Anyone Paint Their Kitchen? I need a plan.

[walking burp cloth]

Our kitchen is in dire need of some tlc. I am planning on giving it a paint job. Ceilings, walls, cabnets, everything. I am a bit overwhelmed. I spend so much time in the kitchen.... where am I going to put everything? How do I use the kitchen when there is paint stuff everywhere? How am I going to keep my toddler out of the cabnets? Our home is small, so anything out of place is such a pain.

Anyone BTDT? Tips? Suggestions?

[doubledutch]

i haven't painted everything all in one shot, and i don't see how you can. presumably you're not using the same paint everywhere, so you'll have some things taped off. so at one point, you'll do the ceiling; another time you'll do the walls; and some other time you'll do the cabinets (or do them over time, as they are more putzy - don't expect to get them done super quickly). and i would do them in that order - least time consuming to most time consuming.

you can remove the doors from the upper cabinets and work on those over time without worrying about your toddler. when it's time to do the lower cabinets, can you use a baby gate to block off the entire kitchen or have someone watch your little one? you will need to keep them away from the wet paint anyway.

you can have some food ready (sandwiches, salads, or just leftovers) so you don't need to cook, and/or you could order a pizza or something. if you live in a cold climate, you might want to wait until it's a little warmer outside so you can use your grill, and that way you also get to paint with the windows open. if you don't want to use disposable stuff for even one day, you can wash your dishes in a dish pan in the bath tub (that is, if/when you really can't use your sink - because ftmp you'll be able to!).

what kinds of things will you need to remove from the kitchen in order to paint? i'm thinking most of it can probably be left on the counter and draped, rather than cluttering another area of your home.

[Jackies Ladybug]

frozen casaroles, liquid sandpaper to get the grease off the walls, paint all the top cabinets first.
take one bottom cabinet front off at a time and paint, let dry then re-attatch.
rotate contents of cabinets through so that nothing is exposed, i have latches on all of mine to keep my toddler out, assuming you do too.

make sure you REALLY degrease every surface you are painting, and use oil paint. otherwise you will just be re-doing it in 6-8 weeks. and cussing, a lot, not that i would know by expierience or anything

good luck! i hope you enjoy your new kitchen when its all finished!

[annethcz]

Yup, you'll have to do it in stages. Walls and cabinet bases will be done seperately if you're using different color paints. You'll also need to remove the cabinet doors to paint them. It'll take a few days to paint the cabinet doors because you'll need to wait for the paint to dry on the front before you flip it over and paint the back side.

I'd also recommend planning ahead for simple meals while you're working. Sandwiches, crock pot meals, etc.

[PenelopeJune]

This is all good info. The house we are moving into needs a complete paint job. I even want to paint the interiors of all the cabinets. (They are ick.) I wish we had time to paint before we move in, but I don't think we will.

[Ellien C]

I painted the INSIDE of cabinets before we moved into our house.

1) It made a HUGE difference - they were raw wood and I used bright white paint. I'm SO glad I did it.

2) It took a lot longer than I thought it would. It was hard painting inside the cabinets. I was newly married and had no kids and we weren't living in the house! It went a little faster when I discovered that I could pull out the shelves and use a roller instead of a brush on them.

3) It was a good first project because I learned a lot about painting and the insides don't matter all that much.

I didn't remove the doors - I was just painting the inside.

[westcoastlady]

I would first paint the ceiling, then the walls, then the cabinets. Start at the top and work your way down.
For the ceiling, you should do it all in one shot, cover everything (splatter!!) and wear a bandana.
Oil paint is great for kitchens & ceilings but you should check first to see what is on their now. Take some rubbing alcohol/nail polish remover, put some on a rag and then rub the paint... if the paint comes off on the rag it's latex... it it doesn't then it's oil. You can't put latex on oil or vice versa without priming. Definately clean everything really really well before you paint.

Personally, for doing the cabinets... I would rather do them all at once in a weekend then do them one at a time.. but that's just me. Or maybe bottom cupboards one weekend.. top the next. Also... a wizz roller (a mini roller) for the cabinets will likely save you lots of time and your sanity.

Good luck!!

[walking burp cloth]

OK. Work from the top down. Oil paints. Got it.

I have a rack on the wall that holds my spices and beans and oats and other misc foods that fit on it. We have such a small kitchen, that almost all wall areas of the counters have stuff on them. I also have things stored above my cabinets. (there is about 6 inches of space there where we put things.) So these are the things I am not sure where to put.

I think I would like to paint all the cabinets at one time. Maybe seperate top from bottom. I do have safety latches on the bottom ones, but DS has figures out how to open them anyways, so those will go.

I guess it will just have to be disarray for a few days, and I will just have to be ok with that! And then enjoy my fresh new kitchen!!

My friend was telling me about a solution (maybe vinegar?) to use to get all the grease and such off my walls. Anyone know more about that? Can you tell me more about liquid sandpaper?

[jennifercp8]

I was going to suggest 100% acrylic paint. DH made our kitchen cabinets, and his research told him that professional cabinet makers use 100% acrylic paint on the doors and face frames of their cabinets because the texture is smooth (latex can show the brush marks), and it doesn't stick. Latex tends to get sticky. I don't have much experience with oil based paints, but I am in with my acrylic painted cabinets. It's pricey - $50 for a gallon jug of Benjamin Moore paint.

[miss_sonja]

I did our kitchen a couple of years ago. Took EVERYTHING out (appliances too, since we were replacing them) and we made a "kitchen" in the dining room. It was microwave meals for about 6 weeks. The actual painting didn't take too long, but you need to allow for cleaning the surface, priming (if needed), and cabinets, whoa, they take a lot of time.

I used Benjamin Moore Aura for the walls, and their acrylic semi-gloss for cabinets. Pearl finish for ceiling.

have fun!

[Jackies Ladybug]

liquid sandpaper is in the paint prep isle at hardware stores, this is what professional painting companies use to clean kitchens before painting, and ALWAYS prime before you paint, no matter what you are painting over.
trust me, the extra time and effort is well worth it.

i would suggest doing an orange oil type cleaner to degrease with, they have several good options at most paint stores if you tell them what you are doing i bet you could be pointed in the right direction.

i want to paint my kitchen now, so jealous!