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Creating the perfect finish for a handmade kitchen

By Angus Freeman

Creating the perfect finish for a handmade kitchen

Creating the perfect finish for a handmade kitchen is something of an art. Kitchens are big business and it’s thought that when installing a new kitchen, homeowners usually spend between 5-15% of the value of their home. So, it follows that home renovators require the best. And while the choice of design, location of units, storage considerations etc. all play a huge part in pleasing the customer, the importance of colour and finish on your cabinets cannot be overlooked. Here, we’ll discuss what we think are the most important factors for creating a pristine finish on your or your customer’s cabinets and cover the differences between spraying and foam-rolling your units.

4 factors for the perfect kitchen finish

It can be argued that there are four vital factors when it comes to creating the finest finish on a wooden kitchen:

1. The quality of the paint used

2. The equipment used to apply the paint

3. The expertise of the craftsperson painting the woodwork

Each element must work in conjunction together. So, an expert in foam rolling may not be as successful when handed a spray gun. Similarly, even the finest craftsperson can be let down by poor quality paint. But, even if you have exceptional paint, the right equipment and an expert painter, the job can fall down because of one oversight: a lack of adequate preparation.

4. Preparation!

Sanding dust and crumbs from caulk can cause unsightly blemishes in the paintwork if not removed and if you’re working with high shine or gloss paints this can be very noticeable and ruin an otherwise professional-looking kitchen. This means, controlling sanding dust is one of the most important considerations while painting.

How to remove sanding dust

If possible, we’d strongly recommend sanding your doors outside and away from the area where they’ll be painted. Sanding dust has a pesky habit of lingering in the air and settling on your paint job. There are a number of products that can come in useful to remove sanding dust. We stock a huge range of Mirka products which help to will elevate your paint job or if you’re working on a smaller task and the budget doesn’t stretch to a machine, consider an economical tack cloth such as the Starchem Tack Cloths.

Which grit should I use for sanding?

A different grit is required depending on the stage of the job you’re at and the  type of wood being used. The right grit will help you to achieve the desired effect and prevent damage to the wood. Not sure which grit size you need? Check out our handy table for a quick-look guide:

For heavy sanding and paint stripping40-60 grit
For smoothing surfaces and removing imperfections80-120 grit
Oak cabinets100 grit
Maple and softer woods120-150
Sanding in between coats180 grit
Sanding to finishFrom 220-400 grit
Should I use a foam roller or a spray gun on cabinet doors?

A foam roller can produce a smooth finish on woodwork and cabinet doors but has the tendency to produce a stippling effect which will mar the final look particularly if you’re using gloss or high shine paints. Brushing can also be incredibly time consuming so, where possible, we’d strongly recommend using an air-assisted airless sprayer or a spray gun similar to the Devilbiss Advance HD depending on the amount of spraying you need to do.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements further. 

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