The kitchen is the most expensive room in the house to renovate and often is the space that needs the most work. But it isn't always necessary to do a complete overhaul to get pleasing results.
For a quick makeover to update a tired kitchen without spending a fortune, consider fresh paint and new handles.
To ensure you get a professional looking job here are some tips before you start painting:
- Remove the cabinet doors and hardware.
- To paint over laminate or high gloss paint, you must prepare the surface properly as paint will not stick to slippery surfaces. Sand and apply a high-adhesive paint primer and allow it to dry for 12 hours before you start to paint.
- Two thin coats are better than one thick one. Let dry according to the instructions on the paint can and lightly between coats.
- Kitchen surfaces need a tough finish so chose a water-based latex or acrylic in a semi gloss paint finish.
- To lighten up dark-stained wood cabinets first you must sand to remove the varnish finish. Make a glaze by mixing one cup (250ml.) glazing liquid, 1/2 cup (125 ml.) water and 1/4 (50 ml.) paint in a light colour such as white or grey. Apply a thin coat in the direction of the wood grain. You may have to play with one door until you get the desired effect. Finish with two coats of varnish for a well-protected surface that can withstand lots of clean-ups.
If you are shopping for new handles, a wide range of models is available to complement any style of kitchen. You can save yourself a lot of work by taking the old handles with you to match up screw holes. Otherwise you will have to fill and repair old screw holes and make new holes which is not only time consuming but difficult to get right.
If in the future you want to do more work consider what the challenges of your kitchen are. Is it lack of counter space, a storage problem or out-dated appliances? Prioritize what needs to be renewed and proceed with the work in that order.
