How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets

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How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets – Did you spray the MDF? It’s bad, isn’t it? MDF stands for Medium Density Fibreboard. For those who are curious, there is Low Density Fiberboard (aka Particleboard) and High Density Fiberboard (aka Hardboard).

I don’t work with MDF very often, and sometimes I paint it with a roller or brush. When I went to spray paint letters on my backpack and homework organizer, the letters were cheap I found at Walmart for $1 each. I noticed that the texture of MDF is completely different from that of wood. The porous texture of MDF can absorb a lot of paint, resulting in product loss and staining. Worse on shiny or metallic edges. what will you do sometimes a project needs painting!

How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets

How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets

After spending about 3 coats of paint on my letters, I tried something new and it worked! I decided to try it again on a test board to tell you how different it is.

How To Paint Mdf: 11 Steps (with Pictures)

I think I will consider the worst case. I grabbed a can of bright red spray paint for cheap (also $1 at Wally World).

Even with multiple coats, and my best makeup, this is what I ended up with. It’s chaos.

Here comes the secret ingredient: shellac. This is amazing. I talked about the tannin-blocking power of shellac in this article. It’s good to keep things out, I think, and maybe it keeps things out.

I hit the crap side of my test board and sprayed the MDF blank with 100% shellac.

Mdf Raised Panel With Cathedral Door

After it dried I sanded the board a bit, wiped it clean and applied two coats of cheap gloss paint. You can see the difference the shellac makes.

When you look closely, the difference is huge. The paint is actually red, not a faded pink, and has a smooth and glossy finish. If I want a mirror-like finish, I can sand the paint with sandpaper on top and finish with a high-gloss paint.

While we’re on the subject of shellac, I have to share what I know about it. Have you ever googled “shellac”? Well, do you know where it comes from? According to Wikipedia:

How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets

“Shellac is a resin secreted by female lac insects in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes that are dissolved in ethanol to make a liquid lacquer.”

Painted Mdf Bathroom 2

Secrets of women. I researched further and it is true! Better yet, the same stuff that used to paint wood panels in the 60s and was pressed onto records before vinyl is now used to paint food. You know chocolate covered raisins or store bought apples? Yes, the secrets of female insects.

Of course I won’t stop eating shiny food, but it’s nice to know where it comes from. Buy yourself a can of shellac. It’s also great for the DIYer. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been on a mission for the past few years to update my tired old kitchen with quick budget fixes and DIYs. So far, I’ve painted my tile (DIY to start it all!), added tons of new hardware, and installed new floors with peel and stick vinyl tile. Next on the list is painting the kitchen cabinets – something I’ve wanted to do for years but was too nervous. My kitchen was installed when the house was 20 years old, so you can imagine that its past is the best. The cabinets are made of MDF covered with peeling, cracked and dirty vinyl wrap. Armed with a heat gun and paintbrush, I begin one of the biggest renovations yet. Although it took three full days of work, I hope you’ll agree that it was worth it!

Heat gun – I borrowed this from family but you can get one from a hardware store for around £10

As I mentioned above, my kitchen cabinets are 90’s – made of MDF with a vinyl wrap covering the front of the door. So when it comes to doing this makeover, I have two options. I can paint over the vinyl wrap, or remove the wrap entirely and paint directly over the mdf. I chose the latter because in many cabinets the packing material comes off the edges, which means the finish will not be perfect at all. So there you go! I was afraid this wouldn’t be the easiest job, but I was wrong – all you need is a heat gun to fix this!

How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets

This was a lot easier than I thought – you just use the heat gun like you would a hair dryer, put the gun on the vinyl and it just comes off when it’s hot. Well, that might be because my cabinets are so old! There are certain places in the kitchen that I can’t get rid of, like the side walls and shelves. For the parts, I sanded them with 180 grit sandpaper.

Painting the Cabinets Next it’s time to start painting! There are many different paints to choose from, some require a primer, but I chose Rustoleum Kitchen Cabinet Paint. The good thing about this paint is that it is self-priming, so you can paint directly over any surface. At first I wanted to choose a very dark navy color but in the end I decided that the room is small and there is little natural light throughout the day and I was worried that it would darken the space. So I picked up the shade ‘Dove’ – I knew it was meant to be! It’s a really nice gray that looks like a real cabinet style green in certain lights and I absolutely love it. Make sure to go around the tile/tile so you don’t get paint on it.

Since my kitchen has a thick groove on the door, I found it helpful to paint those parts and edges first with a small brush, then I used a small foam roller on the flat parts to get a better finish and avoid brush strokes. My cabinets need 2-3 coats total – I find the areas I can’t get rid of need more coverage than regular mdf areas. I used more than one can in total – I had to order a second can to do the trick.

How To Repaint Mdf Cabinets

Tidying up the cabinets After everything dried, I installed new handles and handles. The original handles were extra, so I upgraded them with some brass handles I found on Amazon – cabinet and drawer handles. After I installed them, I left holes where the old handles would have been, which I filled with wood filler. Once dry, you will need to sand and paint again.

How To Strip Laminate Kitchen Cupboards

The last part of the process uses a clear furniture varnish. I chose Rustoleum again, choosing lacquer instead of wax. You just paint on it – don’t worry about it drying! – Wait for it to dry. This will protect your paint from splashing, a must for our best road kits! You are done! All in all, it took me three full days to get to the race, and I won’t lie it was hard work, but it was definitely worth it. I had a few “what am I doing?!” moments, but I’m glad I did. It breathed new life into this tired old space and completely changed the way I felt about it.

There will never be a brand new kitchen in this home, but I’ve been happy with a quick fix over the years – I’ve painted the tiles before (cost me £10) and installed new vinyl flooring (£90 in total). ) and replaced the counters and sink. If you’re tired of your kitchen falling apart, or just want to change it up, then I definitely recommend a DIY update. You’d be surprised what you can get for a few pounds and a weekend!

What do you think of the final look? ! Is this something you want to do in the kitchen? Thanks for reading Sam XxMDF Kitchen Cabinet Painting. These cabinets have a paper-like laminate finish on our weathered and sandblasted MDF. Yes, you can paint portable home cabinets to make them look great!

See what sanding is needed and how the wood looks under the paper. These have a plastic sheet as a finish on the MDF which we peel and sand to the wood.

Diy: Chalk Painted Doors

We have been in the wood finishing business since 1975 and painting kitchen cabinets is our specialty. We don’t just paint cabinets, we do

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