Remodeling and Painting Your Kitchen and Cabinets

by Gabby Hyman
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

When people commit to a kitchen remodeling project, they mull over the oft-dizzying options for paint types and colors. Oil-based paints are great for painting kitchen cabinets, but what about the walls? Will one type help cut kitchen remodeling costs? When it comes down to whether to use oil-based or latex paints, there's no clear-cut, single answer that applies to the entire kitchen. Let's look at some of the basic advantages and properties of the two major types of paint:

• Latex: Less costly. Excellent for covering ceilings, sheet rock and plaster, and is easy to clean up. Dries faster and picks up less dust than oil-based paint. Can retain color better than oil.
• Oil-based: Dries to a stronger seal, making it more chip- and peel-resistant. Leaves a fantastic finish on kitchen cabinets and woodwork. Thicker, so it covers surfaces in fewer coats than latex.

Before remodeling and painting your kitchen walls and cabinets, consider the amount of preparation and priming involved. A visit to a home-improvement store to chat with a paint expert can be a blessing. You can bring in a kitchen remodeling contractor for an estimate, just so you'll know what's involved. Some surfaces will require stripping, leveling, and priming.

Kitchen Remodeling Isn't Done Until You Finish

You should figure finishing paints into your kitchen remodeling budget. Oil-based, rather than water-based and latex paint, seem to be the favorite among kitchen remodeling contractors for cabinets and wood details. Hundred-percent formulas for acrylic paints are known for their ability to bond with both latex and oil primers. If you're considering a sprayed-on finish, it might be a good idea to hire a professional if you have little experience with the process.

If repainting, you'll want to match the finish with the kind of paint that was used originally, unless you're prepared to completely strip the surface. Who said it would all be easy?

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has written for print and online media for more than 20 years. He has created online content for eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Avaya, and Nissan UK. He has also been a web consultant to the Governor of California. As an author of fiction, journalism, and poetry, Gabby is a former English professor for the University of Illinois, University of Alaska, and Old Dominion University. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Alabama.