Oak is the perfect choice for making cabinets that can be used both in the kitchen and the bathroom. Oak made cabinets are found in many kitchens and bathrooms nowadays because of its lightness and other benefits. But over time, due to physical wear and tear, these oak made cabinets’ colors might be turned into a dull ones that will look too odd to keep in the kitchens or in the bathroom. If this happens to you, then you’ll have to paint it to retain the beauty of your kitchen or your bathroom. For this, today in this article, we are going to discuss how to paint oak cabinets. Read on to grab the valuable information to iron out the problem in case of your life.
Something to Know About Oak
Oak is a porous wood that means it has many pores inside it. So while painting on it, you will have to make sure that the fillers are filled well with putty, otherwise you will have hard time painting the oak made cabinets.
Things Necessary to Paint
Here is a list of all the necessary items that will need to complete the painting process. The list has been made with sequential items so that you can go for the things one by one.
- Screwdriver.
- Painter’s tape.
- Sawhorse.
- Cleaner.
- Tack Cloth.
- Denatured Alcohol.
- Sandpaper.
- Cloth or Newspaper.
- Wood Filler (Putty).
- Putty Knife.
- Primer.
- Foam brush.
- Foam roller.
- Paint Sprayer.
- Latex Paint.
How to Start?
The first that you should care about is to look at the current condition of your cabinet (s). If it’s old enough or severely damaged, then you may need deep color to stop disclosing all the things. If it’s new one or still okay, then go for light as well as other aesthetic colors as per your wish.
Now have a loot at the step by step guideline on how to paint an oak made cabinet.
Step 1. Remove all the Removable Parts
This is the first step where from you will have to start the journey of your cabinet’s paintings. A cabinet is usually composed of some doors and drawers. It’s recommended that you remove all the doors and the drawers from your cabinet’s main body. Use a screwdriver and unscrew all the screws carefully. After removing all the doors and the drawers, now it’s time to separate the hinges and pulls (if there’s any) from these.
Keep in mind that the back hinge is generally screwed with a flat headed screw and the outer side is screwed with round headed one. So when you unscrew or remove other hardware, just remember it from where you are removing as to reinstall again properly as it was. Store all the hardware in a packet safely so that nothing is lost.
Step 2. Point the Previous Location Well
It’s a wise decision to measure the previous location of the cabinet and mark that with tape. It will help you reinstall the cabinet after painting properly. Once you have marked the location properly, you now can move the cabinet’s body to a suitable place to paint it.
Step 3. Use Some Sawhorses
It’s used by the painting professionals to ensure the best result while painting, and thus it’s recommended for everybody. Sawhorse helps you keep the cabinet’s doors, drawers and other parts properly so that you get a comfortable feel for painting. Without comfort during any work, nobody can expect to have the best result. Use some cloths or newspaper under the cabinet’s different parts to avoid any type of friction with the ground.
Step 4. Clean Properly
After placing the cupboard on the sawhorses properly, now you have to clean it with cleaner. Use tack cloths to scrub on the surface of the oak. Sometimes there might be hard dirt on the surface of the cabinet which is too much obtrusive to remove, and if this happens, just use denatured alcohol as grease cutting.
Be careful during using it as the smell is harmful for our health and it may even cause our brain’s cell damage. To avoid this use a mask on the face and have adequate ventilation in the place where you are painting.
Step 5. Sand Gently and Fill With Wood Filler
If there’s any rough edges or marks on the surface of the cabinet, sand it gently with a 220 grit sandpaper which is the best choice for the purpose. If there’s any pore in the oak, fill it with wood filler. Use a putty knife to roll on the putty. Sand it after using the putty.
Step 6. Primer & Seals
This is a crucial part for painting. It’s done prior to the final painting for ensuring an outstanding result. Primer can be used with foam brush, small roller brush or paint sprayer, but to get the top quality, you will have to do it with a paint sprayer. Primer well with a paint sprayer and leave it for drying up completely for 24 hours. Finally seal it.
In some cases, you may need to primer more than one, and if you need to do so, then allow 24 hours each time to dry up fully.
Step 7. Paint With a Paint Sprayer
This is the final part of painting your oak cabinet. It’s better to go for quality paint, and for this latex paint is a perfect choice for that. Go to a hardware shop, and seeing the latex color swatches, choose your loving one from there.
Use a paint sprayer for the premium looking paint and spray the color through the sprayer after filling it up with color. After the first coating, you will have to leave it for drying up for at least 24 hours. Often it’s given the 2nd coat after a few days of the 1st one.
Step 8. Attach All the Parts & Reinstall
Now attach the doors and the drawer again with the body of the cabinet. It should be the exact reverse process of the removal of the parts. After the rejoining of all the parts, reinstall it at the same place by following the marks made with tapes.
This is a quick book for painting your oak cabinet. You can follow the guidelines to paint any oak cabinet seamlessly.
