Can You Paint Stained Kitchen Cabinets

Wood cabinets details to consider.

Can you paint stained kitchen cabinets.

Stripping and restaining kitchen cabinets is a task of monumental proportions which is why many previously stained cabinets end up painted. Cracks gouges and other issues on the wood will show through the painted finish if you don t fix them first. Yes you can stain cabinets that currently have paint on them. Is stain and finish varnish the same thing.

Applicator options for repainting include spraying rolling or brushing with either a natural or synthetic bristle brush or a foam brush. First you ll need to strip the stain off of your cabinet surfaces before applying primer and paint. Wood cabinets are ideal for painting but any surface that can be scuffed with sandpaper can be painted. And while this isn t the holy grail for deciding what to do you get the final decision it will help you understand why stain or paint could be the best finish for your cabinets and your home.

But if the doors are smooth not slick to the touch you can likely skip the sanding step as long as you do a few bits of prep first. If the woodwork is warped badly worn or damaged or coming apart at the glued joints you can opt to buy new unfinished doors and drawers and paint them along with your existing cabinets. If your cabinets are damaged or have peeling paint or really shiny surfaces either from the material or a shiny coating you ll probably need to lightly sand to help the new paint bond better. Laminate cabinets require a special bonding primer.

You don t need to strip off the old finish completely with a smelly chemical stripper before painting stained cabinets. Deciding whether to leave your cabinets stained or to paint them is a huge decision. Painting also allows you an almost infinite color pallet. Use latex primer and paint when painting over a water based wood stain.

If you don t clean it off the paint can t stick well. Stain and varnish are different products though there are combination products like minwax s polyshades. It is a lot of work to strip and sand the surface but it will be worth it if you want a natural wood look. Paint adheres well over water based stain so after completing the prep steps outlined above apply a water based latex.

Painting your cabinets can give them a fresh look but if the cabinets have already been stained you ll have to do a little prep to get the paint to adhere.