Painting a dark finish can look awful if you get it wrong.

Personally I like your existing kitchen but would change the worktops which will transform it anyway.

The render appeared to show dark worktop so likely you were going to change them?

martin hill · 4 Mar 2020

Kitchen looks amazing but if you want to freshen up

Zenith compact laminate worktops and splash backs and some new handles and a different colour on the walls and ceiling perhaps.

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Am I Mad... Considering Painting My Kitchen Units Myself

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