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mountdgal

Paint Kitchen Cabinets in one day?

mountdgal
9 years ago

I am having my cabinets painted white and my professional painter believes he can do it in one day.is this at all possible? All of the instructions I see regarding painting requires several days. Please advise.. Thank you!

Comments (56)

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    I would weigh this painter's reputation much more heavily than chatboard opinions. The finishing world is updating constantly, and it this guy is up to date and has references I don't see why it couldn't be possible.

  • toolbelt68
    9 years ago

    He could tape some paper on the walls and ceiling, then spray paint the cabinets. He says nothing about removing the hinges etc so that would even speed it up. With a drying time of a couple hours between coats he could finish in one day. Sooo, if that's the kind of job you want then... as the old saying goes..... buyer be ware.

    Run away from this joker as fast as you can.

  • amykath
    9 years ago

    Run from him.

  • eam44
    9 years ago

    1.) Does he have others working for him, i.e., will there be five guys in there sanding, cleaning, priming and painting?
    I had time estimates for replacing my roof that varied from a week to two days. The company I used had thirty guys here rotating on the roof and ground crews. They finished (minus gutters) in a day.

    2.) How many coats of what type of paint is he planning to use?

    3.) Is he planning to do the doors at your house, or take them with and spray them in his shop?
    If he's not planning to do the doors on site perhaps he's not counting door drying time.

    4.) Why not ask to see images of his prior work? He must. Have done cabinets before. Ask to take a look.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    No way. They have to be sanded first, then primed ,then painted one coat, cured, then another, then lacquered, with a lot of time between coats of everything.

    I still can't believe you're going to paint over that beautiful maple.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all. What portion of the job do you think can reasonably done in one day? For instance, can he do the sanding, priming and first coat in one dayand then come back and do the next coat and lacquer? Also I'd like the cabinets to have a very low sheen. What paint finish do you recommend and what primer?

  • gmp3
    9 years ago

    It will take several hours of prep alone, cleaning, light sanding or deglossing, taping, masking off the rest of the house. The doors need to be removed, deglossed or lightly sanded, then painted on both sides with the proper paint. Drying will take at least a day on each side, longer f he uses oil. Then the doors need to be rehung.

  • toolbelt68
    9 years ago

    You are missing the point of what most of the posters here are telling you. They are telling you to NOT let this person do the job. Get someone else.

  • GauchoGordo1993
    9 years ago

    I'm with Treb on this one.

  • gmp3
    9 years ago

    Agreed, use a painter who is familiar with painting cabinets or you will be sorry.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The problem is really mine and not his. I purchased this home in another state and fly down several times a year to supervise the work being done (too many bad experiences with unsupervised jobs and no, I am not choosing the cheapest contractor.. It's just really tough to find reliable help when you know no one in the area). Anyway I am going down for a few days this month and 10 days next month. This individual will be doing a pretty large job for me next month so I wanted him to at least get started on the cabinet job during my upcoming visit. We are trying to maximize what gets done so that these trips are not taken in vain. At a minimum I believe there is something he can do to begin this project and I don't mind doing some of the prep work myself to move it along.

  • rbpdx
    9 years ago

    The cabinet looks good, I would leave it alone and spend the money on flooring/appliances to spruce up the place!

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks pdxkit, I agree but my heart is set on white.. Have never had a white kitchen ;)

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    A good quality paint job should take 5-10 days, and for an average kitchen, cost between 4-6K. Larger kitchens will cost more. The doors and hinges should be taken off and everything cleaned and degreased. Then sanding. Then priming. Only the boxes should be done on site unless a contractor erects his own clean room behind plastic sheeting and is able to keep any bugs and dirt out. You do NOT want actual paint. You want a conversion varnish from a real painter's paint store. And a real painter to apply it. Not a handy man. Someone with an air compressor and HVLP.

    If you find the right person, give them the key to the place, and let them do the job you're paying them to do. Watching over them would be a complete deal killer to many professionals.

  • ci_lantro
    9 years ago

    I agree with Treb. There are some amazing new/ newish products out there. PPG's Break-Through paint is one of them.

  • ChristyMcK
    9 years ago

    I hand painted our kitchen the cabinets inside and out. I clean, sanded the whole entire kitchen and cabinet faces (front and back). It took my mom and I two full days just to sand our medium sized kitchen inside and out not including sanding the cabinet faces (our kitchen is probably about 50% bigger than yours and you may not need to paint the interiors). I sanded between coats after priming, used a latex paint on the exterior and a pseudo-oil based paint (Benjamin Moore Advance) on the interior. As a rookie dedicating full time to the project I probably could have done it in about 3 weeks. Because I'm employed, it has taken over six months. I wouldn't ever do it again. The kitchen looks great though!

    My best guess is than an experienced professional spray painting (rather than hand painting) the cabinets could do a comprehensive job in about a week, give or take a few days. Remember that you have ~27 cabinet faces that need to be removed and that both fronts and backs need to be primed and painted with 2 coats of paint. You need to let that paint dry between coats. It all just adds up to more than meets the eye.

    Latex paint will dry much, much faster (e.g. 4 hours between coats for the Pratt & Lambert paint I used). The pseudo oil-based Benjamin Moore Advance required an 18 hour wait between coats and I'm not sure that was even enough.

  • jdesign_gw
    9 years ago

    I paint cabinets all the time. If all the cabinets you have are pictured then that is not a lot. Could it be done in one day yeah if you had to but this depends on a few factors. Main one being what products are they using and what is the paint schedule and what results are you expecting for the price. Looks like they would paint the doors off the cabinets and the end panels in place. If there are a couple of guys and they are using solvent based products and the weather is good or even heat lamps then it's possible sure. I would still do it over at least two days. You would need to provide more info for your question to be answered properly.

  • momfromthenorth
    9 years ago

    Oh so sorry you are going to touch a paint brush to those are beautiful wood cabinets. I would take them over white paint any day, in a flash. Sorry, I'm not trying to be snarky. But they really are lovely. I would change out those appliances to some that match in color and move on.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you jdesign. I'm not sure how he planned to do it but it's quite possible he would be painting the doors in place. Is that horrible to do? The job included masking, priming, and spraying 2 coats of paint with light sanding inbetween coats.

  • ci_lantro
    9 years ago

    I agree with Treb. There are some amazing new/ newish products out there. PPG's Break-Through paint is one of them.

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    Yes it's horrible to do. Only a hack would do it that way that fast. Get someone else. If you persist, you deserve what you get. You were warned. Repeatedly.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sippimom, thank you for your kind words. Others feel the same.. I've just always wanted a kitchen like this:

  • crl_
    9 years ago

    Have you considered refacing with new doors and drawer fronts! It seems like that would be somewhat easier to do correctly on a very short time frame.

  • jdesign_gw
    9 years ago

    If he is planning on doing it in place then he for sure doesn't know what he's doing. That's the doors I'm talking about. Saying he will do one coat primer and two coats paint tells me nothing about what he is using and how long it should take. What I really don't understand is why is he trying to get this done in one day. I said it could be done under certain conditions but I defiantly wouldn't do it that way. This sounds like a real disaster and a myriad of things could go bad. The correct way to do a job like this is to take the doors to a shop with a proper spray booth and use a quality product like a catalyzed finish (or what I use is an Italian water-based 2k ploy but he probably wouldn't even know what that is.) When painting over a wood door you need to apply a good amount of primer to fill the grain. It also needs to dry well because it shrinks when the solvents evaporate and the grains reads through. Then sand and prime again. This process takes time. How much, like I said, depends on the product and weather conditions. Here in LA it's hot and dry and I can start in the morning and finish that same day with the stuff I use when I really have to. Again I would seriously consider talking to someone else.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay thank you all for your responses. This person does beautiful work but mainly exterior and interiors of homes. It seems cabinets are a completely different entity. I was putting the time constraint on him, not vice versa. I will explore other options and have the cabinets painted the proper way.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    mountdgal, my small kitchen (10x10) had a facelift. I got new doors and drawer fronts and kept the existing boxes. The doors and drawers were painted at my painter's shop, no idea how long that took.

    However, when they came to paint my boxes it took about three days. They built a plastic booth that enclosed my entire kitchen. There was prep, plus two coats of paint, sprayed, some catalyzed smelly stuff that gives a very durable finish. I don't remember if they did a coat of primer first. In any event, the golden oak is well covered. Did I say it was smelly? Pee-yew!!!

    I live in the SF Bay Area. This was done in January. It was cold for our area, but dry.

    While I think your cabs are nice they way they look now, if you want them painted, you want them painted. They can turn out quite well if the work is done properly. I paid about $4300 just for the painter, but I got a really good result.

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    You're seriously shooting yourself in the foot over your distrust of contractors. Probably not just this single job either.

    Develop a well detailed scope of work that is clear on your part about the details. Then find a good local contractor with a stellar reputation. He won't be cheap. Then just let him do what needs to be done.

    Ask new friends in the location for recommendations. Ask good guys for their recommendations. Interview them like you're thinking of marrying them. In a way, you are. Plenty of people have long distance projects done quite successfully. But, they find the right partner to help them.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    I've reread Hollysprings comments and cannot disagree with a word.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you holly and treb.. I understand. It just sucks to have already outed close to $15k and have no finished jobs to show for it. I "trusted" for the last year and got screwed many times over. I'm sure you can all understand my trepidation. Btw, I'm from up north and my new house is in the Deep South. The way of doing business, urgency and attention to craftsmanship is just different in this specific area of the South I am moving to than where I am from. I'm not being stereotypical and my intention is not to offend... I am just expressing my experience thus far. On my next visit, I am having a small job done and hoping to be able to trust/forge a relationship with this person. By the way, some of the contractors I worked with had very good Angie's List ratings. I would much rather explain my wants and walk away with faith.. Id much rather have it that way.. I'm exhausted and tapped out and we've tried to do this the right way.

    This post was edited by mountdgal on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 18:51

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    Where in the Deep South? I might have some contacts.

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    Run like hail!

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    Excuse me?!?

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Orlando

  • _sophiewheeler
    9 years ago

    Treb is down in FL land. Give him a shoutout to ask for recommendations.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Will do. Thanks!

  • momfromthenorth
    9 years ago

    Sorry but Orlando (and Florida in general) is NOT the Deep South. That's the theme park, tourism and Snowbird/retiree state. :)

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Agreed but to a NYer, technically Florida is about the furthest south we can go on the East Coast without leaving the USA

  • momfromthenorth
    9 years ago

    I'm just razzing you a bit. Good luck with your project...I'm sure that's a headache trying to get everything done long distance. Maybe you need to get techie and put a camera in there to watch what the subs are doing while you're up north.

  • amykath
    9 years ago

    I would ensure whoever does your cabs, that they take all of the doors off. They then need to be sanded and clean before painting. Same with the actual cabs. You just want to find someone who will pay attention to detail and who takes pride in their work. Maybe this same guy would do it that way if given more time? You said, you could help as well. So, I would see about working with him and helping along the way and watching him so he is doing the job correctly. Like you said, perhaps it was just you that put the pressure on for a quick job.

    Maybe shop around Angie's list a bit more if you do not trust your current guy to do the job correctly.

    BTW, I love white cabinets!!

  • lam702
    9 years ago

    You know, I think those natural finish cabinets are lovely just as they are. But white kitchens are beautiful too. I cannot see any way the entire painting job could be done in a day, even for a professional painter. My fear is that he would skip much of the prep work, which is crucial. Without good prep, over time they'd start to chip, I would think. Find a new painter, ask for references, you get what you pay for so be prepared to pay a good amount. You want that new finish to last.

  • kiko_gw
    9 years ago

    Our kitchen cabinets were sprayed in place with doors attached about 10 years ago. We didn't own the house at the time so I'm not sure how long the job took or exactly what was done, just that it was done by a professional. The paint was an enamel (interior alkyd velvet enamel by Jones Blair), kind of a taupe-y color. There was some sort of white primer used (we know because it's visible on some chipped areas, high use cabinets banged by dishes). Our cabinets are oak, not sure if they are white oak or red oak, and whatever the painter did also covered the grain on the cabinets because they are totally smooth. I know the way our cabinets were painted isn't the "best" method but the paint job looks really nice and has held up remarkably well.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you Kiko. I know this isn't the best way to go and we do not plan to go this route but it's nice to know that it is possible and that your cabinets held up.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Kiko - do you have any pics you can share?

  • kiko_gw
    9 years ago

    Here's a close-up of the cabinets. (Yes, I'm the one with the "Funky Cabinets, keep or replace" thread, ðÂÂÂ.). I'm not an expert, but I think they look great for a 10 year old paint job.

  • kiko_gw
    9 years ago

    And here's an example of the chipping inside. You can just see it on the edge of the middle frame. It's easy to touch up with the original paint and a foam brush.

  • jdesign_gw
    9 years ago

    What one person did somewhere once has nothing to do with the question you are asking. You don't have complete information on their process or your proposed process. just read the other thread on this same page about the cabinet paint coming off in big shards. Sure that's not the look you are after.

  • kiko_gw
    9 years ago

    jdesign, I'm just stating my experience with doors that were painted while attached. I think facts AND examples are both useful.

  • mountdgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    AGAIN, I understand this is not the route to go and don't plan on doing so.

    Kiko thanks for sharing.. Your cabinets look really good after 10 years.

  • jdesign_gw
    9 years ago

    Without the facts an example is irrelevant. There are more variables at play then I can list here. Painting cabinet doors in place verticaly with the hinges on is an amateur approach. Doesn't matter what results someone got once. If you doubt my thirty years of experience pose the question on the "Wood web's professional finishing forum" and see what answer you get.

  • skillconst
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I read through a few of these comments and agree and disagrees with many of the comments. I have an open mind and ask many questions before starting a project. I'm the skilled handy man for friends and family LOL, only because I'm not scared to tack any project. I recommend you call your local paint supplier ( Sherwin Williams, PPG Paints, Kelly More, or Dunn Edwards) and ask for a sales reps. Phone number and ask what products they recommend why they recommend them and how they compare against the competition and what their issues they've had are. If they're willing to stand behind the product with a money back guarantee is a big plus. After asking all these questions and talking to multiple cells reps with the same company as well as store reps I found that the best possible pain would be PPG's breakthrough paint. I took a sample that I got from Home Depot and have them match it up it was an ivory color. I use the red Scotch-Brite pad the scuff up and prep the cabinets then I painted with the breakthrough and did some brushing and rolling as well as using a Graco airless paint sprayer. If you use a Graco airless sprayer I recommend buying a 10 foot hose so you don't have to use as much paint. Or a small handheld Graco sprayer with a reversible fine finish spray tip. Back to paint, besides them making any custom color for you in Breakthrough it dries in 20 min. The Sales Rep was showing me 2 footballs he had painted with this product the first was a nerve the second was a regular pigskin rubber type of football we squeeze these footballs and me and my son played catch with them and I couldn't believe how durable the finish is. When I brush and roll with this product self levels. It is a little costly about twice the price of some of the higher end paints that I've purchased, but for what it can do and it's time-saving I'm sold. When a sales rep will tell the homeowner as I presented myself that they will stand behind the product and give us a full refund, how could I not try the product. There were some stipulations to this deal as sending him pictures of what I was doing and sending pictures while I was applying the product which was not an issue for him offer me a money back guarantee. I figured if the product at work what I did apply would end up being a primer coat that would need some sanding. After the two doors and drawer fronts were painted I was so excited with its appearance and drive time that I didn't hesitate to apply the rest of the paint. Now I'm the professional painter LOL The key to DIY is to ask many questions to many different people and when someone stands behind their product makes it a go to product. With the dry time I can tell you in the past year I've painted at least 150 doors and windowsills.