Oak cabinets are beautiful but they can be tricky to paint because of the way the grain is in the wood. Oak tends to have a heavy grain and when you paint over the grain it tends to show through, even if you apply more than one coat of paint. This is what makes oak kitchen cabinet painting trickier than you might at first think.
You need to even out the wood grain surface before you begin oak kitchen cabinet painting and this means you should apply wood grain filler before paint.
Wood grain filler makes the cabinets smoother, filling in between the grains, giving a nice finish. Of course you must let your coat of wood grain filler dry properly before attempting to prime and paint.
How to Sand and Prime Cabinets Before Oak Kitchen Cabinet Painting
The next thing to do for your oak kitchen cabinet painting is to sand the surface for priming. Do this with a piece of fine grit sandpaper but be careful not to rub too hard. Be careful and gentle, taking your time for the best results. You do not want to remove more of the top surface than necessary. When you are done, wipe the surface down with a clean tack cloth, to get rid of dust.
Your next step in oak kitchen cabinet painting will be to brush on some primer in order to cover the wood grain. Let the primer dry and you will find that your oak cabinets are smooth and ready to be painted.
If you are going to use a latex paint, use a Shellac-based primer. These primers normally dry quite fast but they do have a strong odour so open the windows before you start.
Applying the Oak Cabinet Paint
You can use a pneumatic sprayer for the glossiest and smoothest finish or a top quality paint brush. For a professional finish, apply thin coats. One thick layer of paint will never look as good as several thin ones.
Let each coat dry completely before starting on the next one. Sand the surface with four hundred grit sandpaper between each coat for a super professional finish. Don’t forget that, it will make your oak kitchen cabinet painting look all the more professional.
This ensures each layer of paint has a totally flat surface to stick to. Two coats of paint ought to be enough if you have prepared the oak kitchen cabinets properly.
When you are done with painting, hang the doors back up and admire your brighter, more beautiful kitchen. It is always worth taking your time and doing things properly, if you want the best results, and that applies to painting kitchen cabinets, since taking your time with the painting will give a superior finish which you can enjoy for many years to come.