Introduction
If you’re here, your kitchen is probably in need of a makeover with kitchen spray painting.
Maybe the cabinets are sporting a tired shade, or the splash-back is covered in grime that won’t budge. Revamping your kitchen is a fantastic(!) way to add a new touch to your home.
While replacing cabinets entirely can be cost-intensive, spray painting gives you a more budget-friendly and stylish alternative. With adequate preparation, you can achieve a look that matches exactly what you have in your creative mind.
This comprehensive guide explores everything you need to know about kitchen spray painting, from choosing the right paint to the preparation process and aftercare.
Why Choose Kitchen Spraying?
A Neatly Painted Kitchen
Credit: Our Company: Spray City
There are numerous advantages to opting for kitchen spraying over traditional brush or roller painting. Here are some key reasons to consider:
- Clean, Professional Finish: Spray painting delivers a smooth, professional-looking finish that’s pretty tough to achieve with a brush or roller. This is especially true for intricate details and textured surfaces.
- Superior Efficiency: Spray painting is significantly faster than other methods, minimising the disruption to your kitchen usage.
- Even Coverage: The atomized nature of spray paint and even application of the sprayer ensures a uniform colour and eliminates brushstrokes or roller marks.
- Hard-to-Reach Areas: Sprayers effortlessly reach crevices, corners, and behind cabinet doors, ensuring a complete and seamless finish.
- Wider Paint Choice: Spray painting allows you to utilise a broader variety of paints, including lacquers and specialist finishes, which may not be suitable or available for brush application.
Types of Paint for Kitchen Spraying
The type of paint you choose for kitchen spray painting is crucial for both aesthetics and functionality. Here are some popular options:
Acrylic Eggshell:
A versatile and water-based paint, acrylic eggshell gives a smooth, low-sheen finish that’s easy to clean and resistant to moisture. Ideal for cabinet doors and walls.
Water-Based Satin:
This water-based paint provides a slightly higher sheen than eggshell, selling a touch of elegance and improved stain resistance. Perfect for cabinet doors and splashbacks.
Two-Part Polyurethane:
This hard-wearing, solvent-based paint creates a durable, high-gloss finish that is ideal for high-traffic areas like countertops and splashbacks. However, due to its strong fumes, it requires extra ventilation and professional application.
Old wooden kitchen cabinets resprayed to modern kitchen[/caption]
Planning Your Kitchen Spraying Project
Before beginning the painting process, proper planning is important. Here are some key aspects to consider:
- Project Scope: Identify the areas you want to spray paint. This could include cabinets, drawers, doors, trims, radiator covers, or even the entire kitchen.
- Choosing the Right Paint: Consult with a professional spray painting company like Spray City to select the ideal paint type and finish for your kitchen. Factors like durability, moisture resistance, and compatibility with existing surfaces will be considered.
- Colour Selection: Consider colour options that complement your existing décor and create the desired ambience in your kitchen. Think of factors like natural light and the size of the space. We offer thousands of colour options from the Full Farrow & Ball Range and the RAL Colour Chart. You gat customised spray painting job delivered in your exact colour and shade.
- Budgeting: Discuss project costs with your chosen spray painting company. Pricing can vary depending on the size of the kitchen, the complexity of the job, and the chosen paint type.
Tools and Equipment Needed For Kitchen Spraying
To ensure a smooth spraying experience, you’d need the following tools and equipment:
- Spray gun: A high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) spray gun is ideal for kitchen spray painting. HVLP guns use less paint and create a finer finish compared to conventional spray guns.
- Air compressor: Choose an air compressor with sufficient power to operate the HVLP spray gun efficiently.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): You’d need a respirator, safety goggles, gloves, and overalls to protect yourself from paint fumes and overspray.
- Drop cloths and dust sheets: To protect your floors, countertops, and appliances from paint splatter.
- Sandpaper: For surface preparation, you’ll need various grits of sandpaper (around 120 grit for initial sanding and 220 grit for final smoothing).
- Degreaser and cleaning cloths: To remove grease, grime, and dust from the cabinets before painting.
- Painter’s tape: Sharply define painting areas and prevent paint from bleeding onto unwanted surfaces.
- Tack cloths: These sticky cloths trap dust particles before painting, ensuring a smooth finish.
- Scraper and brush: Remove any loose paint or peeling wood with a scraper.
- Screwdrivers: Detachable hardware like handles and knobs require removal before painting.
Preparation for Kitchen Spray Painting
Before spraying happens, careful preparation is vital to achieving a long-lasting finish. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Clear the Workspace: Remove everything from the kitchen, including appliances, utensils, and even curtains. Cover countertops and floors with dust sheets to prevent overspray.
- Empty and Disconnect Utilities: Take out all the contents of your cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Disconnect plumbing fixtures from under-sink cabinets if necessary.
- Remove Hardware: Detach cabinet doors, drawer fronts, knobs, handles, and hinges. This allows for easier and more precise spraying of individual components.
- Clean and Degrease Surfaces: Thoroughly clean all surfaces you intend to spray paint. For greasy surfaces, use a degreaser to remove any residue or grime that could prevent paint adhesion.
- Apply Masking Tape: Meticulously apply masking tape to areas you don’t want painted, such as countertops, backsplashes, and walls (if applicable).
- Repair Imperfections: Fill any holes, dents, or cracks in the cabinets or walls using appropriate fillers. Sand the repaired areas smooth once dry.
- Lightly Sand Surfaces: Use fine-grit sandpaper to lightly scuff the surfaces you’ll be spraying. This creates a better surface for the paint to adhere to.
The Kitchen Spray Painting Process
Man spraying kitchen
Credit: Google Images
Once preparation is complete, the kitchen spray painting team can begin. Here’s a general overview of the process:
Setting Up the Spray Booth:
A temporary spray booth can be erected in a well-ventilated area outside your home or within a contained workspace if spraying occurs on-site. This is optional. The spray equipment can also be set up. This would include HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure) sprayers that offer excellent control with minimal overspray and are perfect for kitchen spray painting.
Safety First:
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including a respirator, gloves, safety goggles, and overalls. Ensure good ventilation by opening windows and, if possible, using an extractor fan.
Paint Mixing and Preparation:
The chosen paint will be mixed to the correct consistency for spraying.
Test Spraying:
Always test the spray gun and paint on a scrap piece of material similar to your kitchen surfaces. This allows you to adjust the spray pattern and ensure even application when doing the actual kitchen spray painting.
Spraying the First Coat:
Using a professional spray gun, apply a thin, even coat of paint to all designated surfaces.
Note: Maintain a consistent distance between the spray gun and the surface (usually around 8-12 inches). Use a steady side-to-side motion, overlapping each stroke slightly for even coverage. Thin coats are key. Apply several thin coats of paint instead of one thick coat. This minimises the risk of drips and sagging, and ensures a smooth finish.
Drying and Inspection:
After the initial coat dries completely (drying times can vary depending on the paint), the surface will be inspected for any imperfections. Minor touch-ups or sanding may be required before proceeding.
Additional Coats:
Depending on the desired level of coverage and opacity, additional thin coats of paint will be applied, allowing proper drying time between each.
Applying Clear Coat (Optional):
For extra protection and a high-gloss finish, a clear coat can be applied after the final paint layer has dried.
Reassembly and Cleanup:
Once the paint is fully cured (drying and curing times can vary significantly), the painter will meticulously remove all masking tape and carefully reattach cabinet doors, drawers, hardware, and fixtures.
Final Touches:
The workspace will be thoroughly cleaned, removing any dust or debris left behind by the spraying process.
Aftercare for Your Sprayed Kitchen
Following these simple aftercare tips will ensure your beautifully sprayed kitchen continues to look its best for years to come:
- Allow Sufficient Curing Time: Resist the urge to use your kitchen right away. Let the paint fully cure according to the manufacturer’s recommendations (usually 24 hours to a few days).
- Gently Clean: For the first few weeks, avoid using harsh cleaning products on newly painted surfaces. Opt for mild soap and water for routine cleaning.
- Avoid Harsh Chemicals and Abrasives: Stay clear of harsh chemicals, bleach, or abrasive scouring pads, as they can dull the paint, scratch the finish or cause chipping.
- Mind the Heat: Be mindful of heat sources near the newly painted areas. For example, avoid placing hot cookware directly on the painted countertops without proper heat protection.
- Direct Sunlight: While some sunlight exposure is inevitable, prolonged direct sunlight can cause the paint to fade over time. Consider window coverings to minimise sun damage on exposed surfaces.
- Proper Ventilation: Ensure proper ventilation in the kitchen, especially during the initial curing period, to remove any lingering paint fumes.
- Touch-Ups: For minor nicks or scratches, use a touch-up brush with the leftover paint to maintain a flawless finish.
The Cost of Kitchen Spray Painting
The cost of kitchen spray painting can vary depending on several factors. Here’s a breakdown of what influences the price and what you can expect to pay:
Factors Affecting Kitchen Spray Painting Costs
- Kitchen Size: As expected, larger kitchens with more cabinets and surfaces will naturally cost more to spray paint compared to smaller kitchens.
- Number of Doors and Drawers: The quantity of cabinet doors and drawers significantly impacts the cost. More doors and drawers translate to a higher price.
- Removal and Refitting: Some companies include removing cabinet doors and refitting them after spraying in their base price, while others might charge extra for this service. Consider if you’d like the convenience of this option factored into the quote.
- Paint Choice: The type of paint you choose can influence the price. High-durability, specialist paints like two-part polyurethane often cost more than standard acrylic eggshell or water-based satin paints.
- Project Complexity: Kitchens with intricate details, mouldings, or textured surfaces might require additional work and time, increasing the overall cost.
- Location: Spray painting companies in high-demand areas or larger cities might have slightly higher prices compared to companies in smaller towns.
While it’s difficult to provide a fixed price without considering the factors mentioned above, here’s a general range to give you an idea:
Small Kitchen (Up to 15 doors and drawers): £600 – £800
Average Kitchen (15-25 doors and drawers): £800 – £1,200
Large Kitchen (25+ doors and drawers): £1,200 – £2,000+
The best way to determine the exact cost of spraying your kitchen is to get free quotes from reputable spray painting companies in your area. They can assess your kitchen size, complexity, and desired finishes to give you a detailed and accurate quote.
The Spray City Difference
At Spray City, we are your trusted professionals for flawless paint finishes. We offer high-quality spray paints, expert advice, and a team of experienced spray painters to deliver exceptional results.
Contact us and let us help you transform your kitchen into a mural that tells of your personal style and creativity.
For a free no-obligation quote, more information about your unique kitchen spraying need, about Spray City, and our different spraying services, you can reach out to us via our contact page, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Call, or Email.
Also, you can read what our clients have to say about us on Google about us or visit our Youtube.
Conclusion
Kitchen spray painting is a fast, efficient, and transformative way to makeover your kitchen. By understanding the benefits, preparation process, and aftercare, you can make more informed decisions to achieve a beautiful and professional finish.