Choosing the Right Paint for Your Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing the Right Paint for Your Kitchen Cabinets
Painting your kitchen cabinets is a fast and inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen. It is also a relatively easy project to tackle, making it the perfect task for a beginner who wants to get into DIY. Getting the correct tools and materials is a good place to start your project, and in this case you'll want to choose the correct kind of paint before moving onto anything else.
Selecting the right kind of paint can be confusing since it would seem that just about any kind can be used. A good way to narrow your choices down would be to take the following into consideration:
Appearance Are you looking to completely cover the grains of your cabinets, or expose its natural tone? The appearance of your cabinet's finished surface will depend on the chemical composition of the paint of your choice.
Surface to be painted on Most paints are engineered to bond with a particular surface and will not work if used on another. Make sure to get the correct kind, for example, if you are going to paint a wooden surface, buy paint that is labeled as such.
Usage and exposure Paint is also used to protect surfaces and can give your cabinets either an elastic or hard surface. While a harder surface seems like the better option, this isn't always the case. Both hard and elastic surfaces have their advantages and disadvantages and your choice will depend on what kind of usage your surface will be getting.
While there are already a considerable number of paint products to choose from in the market today, most of it can be classified into 6 types. Here are some of the more familiar types of paint which you can use for your DIY home improvement projects.
Oil Oil-based paints are used in a variety of applications and can also be applied on metal, provided that the surface s treated properly. Outdoor oil paint or "house paint" is used to color and protect wood or metal that will be exposed to the elements. Indoor oil paint isn't as resistant but is enough to withstand occasional moisture and abrasions.
Water Water-based paint uses water instead of oil, which is mixed by the painter upon preparation. It is not resistant to moisture but is relatively cheaper and is often used to paint walls and ceilings. A popular type of water paint is calcimine, which is composed of whiting (white chalk), glue and coloring. It does not rub off after it dries and is odorless as compared to oil paints.
Plastic Plastic paints are often used to achieve a textured finish as it can be thickened while mixing so that it will not flow after application. Plastic paints can either be oil and white lead-based, or water-based and is typically applied using special texturing tools like embossed rollers.
Varnish Varnish, on the other hand, is a colorless coating used more to protect surfaces while letting the natural tone show through. There are different kinds of varnish; some are suitable only for indoor use while others are resistant enough to be used for outdoor furniture and even for wood floors.
Enamel - Enamel is similar to varnish except that a coloring pigment is usually added. It also dries quickly without showing any brush marks.
Lacquer Lacquer is a quick-drying nitrocellulose finish which is a signature of Asian and Japanese inspired kitchen cabinets and antiques. It can also be used on metal to prevent tarnish. A disadvantage however, is that it s very flammable and often needs to be applied using an airbrush as it dries very quickly.
Shellac Shellac is derived from the resin produced by the female lac bug. The resin is then dissolved in denatured alcohol and is applied as a natural primer, sealant or varnish. It provides a matte or high gloss finish that is almost as hard as lacquer.
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