Painting kitchen cabinets can update your kitchen without the cost or challenge of a major remodel. See step-by-step instructions on how to update old cabinets with paint.  

Painting kitchen cabinets can save you the headache (and expense) of a big remodeling project. Before you start painting kitchen cabinets, it pays to prepare for the job. If possible, take one of your cabinet doors to a local paint retailer and talk with a pro about what kind of material you're working with and what products will help you achieve the best results. The pros can give specific advice for painting kitchen cabinets if they know more about your project.

Pick Your PaintPrimer: Select a primer and have it tinted to the color of the top coat. This will prevent dark or stained surfaces from showing through the top coat. Be sure the paint you choose is suitable for the wood, metal, or laminate surface you're working with. Consult with the expert at your local paint store who can help you select the appropriate primer and tint for your project.
Paint: You'll need to choose between acrylic enamel paint and alkyd paint for cabinets. Acrylic, or water-base, paints are low-fume and clean up easily with water. Alkyd, or oil-base, paints require good ventilation because the paint contains solvents that can irritate your lungs and make you feel sick. Alkyd options require mineral spirits for cleanup, but they provide a hard, durable paint finish. Whichever you use, buy the best-quality paint you can afford for a lasting kitchen cabinet finish.
A self-leveling paint is one that smooths out as it dries, making it perfect for cabinets. However, this type of paint does dry quickly, which can make blending brushstrokes tricky.
What You Need

• Cordless drill or screwdriver
• Rubber gloves
• Protective goggles
• Putty knife
• Spackling compound or wood filler
• 120- to 220-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth or rag
• Deglosser
• Painters tape
• Drop cloth
• Primer
• Synthetic-fiber paintbrushes: 1.5-inch tapered and 2-inch
• Microfiber paint rollers, 2-3 inches wide
• Paint
• Paint tray and stir sticks

Step 1: Remove HardwareBefore you start to paint cabinets, remove the cabinet doors and drawers from the cabinet boxes, and uninstall hardware. Painting over hinges and handles can affect the way the door functions. 
Make a key or use tape to label where the doors and drawers should return for easy reassembly. Use a cordless drill or screwdriver to remove hinges and hardware. Depending on the type of hinge your cabinets have, you may be able to label your cabinet doors where your hinge will be reinstalled and cover it with a small piece of painter's tape. Don't forget to remove interior adjustable shelves, too!
Step 2: Clean and PrepBefore starting, clean the faces of cabinet boxes and drawers and both sides of doors and shelves with a product that removes dirt, grease, and the glossy finish. A deglosser should do the trick for this step. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging, wearing protective goggles and rubber gloves. 
On extra-glossy surfaces, sand the cabinet with 120- to 220-grit sandpaper to dull and smooth down the surface. A contoured sander works great for reaching the contours of paneled doors, but if you don't have that, a small sponge wrapped with sandpaper or a commercial sanding sponge will work. Use a tack cloth or damp rag to remove dust after sanding.

Step 3: Test Paint and Prime

Lay down a drop-cloth to catch any drips and cover your walls and backsplash before painting. 
Use a high-density foam roller or a paintbrush to apply a stain-blocking, oil based bonding primer to the cabinets. Let dry according to manufacturer's directions. If brush strokes are visable, lightly sand away until smooth. 
Make sure you have a color you like by testing the new color on the back of a cabinet door. This gives you a chance to make sure that you like the look and, more importantly, that the paint finish you've chosen will adhere to the cabinetry and your prep steps will yield a smooth finish. 
Next, brush, roll, or spray your cabinets with one coat of paint. Let dry completely before applying the second coat. Most quality paints will level as they dry, so don't over brush. If your shelves are adjustable and the insides of your cabinets need a fresh coat of paint, now is the time to start painting those, too. If they have never been painted, don't start now. 

Step 4: Reattach Doors and Drawers

Once the kitchen cabinet paint finish has dried completely, it's time to reattach drawer pulls, screw the hinges onto the doors, and hang the doors on the cabinetry boxes. This is easy if you labeled everything accurately.  If desired, spray-paint hardware and let dry before reattaching. Slide each drawer back in place.

Bonus: How to Get an Ultra-Smooth Finish
If brushing and rolling your cabinets looks like too much to tackle, a power sprayer might be the way to go. These tools are easy to use and guarantee a smooth finish. A paint professional can help figure out what tools you need and let you know if there are any rentals you can use instead of buying a new one. This may include an air compressor, sprayer gun, and tubing. 
You can also send your cabinet doors and drawers to a professional paint shop or cabinetmaker. For cabinets that look as good as new, ask your paint retailer for a recommendation or search online for painting contractors. However, you won't be able to send off your cabinet boxes — that, you'll have to do yourself!

Seasons wreak havoc on a home's exterior. In fact, Americans spend over $4.8 billion annually on maintenance services. Spring is the ideal time for homeowners to plan the repainting of their homes. The exterior of your home is the first impression you give the outside world and a good paint job is critical to your home's appearance.

Painting a house isn't as simple as Mr. Miyagi's instructions to the Karate Kid :-)

Sheryl Shaw of Coat Masters Painting offers tips on painting the exterior of your home and ideas to make your job easier.

First, evaluate the condition of your house. Look for bare wood, metal or masonry surfaces. That's where paint is worn and you need a new coat, or you have other problems such as moisture that a professional painter should assess for you.

Use a cleaning solution to remove dirt on siding. Scrub well and rinse thoroughly.

Prepare your house well if you are repainting it. Some loose paint is obvious, some is hard to find by just looking at it.

Buy the best paint possible for the exterior of a house. The best paint will withstand the elements better than a cheaper type and in the long run may actually save money. The same goes for brushes and rollers.

Be sure to paint in the shade on a bright day. Painting in the sun can cause the paint to dry too fast and blister.

Brush first, then roll. Paint the trim last.

If you'd rather have the pros do it for you, give us a call today at 925-565-3701 for a free consultation and estimate.

​Nothing enhances a dull room like a coat of paint. Whether you are brightening dingy walls by painting them white or adding a dramatic splash of color, paint is the least expensive way to make a noticeable decorative change in your home. If you are planning to paint a room soon, remember these handy tips and tricks to help you get the job done.

​When you set out to paint, there is a lot of work to do before you get to the fun part of adding colors on the walls. The prep work can seem tedious, but you should never skip it, because if you prep your room correctly the painting will go faster and the end results will be much better.

Start your painting project by taking stock of what supplies you will need. If you are painting your room a dark color such as deep red or navy blue, you might need more paint than if you were painting the room white. These colors tend to soak into the walls and often need more than one coat to achieve the depth of the color on the paint sample. You will also need to purchase painter’s tape, pans and rollers, or brushes and special tools or brushes to cut into the tight places next to the floor boards or ceiling. Don’t forget a drop cloth for your floor. You might be tempted to use an old sheet, but this isn’t really a great substitute for a real drop cloth because if you spill paint it can bleed right through a cloth sheet and ruin your carpet.

Once you have your basic tools, you can prep your walls. Clean them thoroughly with a solution such as TSP or Simple Green. This will take away any grease that has built up on the walls and might keep your paint from adhering well. Let the walls sit for a day after you clean them so that they are completely dry before you apply any paint. If the walls need to be sanded or there are repairs that need to be done, make sure you do that before you clean the walls, so that you eliminate any dust that might interfere with your paint. Once the walls are repaired and cleaned, tape off any areas that you don’t want paint on. This includes, door jams, base boards, window sills, and electrical outlets and light switches. Remove the light switch and outlet covers before you tape them. Blue painters tape works best, because it comes off easy and doesn’t remove the paint you just added to your walls. Once you have taped the room and covered the floor and furniture, you are ready to start.

Sometimes getting the painting started doesn’t begin with the paint. Depending on the paint color you are planning to use a coat of primer can really help with the application of the paint. Using a coat of primer on the walls when you are planning to paint them red or purple can save you two or three coats when it comes time to put the color on the wall. There are even primers that are made special to blend with the color your walls will end up. Let your primer have a chance to dry before you paint. This usually doesn’t take as long as regular paint and once it has set, you can move on to the fun part of the job, coloring the walls.

It can be very tempting to glop on a lot of paint in one open spot just to see what the color will look like when it is done, but avoid this temptation and paint in nice thin even strokes. When you glop a lot on, it is hard to even it out and often the initial test spot will always show up darker on the finished wall, so if you plan to do this, make sure you have a nice picture to hang up on the wall to cover the spot. If you are using a brush, catch any drips quickly so that they don’t dry as bumpy streaks and if you are using a roller, roll the paint in many directions so there is no obvious stop and start marks in the paint once it dries.

Once you are done painting and you aren’t planning to add anymore coats, it is a good idea to carefully remove the tape while the paint is still a little wet. Sometimes if you wait until the paint is dry pieces of paint can flake off with the tape. Wait a day or two before you move any furniture back into the room, just to make sure everything is completely dry.

If you feel overwhelmed by the task, give Coat Masters Painting a call at 925-565-3701. No job is too big or too small!