Painting your own cabinets is not always a recommended approach to updating your home. Although walls, baseboards, and molding are not so tough to conquer, cabinetry requires a more professional touch; that is, if you want the job done right the first time around. A common error that homeowners make when painting their existing cabinets is painting over a material that is not very compatible with said paint. Although metal, wood, and laminate cabinets are all great choices, not all of them do so well with being painted.

Continue reading to learn the top 4 types of cabinets you should hold off on painting until you treat the surface make it compatible for paint application.

Damaged or Old Laminate Cabinets

If your cabinets are made of laminate, and they are very old and damaged, you might not want to paint over them. Cracked, warped, or defected laminate cabinet surfaces are not going to render a smooth paint job. In this case, laminate cabinets will need to be refinished or resurfaced before they can be painted.

Open Grained Wood Cabinets

Do you have open-grained wood cabinetry? If so, take a moment to consider what might happen if you paint over them. Open-grain means that the surface is porous, which is not going to finish smoothly after the paint dries. Not only will the texture be inconsistent, but the color depth will also be too. In this case, all pores and grooves would need to be filled with a wood caulking agent, then sanded and painted. Mahogany and ash cabinets are commonly open-grained. However, maple and poplar are typically closed.

Cabinets Painted with Lead-Based Paint

If your cabinets are painted with a lead-based paint, you want to stop right there. Stripping the existing paint off of the cabinets poses a high risk of toxic dust inhalation. And you can’t paint over painted cabinets without first stripping the old paint. Lead-based painted cabinets should be demoed professionally and replaced with a modern material and paint.

Painted Cabinets That are Peeling

If your painted cabinets are peeling, it is either an indication that they were painted a really long time ago, or, you have a developing moisture issue in your home. If the latter, you will need to have your home inspected, and have any issues resolved, before you can paint again. If your painted cabinets are just really old, you will run into the same problems as painting over damaged laminate. In this case, strip the old paint, sand, fill cracks, and then re-paint.

Are you looking for quality sanding products for your cabinet restoration project? Call Sandpaper America at 1-800-860-SAND to buy high-quality and competitively-priced sandpaper products for drywall, painting, and cabinet refinishing. We have a full inventory of abrasives and sanding products at the lowest prices, for both bulk and individual orders.

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