Painting kitchen fronts: Instructions for professionals

Who is not familiar with this: Kitchen furniture that is getting on in years! The glossy colour of the kitchen fronts has faded , a yellowish film has settled over them over time and the wood has also lost its shine in the meantime. The purchase of a new fitted kitchen is expensive and the installation time-consuming. If the worktop, appliances and cabinet carcase are still in good condition, it is unnecessary to invest in a new one. Your customers can commission you, their trusted painter, to paint the kitchen fronts before they spend a lot of money on new kitchen furniture. It definitely pays off! Anyone who values an even coat of paint and a professional result when painting kitchen fronts is happy to leave this work to a professional.

In this guide, we explain how an airless paint sprayer can help professionals with this task and how exactly it is used when painting kitchen fronts.

By viewing the video you agree that your data will be transmitted to YouTube and that you have read the privacy policy .

Painting kitchen fronts with the airless paint sprayer

As an expert, what are the advantages of painting kitchen fronts with an airless paint sprayer?

On the one hand, the device is easy to handle and even hard-to-reach areas, such askitchen furniture, are neatly covered with paint. On the other hand, paint sprayers ensure an even and yet thin application ofpaint , which not onlysaves paint but also ensures a uniform end result. You can paint much faster with a paint sprayer than with a roller and brush. In addition, thanks to the possibility of using the wet-on-wet spray technique, the drying time between two coats is eliminated. So all in all, you save a lot of time, which in turn benefits your customers and their budget

For this job, master painter Vicky used a SuperFinish 23 Plus with an additional heated hose system, the TempSpray H 126 .

Painting kitchen fronts - this is how it's done!

Step 1: Preparing the kitchen fronts

Step 1: Preparing the kitchen fronts

Prepare your workplace by removing all objects that are not to be painted and find a suitable, preferably dust-free place where you can later let the painted parts dry. Carefully unscrew the doors, drawers and handles as well as the hinges from the kitchen furniture.

Step 2: There must be an order

Step 2: There must be an order

To ensure that everything is put back in its right place after the job, it makes sense to store the fittings and screws with a system, e.g. all handles and screws from the left wall units together. For kitchen fronts, numbering in a place that is not to be coated helps. Mark the individual elements to make it easier to rebuild later.

Step 3: Cleaning the surface

Step 3: Cleaning the surface

Even if the customer has already cleaned the kitchen to be painted, we recommend that all surfaces to be painted are thoroughly cleaned again. For the best possible finish quality, dust and grease must be completely removed from the kitchen surfaces.

Step 4: Sand the surfaces

Step 4: Sand the surfaces

Then lightly sand the surfaces so that the primer adheres properly. You can use sandpaper for this, but it is even easier to roughen the surface with a sander. After sanding, the sanding dust must be removed thoroughly, preferably with a soft hand brush or dry cloth.

Step 5: Masking and preparation of the airless paint sprayer

Step 5: Masking and preparation of the airless paint sprayer

Carefully mask all areas that do not need to be primed.

Fill the paint into the paint sprayer hopper and prime the sprayer. Before you start painting the kitchen, test the spray pattern and adjust the pressure if required.

Tip: For a particularly even finish, the material is heated to the optimum temperature with the aid of a TempSpray heating hose, which also significantly reduces any spray mist.

Step 6: Spray primer

Step 6: Spray primer

Now you can start applying the primer. Do not forget to prime any carcases of the kitchen which are to be painted. Apply the material, preferably in a cross-coat pattern, to coat all the kitchen surfaces evenly.

Tip: In order to work with particularly low operating pressure and therefore extremely low wear, we recommend the WAGNER HEA ProTip airless nozzles.

Step 7: Perfect adhesion and results

Step 7: Perfect adhesion and results

To ensure that the kitchen fronts are optimally prepared for the top coat, it is recommended to sand the dried primer. If the surface is keyed, remove the dust again - this way the subsequent coating will adhere and the finish will be perfect.

Step 8: Painting kitchen fronts

Step 8: Painting kitchen fronts

Now it is time for the top coat. When painting the carcase, the great advantage of airless spray application pays off in particular - because coating corners and edges are easy to do. The kitchen fronts, i.e. the cupboard doors and drawers, are best painted when hanging. This allows them to be coated from both sides in one pass, without intermediate drying.

Step 9: Dry kitchen fronts

Step 9: Dry kitchen fronts

With a suitable rack on site, all parts of the kitchen front can dry at the same time. Again, make sure that no dust or dirt particles are stirred up while the paint is drying. So it is better to leave the covers in place until everything is dry.

Step 10: Installation

Step 10: Installation

After all painted parts of the kitchen furniture have dried, carefully remove the masking material. Now reattach all hinges, doors, drawers and handles - and your customer can enjoy the newly painted kitchen - and you can enjoy a successful project!

Before
After

What should I pay particular attention to when painting kitchen fronts?

Clean up properly before you get started

Before you start painting the kitchen fronts, you must ensure that the parts to be painted are free of dust, dirt and grease . This is the only way that the paint will adhere properly later and the painted surface will have a professional finish .

Correct handling of the spray gun

During the spraying process, make sure to movethe spray gun evenly, otherwise theresult will be irregular. It is best to perform the spraying movement with the whole arm , not only from the wrist. Also try to work with a constant distance of about 30 cm between the nozzle and the spray surface. The least amount of spray mist is produced when you guide the spray gun at an angle of 90 degrees to the spray surface.

Further tips and tricks on airless spraying can be found on our advice page.

How to find the right material for painting kitchen fronts

As you know as a professional decorator, the type of paint you use for your customer's project depends greatly on the surfaces material the that you are painted.

If the kitchen cabinets are made of solid wood ,you can paint them with wood paint and matching primers. For materials coated with melamine resin , you need a paint with particularly high adhesion ,such as acrylic-based primers and top coats. If the kitchen furniture is made of plastic-like materials , it depends on the material in question as to which paint is most suitable.

No matter which coating you choose for your customer's kitchen project, you can be sure that airless spraying equipment from WAGNER can process almost all paints and primers without any problems.

Do you need help with the equipment setting & material?

If you need precise information on the correct equipment settings for the material of your preferred paint manufacturer, the WAGNER Sprayguide provides you with a helpful tool.

Sprayguide

Which airless sprayers can be used for painting kitchen cabinets?

For painting a kitchen we recommend the WAGNER SuperFinish 23 Plus with HEA airless nozzle.

As the smallest model in its class, it is mobile, lightweight and yet robust. Your Vector Grip airless gun is almost weightless in the hand. The sprayer is easy to adjust so you can spray from top to bottom or left to right and easily reach even the smallest corners. Thanks to the fully adjustable pressure of the diaphragm pump from 0 to 250 bar, the spraying force can be adjusted with pinpoint accuracy. 

You can find out more about our diaphragm pump technology, which is built into the SuperFinish23, in our guide.

SuperFinish 23 Plus (AL) TempSpray

SuperFinish 23 Plus (AL) TempSpray

SuperFinish 23 Plus HEA Spraypack

SuperFinish 23 Plus HEA Spraypack

ProSpray 3.20

ProSpray 3.20

About Vicki

Vicki set up her own painting business "Smith Nicholson" in England in 2014. However, her experience goes back to 2005, when she began her training at a company that has been in business for over 250 years. It was with this company that she learned the trade and was involved in the renovation of many imposing buildings, including Buckingham Palace. She completed her training in 2008 and has since developed a passion for her job as a painter and spraying with airless equipment. She offers her customers a wide range of services: from small touch ups jobs to complete home redecorations.

30112020 Kitchen Borough Green SF23 Plus 5D   661  LowRes

 

Vicki by Smith Nicholson

smithnicholson14
@smith_nicholson_dec