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mudworm_gw

Confused...When to paint?

mudworm
11 years ago

So, we put the drywall up and are in the final stage of drywall finishing. I thought we would paint while the kitchen is still wide open -- before cabinets are installed, but we were told that usually, you want to paint after everything is installed and all the gaps have been caulked. That would mean that we should wait until after installing the cabinets and crown molding.

I guess one advantage about painting is we can bring samples back and brush them next to installed cabinets to make sure they go together. If we paint before, we need to take a leap of faith at our imagined colored scheme.

Which way is better?

Comments (11)

  • jllc7
    11 years ago

    Our contractors painted before any cabinets went in and then they touched up areas in need after.

  • localeater
    11 years ago

    I painted as soon as we finished the drywall. I will need to touch up after the cabinets and countertops go in, but it is a lot easier to paint before the cabinets are in since you do not need to lean over them.
    One thing about drywall and spackle is it makes dust forever, so it is really advisable to get a coat of primer on it as soon as possible to get the dust under contro1.

  • Bunny
    11 years ago

    I painted before counters went in and cabinets painted. It was during a dark week when I didn't have any outside workers in my kitchen. I had plenty of time and my anxiety about spilling paint all over new stuff was mitigated by no new stuff yet installed. I chose the color throughout the rest of my open space so I was +80% sure it wouldn't need to be redone later on.

  • mudworm
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you all for sharing your experience. I guess we'll go paint shopping then. *nervous*

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    We hired a painter who insisted we wait until cabinets and countertop were in to be sure the color choice would work in the "big picture". I love the color in my kitchen and I'm I sure my kitchen would not be that color it is if we had painted prior to cabinet and counter install.

  • breezygirl
    11 years ago

    We planned to paint before cabs, but I couldn't decide on a color and we couldn't wait for me to dink around buying 20 more simple cans in our time crunch so cabs came first. It's much more work to paint after cabs, but it made paint selection easier as more of your elements are in place when you paint your samples. My advice would be that if you know what color you want, paint early! I do hear that nervousness, though, saying that you weren't ready to go paint shopping.

  • debrak_2008
    11 years ago

    We painted first but had everything else picked out.

  • labbie
    11 years ago

    We painted while it was empty. We had a new ceiling too, so especially because of that I can't imagine having to paint around newly installed cabinets.

    It went fairly quickly without having to be very careful to paint around things, minimal taping,etc.

    We knew we wanted a very neutral/off-white paint, so while it was challenging to choose just the right shade, it's not like we could have gone so wrong that I would want to repaint right away.

    Everyone's situation is different, but for us the ease of painting an empty space outweighed any of the cons of choosing paint before things were in.

  • lazy_gardens
    11 years ago

    At the very minimum, you need to paint all of the drywall with the right kind of drywall sealant or primer (it's sold in big buckets and says "drywall primer" on i9t.

    If not, the paper coating behind the cabinets will absorb kitchen smells and tiny bits of grease and within a couple of years you will have a permanently rancid kitchen.

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    GC says what color?
    I say yikes! I have to decide now!

    It took 3 dozen+ samples for the outside of the house.

    So to the paint store and snagged about 8 giant samples Then down to 2 colors(much better than the outside). I snagged the paint samples and have a small checkerboard that now resides behind the oven cabinets.

    I decided paint would be the easiest to change, so I had the GC painter go ahead and paint.

    I like the color but might change the "triangle in the sun room.

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    I like to put at least a primer coat and the first coat on, then a second coat after the stuff is in. If I was really going with a color-color, I might prime and wait to make sure, though.