Ken Rader Interiors- Faux Paint Kitchen Cabinets.

Kitchen Cabinets up to Faux process. Kitchen Cabinets up to Faux process. IMG_1916 IMG_1917 IMG_1920 IMG_1923 IMG_1925 IMG_1931 IMG_1932 IMG_1933 IMG_1934 IMG_1935 IMG_1936 IMG_1937 IMG_1939How to update Kitchen Cabinets with a Faux Finish By Ken Rader- Painting Expert with Ken Rader Interiors L.L.C. A lot of work but the results are worth it! WHAT IS INVOLVED? This project will call for the updating of Kitchen Cabinets. Here are the steps that will be involved to transform them. 1. Masking off all of the counter tops, walls, floors, insides of some of the cabinets, ceilings and doorways. The homeowners wanted to save the paint job on the walls and ceilings, so extensive masking was called for. They had recently put in new wood floors in the Kitchen and extra care was taken to mask off the floor and use tape that would not harm the new finish, There are 4 doorways into the kitchen and these had to be masked off to prevent spray dust to filter into the rest of the house. 2. Clean the cabinets. This is a necessary step before you start to sand on them. We removed all of the doors, hinges, and drawers. These will be cleaned, sanded and finished at our shop. There was just no room either in the home or on the property to work on these items. 24 doors, 12 drawers. 3. Sand the cabinets. This is a 3 step process, First, sand with 120 grit paper, Second, sand with 220 grit, and third, wash the cabinets down with de-glosser also known as sanding liquid. 4. Prime the cabinets. The primer that we are using is "Glidden Gripper". This primer will stick to almost any surface. And since we are using Latex/Acrylic paint, this is an ideal primer. Dries quick, provides a stain blocker and gives a wonderful smooth hard finish. 5. Paint the cabinets. Color- Swiss Coffee We are using 'Behr Ultra Premium Plus" which is a primer and paint combination. This is a fairly heavy bodied paint and holds to the surface very well. It sets up pretty quick so it does not sag or run like some paints will. I like to put a lot of product on the surface and this is the paint to do it with. I am using my Graco ProShot II to do the spraying with. Wonderful tool and not as much overspray as there is with a conventional airless sprayer. There is a learning curve with this machine but once you master it you will always choose it for inside spraying. Also, most painters refuse to use Latex/Acrylic paint on cabinets. I think this is throwback to the time when Acrylic paint was not very good. Most use Lacquer because it is so forgiving, dries fast and the impression is that it is more durable and lasting. Lacquer begins to deteriorate from the moment it is applied. It is a 'Hot' topcoat so it will burn the product (Primer,Paint) It will grey or yellow unevenly as time goes by. Whites are no longer white. And as it ages the finish gets very hard and will chip and crack very easily. The Premium Latex/Acrylic paints on the market today usually carry a lifetime warranty against changing color or becoming so brittle that it will chip off. Remember though, all paint will chip if you hit it hard enough or use abrasive materials on it. 6. Glaze the cabinets. We are using our own glaze mixture with the color ' Melted Chocolate' mixed in the glaze. Get it in the grooves an corners heavy but then just light glazing and buffing on the flat surfaces. 7. Clear Coat the Cabinets. We will be using 'General Finishes- Polycrylic. This is a water base top coat that is extremely durable and will not yellow or change the color of the paint or glaze. Dries super fast, so you can put on 3 to 4 coats within a couple of hours. Super smooth, super hard and this product flows out like a factory finish. There are some pictures that show the process up to the point of glazing the cabinets Posted at (www.kenraderinteriors.wordpress.com). Same article but with pictures. The doors and drawers are at the shop and I will post some pictures of them as we progress with them. I will also post some pictures of the glazing and top coating of the cabinets. We will start glazing the cabinets Monday September 23,2013. Then we will start on the doors and drawers in our shop. I will post our progress. There are several ways that cabinets can be updated. They can be painted, faux finished or we can freshen them up with a stain toner. The application of stain toner produces a very good look and is very cost effective. The application of the stain toner will give the cabinets a new look. The color will be darker and very rich. For instance, if your cabinets are stained oak and are looking dated and tired. You can apply a toner in a rich mahogany, cherry,pecan, well any of a hundred stain colors. Then a protective clear coat is applied and the cabinets are ready to last another 20 years. This is a new process that we have just started. We are very pleased with the results and we are sure that you would love the new life it can give your cabinets. Thank you for viewing our blog. Please check out our web site at www.KenRaderInteriors.com, follow us on FACEBOOK, or have a look at our list of blogs all about painting, decorating, wallpapering, etc. we are sure you will find an article you will like. Lots and Lots of free advice and help for the do it yourself project. As always 'Happy Painting and Decorating'. Ken Rader Interiors L.L.C. Serving all of Northwest Arkansas Give us a call at 479-443-3686 or email us at ken@kenraderinteriors.com