Questions about painting cabinets and painting rooms

[JustMe]

So, I am thinking of selling my house and spoke to a real estate agent who, among other things, said I needed to replace my cabinets and of course get some painting done.

In terms of the cabinets, replacing them is so expensive and I really dont think this is necessary. I had some people come out to do bits (handyperson type people) and they both said they dont think replacing is necessary. They recommended that I scrub them good to get all grime, etc, off:bag, which I did and they look better, but there are still parts discolored/worn down by sun exposure, etc. Does anyone know about just painting and maybe sanding cabinets? What kind of primer and paint would I use? When is this recommended vs not?

As far as painting rooms, I painted with a friend of a friend when I moved into this house about 10 years ago. It was pretty new, so I don't recall that we did any major cleaning of the walls. How do I best do that if I tried to do that myself? What are the best tips about not getting paint on the ceiling (painter's tape vs something else?), painting trim, etc?

thanks so much!

[lizzywednesday]

For the cabinets, look into what it would cost to have them refinished, whether it's a DIY or a handyman job. You can also look into re-facing at Sears, Home Depot, and Lowe's - their pricing should be comparable.

Wall painting, not sure what to tell you, but I will be following this thread for ideas on how to get through that - I'm looking for tips so I can do my "guest" bath next week.

[sariana]

What type of wood are the cabinets? How grainy is it? Oak does not paint well (though it can be done), but other woods can work well with paint. What color are they now? Would you change the color or just refresh it?

We are looking into painting our kitchen cabinets, but they are a strong, grainy oak with large expanses of wood (side panels, etc.). Painting is not ideal because we want to go white, but it is basically impossible to get rid of the oak grain. But DH is determined to find someone who can do it, even though several already have told us it can't be done. :rolleyes:

[westwoodmom04]

My cabinets are being professionally painted as I write. They are white cabinets that have yellowed over time but are otherwise in perfect shape. We have a fairly large kitchen and the paint job is costing about $1500, I think that is about 20 percent the cost of refacing. They sanded the cabinets, then used a "bonding primer," followed by paint. I'll report back on the final result.

[crl]

Painting walls isn't too hard. I don't use painters tape anymore, I just use an angled brush and cut in at the ceiling. Keep a damp rag nearby and wipe up any oops right away. If the walls are clean and in good shape and you aren't painting over any dark colors, you should be fine to just paint again. If you are using the same color and buy decent paint, one coat ought to do it. (I have found Benj. Moore Aura covers well enough that even though it is more $per gallon it ends up costing the same in paint and less in my time because it covers better for me than cheaper paints. Ymmv.)


Painting cabinets is a giant PITA. You need to get them all the way clean, no grease or anything. Take the doors off, empty out the drawers. Then you have to sand and prime and paint. I did this for a tiny kitchen pre kids and it took me three days to get it done. Are they already painted? Are they wood? Are they veneers? Veneers or not wood would make it more complicated as well I think.

Catherine

[Momit]

Painting the cabinets and adding new hardware could be a great way to refresh your kitchen without a huge expense. I recommend hiring someone to do the painting - it's not the easiest thing to do yourself and achieve a good result. I did it once - if I ever do it again I will hire someone for sure.

Same with painting. It's only a few hundred dollars to paint a couple of rooms. Maybe I'm just getting lazy as I get older but I feel like professional painters do such a better job whereas I find lots of flaws when I do it myself (sloppy line where wall meets ceiling in particular). They do sell a paint pad (kind of looks like a mop) that makes a straight line but you still need painters tape along the ceiling.

[maylips]

Painting kitchen cabinets correctly is a long and tedious process. You can google some information from the kitchen site on gardenweb and, for the most part, people will tell you not to go through the trouble. Professionally painted cabinets have a durability that you just can't achieve at home, plus it's really hard not to have brush strokes, etc. Kitchen cabinets get lots of abuse so the chances of it chipping and looking terrible fast is high. We just remodeled our kitchen and our professional white cabinets need lots of cleaning (way more than the wood we had before - not because I'm dirtier now, I just didn't notice it as much before!) and have a couple of dings that, if we had painted our old ones, would have looked way worse.

Not to dissuade you, but be sure to do a ton of research. I would instead make the price reflect the idea that you know the cabinets need refacing and let the new owner update it to his/her tastes.

[JustMe]

Thanks everyone! To answer a few questions, I think the cabinets are a fake wood (shows how much I know), is that called veneer? They are a very light color.
I would be happy to pay someone to paint the rooms, but my bids are coming in way higher than I expected , including one from a woman I used a couple of years ago for much less. I need my living room, kitchen, hallway that goes along side the stairs and outside the bedrooms, and downstairs bathroom painted...pretty much all I don't need painted are the bedrooms. This is not a huge place at all, but there are some funny shapes to deal with and I do need significant "filling in" from damage my cats have done.

[Indianamom2]

Painting walls isn't too hard. I don't use painters tape anymore, I just use an angled brush and cut in at the ceiling. Keep a damp rag nearby and wipe up any oops right away. If the walls are clean and in good shape and you aren't painting over any dark colors, you should be fine to just paint again. If you are using the same color and buy decent paint, one coat ought to do it. (I have found Benj. Moore Aura covers well enough that even though it is more $per gallon it ends up costing the same in paint and less in my time because it covers better for me than cheaper paints. Ymmv.)


Painting cabinets is a giant PITA. You need to get them all the way clean, no grease or anything. Take the doors off, empty out the drawers. Then you have to sand and prime and paint. I did this for a tiny kitchen pre kids and it took me three days to get it done. Are they already painted? Are they wood? Are they veneers? Veneers or not wood would make it more complicated as well I think.

Catherine

I can't speak to the painting of cabinets (though I'm highly tempted to try on our boring 20 yr. old oak cabinets!) but I agree with Catherine about using an angled brush. I've painted every room in our house now, at least once. Most recently I painted our large living room and kitchen. I did both without tape, which is a major time saver. However, I now have LOTS of painting experience and I've figured out what works for me. Painting by the ceiling is by far the most challenging for me. Our ceilings are all textured, so tape doesn't work. I've tried all the gadgets and I'm no good with them. Patience and a good angled brush has by far worked the best for me.

As for prep work on the walls, in most rooms, just a wipe down with a slightly damp cloth works. Spackle any holes/imperfections, sand, then prime and paint. In the kitchen/bath, you may need a cleaner of some sort to wipe down any grease/mold/mildew/moisture that may have accumulated before proceeding.

[westwoodmom04]

I would definitely paint the walls yourself if you have the time. As others have said, painting walls in pretty easy, and latex paint is easy to clean up if you do it quickly if it gets somewhere you don't want it.

[marymoo86]

Honestly if you don't know very much about how to repair damaged walls, I would leave it to a professional b/c you need a good surface to paint over. Otherwise you will be wasting time and money b/c the end result will not look good.

[JustMe]

Thanks, everyone! Does anyone use anything to clean walls first other than a damp rag?

I am wondering also about some kind of intensive cleaner for my hallways vs painting. Its a beige color (I hate it, but it came with the house and is neutral). Someone I know was going on about magic eraser and I tried this on a small part of the hallways and they started to look like new. I'm thinking using those chemicals over a large area is not a good idea?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I did use something different. Bought it in the paint section. It was tacky. Tack cloth, maybe??

[SnuggleBuggles]

I used Mr. Clean eraser to go my cabinets recently. It'd take like a case to do a big area as they aren't very durable. It did help though. I rinsed with warm water after.

[crl]

I did use something different. Bought it in the paint section. It was tacky. Tack cloth, maybe??

My knowledge is pretty limited but I think tack cloth can leave an oily residue so I wouldn't use it to clean something before painting it with latex paint. Or I'd ask at the paint store before I did it anyway.

If the magic eraser seems to be working, I'd give it a try. It can take paint off and leave a more matte look where you rub, so I would test it out some more and look carefully at the results before investing in a lot of the magic erasers.

If you have damage from cats, you may need to spackle first. If so, you will want to prime before painting. When you compare the cost of hiring it done vs diy, be sure to figure your costs to diy in terms of paint and rollers and brushes and so on. Those supplies can really add up. On other hand, I am completely unhandy, but I can spackle, prime and paint. I think those things are in reach for most people to do a decent job. And the work I have seen by "pros" is often really lousy. Our current house was painted by pros before it was put on the market and I can see drips and voids and all kinds of crappy work. I do better than that.

Catherine

[SnuggleBuggles]

FWIW, we were dealing with cigarette smoke residue, hence the cleaning the walls with that stuff. I think they recommended it at the store but definitely check as it has been almost a decade! Now I would just use warm water on a sponge.

[westwoodmom04]

If your walls haven't been painted in 10 years, I don't think you can just clean them with magic erasers, you will most likely need new paint to get a good result.

[Nooknookmom]

I'm a painting contractor:

a tack cloth is only used after sanding woodwork prior to painting to remove any fine particles. OP u don't "have" to wash walls before u paint (if you decide to) & you cant wash the walls if it has a flat on it...will look mottled. If its an eggshell or semi gloss you can just use some diluted simple green. Repairs can be tricky & depending whether you have smooh or textured walls - noticeable. I have seen and done it all!

Painting over Vermeer is tricky. U need an oil base (and in CA we can't get them readily they are banned) or an oil base fusion. Semigloss will peel off. If its he "veneer" I'm picturing. Veneer can't be sanded.

Do have a pic of ur cabinets?

[legaleagle]

Honestly if you don't know very much about how to repair damaged walls, I would leave it to a professional b/c you need a good surface to paint over. Otherwise you will be wasting time and money b/c the end result will not look good.

:yeahthat:

If you're getting much higher quotes from someone you used just a few years ago I'm guessing there may be a lot of drywall repair to deal with and that is definitely not for amateurs.

I agree on just letting the price reflect that condition of the cabinets, if they are otherwise functional.

[Nooknookmom]

:yeahthat:

If you're getting much higher quotes from someone you used just a few years ago I'm guessing there may be a lot of drywall repair to deal with and that is definitely not for amateurs.

I agree on just letting the price reflect that condition of the cabinets, if they are otherwise functional.

Again.......being a contractor, that could be the case more repairs=more time and material. BUT our product pricing can change every three months or at will, every supplier has different price hike percentages and timetables. Labor costs can also reflect in the price increase.

Our estimate is only good for 30 days - our paint costs could change in that time frame. Certainly a quote we gave a few years ago would be much higher today.