Articles » Painting & Decorating - Tips & Tricks » Kitchen Makeover On a Shoestring Budget

Kitchen Makeover On a Shoestring Budget

A new trend is repainting kitchen cabinets from the darker wood look to warm creams etc. When you know the tricks, this is a very simple and low cost job. Here it is in a nutshell:

Wash all cabinet doors thoroughly using a good cleaner like sugar soap. Rinse and allow to dry. NO SANDING REQUIRED… phew!!! TG for that. Apply a coat of a fantastic proven product called ESP using a clean cotton or lint-free cloths. Make sure you put ESP on every single piece of surface you intend to paint because areas missed will give you problems later.

Leave the ESP to cure for at least 2 hours at normal room temperature and you are ready to paint. You could wait for a few days before continuing if something ‘pops up’. (Only problem is you run the risk of dirt contamination the longer you leave it)

Next you’re ready for paint. We recommend a good quality oil based satin finish paint used in conjunction with Owatrol Oil. You could also opt for Eggshell or Gloss if you like those.

The trick is, add about 33% Owatrol Oil into first coat of paint and apply. Leave for

24 hours and apply a second coat of the same paint – this time with just enough Owatrol Oil in it to make it flow out beautifully with NO Brush marks or streaks. Allow 24 hours to dry and at least a week to harden before you give it a hard time.

Note: It is possible to paint worktops in the same way, but be aware, worktops are subject to a lot of abuse, cutting etc and unless you are extremely careful, avoid painting the worktops.
The final finish will be both beautiful and tough. The use of Owatrol in the paint will add elasticity to the finish thereby minimising paint chipping from bangs etc.