How To Paint Oak Cabinets And Make Smoother

5 Must Know Tips To Achieve The Smoothest Finish

Painting oak cabinets is a simple and very constructive way to update your kitchen. Painting oak kitchen cabinets is not as difficult as you might think, but information technology does require some preparation and attention to detail. In this blog mail, I volition give you v tips to help ensure the smoothest finish when painting oak cabinets!

If you buy a dwelling house built in the 80s or 90s, you lot'll more than likely exist inheriting a kitchen complete with oak cabinets. If you're not a fan of the dated look or want to update your kitchen with an easy and affordable practice-it-yourself project, painting oak cabinets is a great way to go nigh it!

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

How To Paint Oak Kitchen Cabinets: v Awesome Tips!

So what are the secrets for achieving that perfect finish? There are five simple things you tin practise:

1. Fill in the grain. Yes or No?

Starting time things first – take a await at your oak cabinets. See that distinctive grain blueprint? That'south exactly what a lot of people DON'T desire to see in their painted cabinets.

I'one thousand going to exist honest with you: filling the grain is a ton of actress work! So let me exist clear, yous don't Accept to practise this footstep if you lot don't want to. If y'all skip this step, your painted cabinets can however await really awesome! I find that 95% of my clients don't care that they can encounter the grain pattern subsequently the cabinets accept been painted. Merely if you lot're part of that 5% who does care about it, and you DON'T want to see it – then yous will need to fill up the woods grain before you paint!

I've learned a lot about filling in wood grain over my 7 years of painting cabinets. I take easily painted thousands of cabinets in this time, and have put together everything I know most how to fill up in woods grain in this Gratis mini-form!

2. Brush on the first coat.

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

If you spray the primer on, you will see tiny blackness holes/cracks/divots/voids where the paint has non seeped into the grain. Sprayed pigment but 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 dark voids where the deep grain is still seen.*

To continue this from happening, brush on the kickoff coat of primer , then spray all of the other coats afterward. Brushing on the first coat volition push the primer into the grain and will leave yous with a surface with no blackness voids – y'all may still run across the grain pattern, but it will look ameliorate than if you lot had just sprayed.

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

3. Put the water-based primer dorsum on the shelf!

H2o-based primers are not the best. I know, I know….this isn't what you wanted to hear, but trust me, using an oil-based primer is SO much better in the long run when you are painting oak cabinets.

At that place are a few very skillful reason for this:

Oil base primer will block all stain and tannin bleed through (something that h2o based primers cannot do).
It volition sand as polish as a baby's lesser, which is what y'all desire 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 paint.*

Just because oil base of operations is awesome doesn't mean 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 away from shouting LA LA LA LA LA!!!!! Can yous chronicle? 😉

Only, it'southward really not that bad I promise!

If you lot need extra paw-holding and moral support, check out my cabinet painting course. I take full-length videos on everything you need to know about using oil-based primer when painting oak kitchen cabinets. I will walk you through all aspects, from how to thin it, applying information technology with my signature Roll and Tip Method (which ensures the least amount of brush marks possible), and how to clean information technology upwardly when you're done!

Trust me, oil base is the fashion to become when painting oak cabinets (and whatsoever other cabinet for that matter)

4. Choose your sheen advisedly.

Hither's a handy rule to proceed in mind: the higher the sheen, the more than you'll see the grain blueprint.

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

5. Selection a dissimilar forest for add-ons.

When y'all take the spring to paint your kitchen cabinets, you may want to add on some other features too. Whether information technology's additional cabinets, trim, crown moulding, or another feature, it's the perfect opportunity to get the kitchen of your dreams!

If y'all're modifying your cabinets in any other mode earlier painting, and so it's best to cull a wood other than oak.

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

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

I'll never forget painting cabinets for this 1 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 it would "match". Yikes!

I totally sympathise her reasoning. Only, she actually wanted none of the grain pattern to testify…so in the end, information technology created a ton more than work for me to fill it in. If they had used MDF and/or Maple for the new additions, it would've been loads easier!

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

Retrieve, oak cabinets are solid and wonderful, simply the grain will 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 brand new cabinets.

With a little grit and sweat equity, you can get those beautiful shine painted oak cabinets!

Take I convinced you to give information technology a try? By applying these oak cabinet painting tips, y'all will save money and have the pride of all your hard work. Information technology's a slap-up way to get creative and add color or update those tired-looking cabinets in your kitchen!

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