How to Paint Particle Board Cabinets
Everyone wants to have beautiful cabinets in their home, but particle board cabinets don’t exactly have a very appealing appearance. You may be wondering if you can paint over your particle board kitchen cabinets and cabinet doors, well, fortunately you can.
What are particle board cabinets?
Particle board cabinets are a very common type of cabinet as a result of their affordability. The reason these cabinets are so affordable is, in part, due to how they are constructed.
While affordable, particle board cabinets tend to be less durable than other types of cabinet materials. If you're on a budget, it may be worth considering painting your particle board cabinets instead of replacing them with new ones.
Particle board: a type of pressed wood
Particle board is made by compressing sawdust or wood chips and glue or resin under heat and pressure to form a solid board. It's often used in cabinetry because it's inexpensive and easy to work with.
Steps to painting particle board
You can paint over your particle board cabinets to improve the appearance of your cabinets. See below for the steps to painting your particle board kitchen cabinets and cabinet doors.
Gather the necessary materials for painting
Gather the necessary materials for painting by shopping at your local hardware store or home center. You'll need multiple grit sandpaper, bonding primer, exterior oil based paint and a brush or roller. If you want to protect the finished product from water damage, choose a water-based finish such as acrylic varnish.
Prepare the area and sand the particle board surface
Before you start painting your particle board cabinets, make sure that everything is ready for paint application. Clean all surfaces thoroughly with a mild detergent solution and rinse them well with water. Remove any dust or debris from around the cabinet doors and drawers by vacuuming or sweeping them clean. You might want to wear gloves when cleaning because it can get messy if you don't wipe away the dust carefully enough and leave some behind on the surface being painted.
The best way to prepare particle board cabinets for painting is by sanding off any bumps or splinters left behind by manufacturing processes that may have occurred during construction of your new kitchen cabinets. Sanding particle board cabinets takes some elbow grease. Start by using an orbital sander with 100-grit sandpaper to remove any loose particles and smooth out any imperfections in the surface. Then move on to 220-grit sandpaper to get the surface as smooth as possible. You may want to invest in a special primer for particle board if you're planning on using oil-based paint.
Apply your primer
Once you've sanded down the particle board cabinets, it's time to seal them before painting them. Choose either an oil-based or water-based bonding primer depending on what type of finish you want on your cabinets. Oil-based sealers give a harder finish than water-based ones but require more coats of paint before they can be applied effectively. Water-based sealers don't require as many coats but don't give as hard of a finish as oils do either.
Sand again before applying your next coat of paint
After applying your primer, and after applying your first coat of paint, you should sand the cabinets again with a fine grit sandpaper to smooth any rough spots or ridges that developed during painting.
Apply a sealant or protective finish
If you want a more durable finish on your cabinet doors, use a clear protective coating like polyurethane after all three coats of paint have dried thoroughly. This, plus the extra steps of sanding detailed in the last step, help to give the cabinets a clean and smooth finish similar to laminate cabinets.
Hire Old Crow Painting for your interior paint project
Old Crow Painting has plenty of experience with lots of painting projects both intricate, and simple - and painting over particle board cabinets is no exception. Contact us for a quote today to help give you an improved, and extravagant look to your kitchen cabinets.