PAINT YOUR KITCHEN AND GET THE WOW! FACTOR

PAINT YOUR KITCHEN FOR AN AMAZING UPDATE!

A quick coat of paint offers an easy and affordable way to refresh any kitchen.

Most of us spend hours each week in our Kitchens, preparing delicious dinners, tasty snacks and on-the-fly breakfasts. But what do you do when a style craving strikes your fancy? One way to satisfy your design ambitions (as well as your budget!) is to use paint to update your kitchen.  Slathering a rich coat of color onto walls, ceilings and chairs is an affordable way to decorate but paint can be used to cook up all sorts of other kitchen possibilities too!

Painting kitchen cabinets
Next to walls, kitchen cabinets are the most obvious element to tackle to refresh your kitchen with paint. Begin by removing all hardware and hinges on your cabinets, or at the very least, carefully tape over them, to protect from any rogue splattering.  While painting outside on a tarp is preferable, you can complete this project inside as well; just be sure to cover your appliances, floors and furniture. Wipe down your cupboards with a mild de-glossing solution (TSP OR TSP SUBSTITUTE and warm water will do!) and gently sand them so that the paint effortlessly grips the surface. Then prime and cover with color, using latex paint and primer combination. Renting a sprayer can speed up this kitchen makeover, if you know how to use one, but there is nothing wrong with painting by hand either, as long as you have the right brushes for pesky edges and a roller for larger surface areas. A good quality paint brush will cost about $12.00 dollars.  2 ½” wide sash brush made of nylon and polyester works best.  Please do not use a bristle brush for latex paint.

Painting your kitchen backsplash
Make a splash with your kitchen backsplash! Installing a new backsplash can be pricey but if you’ve got a spare weekend, you can update your existing tile backsplash with a coat of paint. Simply tape-off all cabinets, electrical outlets and counters, and wipe down to remove any lingering grime.  Using light-grit sandpaper on the backsplash will also help the paint connect smoothly with the surface. If painting over tile, be sure to use a ceramic primer and paint for the best results. Glidden makes a primer called ”Gripper” that sticks to tile.  It works great and dries in one hour. The longer it cures the harder it gets.  You will be amazed by the difference a subtle hint of color can make to your kitchen!

A quick coat of paint offers an easy and affordable way to refresh any kitchen.

Painting wooden kitchen floors
Painting a wooden floor is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re feeling adventurous it can make a bold and beautiful statement. After moving all of your furniture (remember, lift with your knees!) and thoroughly cleaning underfoot, it’s time to prime. Use a primer that is suitable for your flooring and paint type. There are 3 products that I recommend

1. Bulls Eye 1-3

2. Glidden Gripper

3. Kilz Total Premium (Acrylic)

Each of these products claim to stick to any surface and dry fast.  Oil or Polyurethane based primers work great but take much longer to dry. A tinted primer makes life easier as well. Polyurethane-based paints work wonders on most hardwood floors and should be applied in multiple thin coats. Keep the room warm and allow 24-hours between each layer for drying so that the paint cures properly. Also, if you can, leave the house while the fumes clear.  This is probably the most difficult surface to paint.  Regular paint will not last long on a surface that you walk on.  Thus, the Polyurethane based paints are a must.

Painting kitchen cabinet hardware
Great design is in the details, making a hardware pick-me-up a fast and simple way to uplift any kitchen’s look. You can easily paint your cabinet hardware for an inexpensive update. Remove all hardware from your kitchen cabinetry and scrub clean. Be sure to take note of the type of material you are working with; for example, metal handles should be treated with metallic primer. Spray painting is the most efficient way to achieve even coverage and two to three coats should usually do the trick. Allow a day for drying so the paint really hardens. Then reattach, stand back and admire.

Krylon, Dupont and several other brands have paint in aerosol cans that work the best.  You can even get paint that has a hammered look.  These are more durable than most other paints. You may find that getting all new hardware is the better way to go.

Some people paint the hinges and then get new door and drawer pulls. 

Well, these are just a few of the areas of a Kitchen that you can paint and give your Kitchen a new and updated look.  Just keep in mind that painting cabinets, floors and hardware require skill of a higher quality than painting the walls or ceiling.  I know that is not what you want to read but ‘I’m just say’n.

One of the secrets to painting successfully is using the new paint and primer products that are available today.  If you prime with a high quality primer and then use the paint and primer combination product, you will get a great end product.

Of course hiring the professional painter to paint any of theses areas or items is a wonderful choice also.  They are familiar with the products and they have the skill needed.  They have all of the tools and know how to use them.

As always “Happy Painting”

Ken Rader Interiors L.L.C.

www.kenraderinteriors.com

Please enjoy our posts and leave us a comment.  We really read all comments and are interested in your perspective or additional information on the subjects at hand.

Thanks

Ken Rader

How to Update your Home !!!

UPDATE YOUR HOME !!!!!

It’s amazing how quickly our homes can start to look dated. Even if they were once the height of fashion, they can easily start to feel stuck in the past, and for many people it is enough to make them consider moving, unaware that it is simply the fact that things feel stale that is giving them such wanderlust.

There is plenty that can be done, easily and cheaply, to make a house feel more modern though. A change of paint is always a great way to start. Finding out the colors that are currently in vogue is a great way to instantly transform a room. On top that, interesting and modern artwork and contemporary knick knacks will also instantly bring a room up to date.

Home lighting is also a surprisingly date-specific kind of thing. Older light fittings will instantly date any room, and changing glaring halogens to more subtle accent lighting can instantly change the feel of a room without anything else being needed. Altering home lighting is also easy to research and cheap to achieve, making one of the perfect places to start if a house is starting to feel jaded. The more you can spend on lighting, the better.

Wooden floors are also a great way to say modern. On top of this, utilizing a wooden floor gives you great scope to include under floor heating, an investment that will almost certainly pay for itself in terms of how much money can be saved on energy bills. Under floor heating also helps you remove what are usually unsightly radiators and give rooms more space – another way to make any room feel more modern.

If you can, make as much space as possible, knocking down walls to create more space if it is appropriate. Space and lighting combined will make even the dullest room feel fresh and new.

New Tile, carpet, wood floors are also options.

If you have Popcorn Style texture on your ceilings, consider scraping that off and put on orange peel texture.  That will update the house about 20 years.  NO KIDDING!!

Of course the exterior probably needs updating as well.  I will address this in another Blog.

Happy Painting

Ken Rader Interiors