Sophie Bennett
Why Painting Beats Replacing in a Small Kitchen
A full kitchen replacement is expensive, disruptive and, in a compact space, surprisingly stressful. Paint is the quieter option. It lets you keep the layout you already know works, the units that still open and close properly, and the budget you would rather spend elsewhere. It is also the fastest way to lift a dark or dated room, particularly in a small flat where a lighter cabinet colour bounces light around corners and makes the whole space feel more generous.
The catch is that painted kitchens look wonderful or frankly dreadful depending on preparation. There is no middle ground. Follow the steps below and you will get a finish that looks deliberate, smooth and wipeable rather than bumpy and patchy.
Gather Everything Before You Start
Half-finished kitchens are miserable places, so buy your kit in one go. You will need:
- A degreaser such as sugar soap, plus a couple of clean microfibre cloths
- Fine sandpaper or sanding pads in 120 and 240 grit
- Decorator's filler and a flexible filling knife for chips and old handle holes
- Masking tape, plus a marker pen and small bags for labelling screws
- A two-inch angled sash brush for edges and mouldings
- A four-inch foam roller for flat door panels, and a small gloss roller for frames
- Primer suitable for melamine or previously varnished surfaces
- A durable water-based eggshell in your chosen colour
- Trestles or a clean dust sheet so doors can be painted flat
Water-based eggshell is the sensible choice for kitchens. It is hard-wearing, wipeable and dries to a soft low sheen, and modern formulas resist the yellowing that older oil-based paints suffered. If you are choosing a colour for a small room, go a shade lighter than you think you want. Dark cabinets can look dramatic, but they need good light to carry it off.
Prep Work Decides the Finish
Start by emptying the cupboards and numbering every door and drawer front. Write the number on a piece of masking tape on the inside face, and mark the corresponding position on the carcass with a small pencil note that your final coat will cover. Keep the hinges and screws in a labelled bag, and keep hinges on their own doors rather than mixing them up.
Unscrew the doors and drawer fronts and lay them flat on trestles. Before you do anything else, take a damp cloth and wipe every surface with a diluted degreaser solution, following the instructions on the bottle. Kitchen cabinets attract a fine, invisible film of cooking oil, and paint simply will not grip to it. Pay particular attention to the areas around handles, the bottom edges of wall units and anywhere near the hob. Rinse with clean water and let everything dry completely.
Once dry, lightly sand every surface with 120-grit paper. You are not trying to strip the old finish, only to dull the shine and give the primer something to key into. Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth. Fill any chips, dents or redundant screw holes with decorator's filler, let it set, then sand flush. Mask the glass in any doors and tape over the hinge recesses so they stay paint-free.
Prime for Grip and an Even Base
A primer is not optional on melamine, laminate or previously varnished surfaces. It bonds to the slick factory finish so your colour coat has something to hold on to, and it stops strong colours bleeding through. Apply one thin coat with a small roller, then use your brush to catch the edges, mouldings and any recessed panel lines. Work the brush strokes out rather than scrubbing back and forth. Let it dry fully, then run over it lightly with 240-grit paper to knock back any raised grain or brush marks.
Thin Coats of Durable Eggshell
This is where a neat finish is won or lost. Two thin coats will always beat one thick one. Thick paint sags, pools in corners and dries with visible ridges, whereas thin coats flow out and level themselves.
Paint the edges and any recessed detail first with your brush, brushing with the grain and laying off lightly at the end to remove brush marks. Then immediately roll the flat panel with your foam roller, working in overlapping bands and finishing with light passes in one direction. Use a mini roller on the frames and the inside edges of the cupboards, but do not paint the surfaces that rub together, or the doors will stick.
Leave the first coat to dry for the time stated on the tin, usually around four to six hours, then sand very lightly with 240-grit and wipe off the dust. Repeat with a second coat, and a third on any area that still looks thin. Bear in mind that pale colours often need three coats for full opacity. If your kitchen is small and you cannot face a fortnight without cupboards, do it in two halves: paint the wall units, rehang and live with them while you work on the base units.
Rehang, Cure and Enjoy
Wait until the final coat is touch-dry before rehanging, then leave the doors slightly ajar for a day or two so air can circulate and the paint can harden. Water-based eggshell takes around seven days to cure properly, so avoid scrubbing or using harsh sprays on it during that first week. A soft damp cloth is all it needs.
Before you screw the doors back on, take the chance to clean the hinges and tighten the screws. Refitting old hardware often lets down a beautiful paint job, so if the budget stretches, new handles are a small change with a big effect. Add a warm runner, a wooden board and a small lamp on the worktop, and your refreshed kitchen will feel properly cosy rather than merely repainted.
