If your vinyl kitchen cabinets look worse for wear, painting them could help. Do it right, and the cabinet will look brand new. The trick to painting vinyl is to prep the surface properly, buy the right paint and primer, and use the proper technique.
We will cover all of that in this article. More specifically, we will take you through the process, one step after another. So, keep reading to learn how to paint vinyl kitchen cabinets.
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
Tools
- Screwdriver
- Tack cloth
- Paintbrush
- Roller brush
Materials
- Putty
- Fine grit sandpaper
- Stain-blocking, high-adhesion primer
- Gloss or semi-gloss latex paint
- Trisodium phosphate (TSP) or an alternative like borax or sugar soap
- Painter’s tape
- Polythene bags, old newspapers or rags
Step-by-step guide to painting vinyl kitchen cabinets
Step 1: Strip down the cabinet
Use a screwdriver to remove the doors, shelving units, hinges, door handles, and other removable components.
You need to make the cabinet frame as bare as possible. Then, you can paint every square inch of the vinyl cabinets’ total surface area.
Step 2: Clean off stains and grime
Regardless of how well you take care of a vinyl kitchen cabinet, it will still have buildups of grease and grime. Painting over this will make your work look shoddy. So, clean off the grease, dirt and grime before moving to the next step.
You can use TSP or an alternative to wash the cabinet. Do the same for every component you remove earlier, even the ones you don’t intend to paint. Then, rise and wait for them to dry.
Wear protective clothing (gloves, goggles, etc) when using TSP or harsh cleaning agents.
Step 3: Prep the vinyl cabinet
There are two tasks in this step. The first task is to use putty to fix cracks and chips on the vinyl surface. Try to repair every blemish you find. The second task involves sanding the vinyl surface. Sanding helps primer and paint adhere to the surface.
Both tasks are crucial for getting a good finish when painting vinyl cabinets or any other surface for that matter.
Step 4: Prep the work area
You need to protect the area and its occupants from paint stains. So, move moveable items and protect the rest with polythene bags, old newspapers, or rags.
Finally, mark cutoff points with painter’s tape. After all this, you are ready to paint the vinyl kitchen cabinet.
Step 5: Prime the surface
The surfaces you are about to paint will still have particles on them, especially since you sanded them in step 3. Wipe off these particles before applying primer. If not, your paintwork won’t be neat.
After the surface is clean, apply the primer in single strokes. This will reduce brush marks. Use the roller as your primary tool and the brush for hard-to-reach areas.
Remember to prime every surface area (interior and exterior) of the cabinet and its components as appropriate. After that’s done, allow the primer to dry.
Step 6: Sand again
Do it lightly this time around. When you sanded earlier, the goal was to roughen up the vinyl surface. Now, the goal is to clean brush marks.
So, don’t sand too hard. You can also sand selectively, focusing only on areas with visible brush marks.
Step 7: Paint
It’s finally time to paint the vinyl kitchen cabinet. Apply the first coat and allow it to dry. Then, apply the top coat and wait again (for the paint to dry). Wait some more for the paint to cure.
Drying should be over in a couple of hours, but curing could take 2 to 4 weeks.
Step 8: Put the cabinet back together
Use a screwdriver (and glue if needed) to reattach every component of the vinyl garden room.
Summary
Now you know how to paint vinyl cabinets. What next? There is a question you should have answered earlier. Is the vinyl cabinet worth painting?
Painting can only do so much if the cabinet is past saving. Sometimes, resurfacing or complete replacement is better. If a vinyl kitchen cabinet can be saved, painting is a great and cost-efficient way to do that. Just remember to buy the right paint and primer, prep properly and follow the directions in this guide.
