Do it yourself projects can be rewarding in many ways. As you will read, there are many choices when it comes to kitchen cabinet decorations and designs. Be sure that all areas are clean of debris and that you give yourself enough space to work with. Something to consider would be that painting a cabinet can take up to four days since each coat of paint takes up to 24 hours to dry. You will not have to plan on painting for four days straight, most of this time is saved for ‘drying time. The color of gloss paint desired should be decided at this point and perhaps you wish to give your kitchen color instead of the usual stain appearance. The color you chose should look nice with both appliances and flooring in mind. Once the color has been chosen, the brushes, pan and clothes should be gathered and ready for use. A drop cloth is most important to catch any loose drops of paint and should be placed below both work and drying areas. Prepare an area to lay down the kitchen cabinet doors so that they can dry with no chance of anything falling upon the wet paint or against it.
Wipe off and clean up the face of the doors, drawers and cabinets. Unscrew or unlatch anything that connects the kitchen cabinet doors to the cabinet itself which includes door handles or knobs from both doors and drawers. Place these pieces and items in a spot where you can locate them when you need to replace the cabinet back. Once you have taken off the cabinet doors and the cabinet drawers, sand the rough areas with the lightest sand sheet. The reason for the lightest is due to the texture of mild to heavy sanding sheets contributing to wood being damaged or scratched instead of lightly sanded. After completing this to all wooden cabinet doors and cabinets, wipe them down thoroughly. Make sure that no dust from the sanding is left behind in all the corners as well. Now that you have a cabinet ready for painting, continue to the next task.
Primer seal is a good way to help assure that the paint goes onto the wood without over absorption amongst other reasons. Use a foam brush or a rag that does not shed cloth and paint the cabinets, both top and bottom (not inside), the drawers (only the face of) and the cabinet doors (only the face of) with primer seal. Read the directions to each primer seal in case of changes within mixture that need to be mentioned before using that particular primer. Once this dries, you can move onto the next step, think gloss.
Start by laying painters tape upon the edges of the cabinets where it meets the walls. Place some tape around the inside of the cabinet opening since you do not want to paint the inside of the cabinets. Now you should consider the bottom part of this cabinet if there is one. You want your whole kitchen to match so you should now go through the same steps with the bottom half of the cabinets which are located on floor level. Place the painters tape between the bottom of the counter top and edge of the cabinets. Painters tape should also go on the inside of the cabinet so you do not paint the inside. And definitely use painters tape upon the flooring to make sure that you create an even line on the lower level as well. Once the taping part is complete, take a foam brush or an extremely soft brush and paint your cabinet evenly and equally. Gloss is thick so one may want to remember that it could slowly drip so it would be advised to use the thinnest coat possible. Remember that it is very difficult to blend a dripping paint blob during the drying process so try to brush the paint until it appears thin, glossy and even. Once this is complete and the kitchen cabinet is drying, you can begin with the cabinet doors.
Use a foam or soft brush to paint the kitchen cabinet doors in the same fashion as the cabinets, with even and equal strokes of a thin coat. Only paint the outside of the kitchen cabinet doors and not the inside. While this is drying, you can focus on the handles or knobs of your kitchen cabinet doors and drawers. The kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have more than just color onto them, they also have door knobs in most cases. For doorknobs one can go to Walmart, K-mart or Home Depot yet Lowes Home Improvement has the widest selection when it comes to door knob design. When changing handles or knobs, you should keep the color of the cabinet and the color scheme of the rest of the kitchen in mind. The marketplace offers many unique handles or knobs to choose from with curves and curls in many shapes and sizes. Keep the handles or the knobs that you chose aside. If you decide to purchase a different hinge or latching system for the cabinet door to be attached with, now would be the time to purchase that item and place it aside as well. Consider the design of the cabinet when purchasing a new hinge of latching system.
Paint a second coat of paint on top of the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers evenly. While this second coat is drying, paint both, top and bottom, of the kitchen cabinets. This would be a second coat for both the kitchen cabinet and the cabinet doors. Sometimes three coats are required and if you do not like the fullness upon the second coat then yes, place a third coat upon the second after the second coat completely dries. Let all the painted areas dry in their secure places. Once these areas are dry, you place your handles or knobs on and then you place your doors back on. Make sure that you line them up or have someone with you that can help you line them up. Once you have done this, you are looking at new kitchen cabinets created especially by you.
To create a kitchen cabinet with stained glass, designed glass or half glassed can be as easy as a stop to your local Lowes home improvement or other home improvement stores. These uniquely created beauties can be ordered from many stores as they have guides and books of choices to choose from. The thing to remember is that you have to know every measurement of your old kitchen cabinet doors so that the ones you order will match the size when being replaced. Your cabinets should compliment your kitchen so make sure that the design you do chose upon looks nice and blends with your appliances, walls and flooring. Make sure that the new doors ordered do come with all attachments that will fit your cabinet style. Glass is very dangerous to work with and one should be careful when handling a glass cabinet door. It is important to remember that safety is first.
Safety measures can be placed within a cabinet such as a lighting system. Less cups fall with a lighting system. There are a couple ways to do this. First, one can purchase a brand new cabinet that already has a lighting system installed which can be controlled by a switch. Second, a person can place a mini light system that they can personally install yet if they do, it is advised that they are a skilled technician due to the high risk of injury. And third, there is always the battery operated lights which do not do so bad since they tend to last longer in smaller lights. Little mini spotlights come with either screws or adhesive tape that is located on the back of the spotlight. Keep in mind that you will be screwing into your cabinet or that you will take a chance on the adhesive becoming weak contributing to the spotlight falling down, perhaps upon glassware. Out of all that was considered, perhaps the safest way to install a lighting system is if the cabinet came with one or if you are certified.
The inside of a cabinet can be used for various things. At your local store you will find small plastic hooks that have adhesive behind them. Purchase a couple of these and place two of them evenly inside of the kitchen cabinet doors. Placing them with one on top and another in the middle can give them enough space to hold a couple of potholders. This is a great place to put those seasonal pot holders that are just too pretty to use. Your guest will be pleased to see such a nice sight when reaching for a coffee cup. These hooks can be used for other things such as big plastic spoon holders if the hook is placed closer to the top of the cabinet door. Either way, they do come in handy during the years.
Approximately six inches under the cabinet sits dead space. Make use of this space by purchasing a pack of cup hooks. Depending on the size of decorative cups to use, screw the mini hooks that the cups handle fits into onto the bottom of the top kitchen cabinet in equal measurement which may require you to ‘dot’ the area before screwing anything in. To mark an area, you need that measuring tape and a pencil. Count the cups you are using and see if they will fit and measure them out evenly with the measuring tape and record it onto the bottom of the cabinet with the pencil. After you have screwed them in on the even marks that you have created, place the cups onto the hooks. Take a moment and a look at your new creation. Best part about this is that even if you do not like them after you see them, you can unscrew them and place wood filler into any tiny screw opening left behind as if nothing had ever hung there before.
Kitchen cabinets are great storage places for the little things other than dishes. You could purchase a mini box to place on the inside of the cabinet for odds and ends when it comes to kitchen items. From trashcans that slide out of a cabinet to the racks you could easily attach to the inner of a cabinet, storage in cabinets has changed in the recent years. In the last ten years alone, the kitchen cabinet has become more fashionably decorative. With all this said, your kitchen cabinet should be not only pleasant but a wonderful storage place of stylish taste.
