painting metal kitchen cabinets
Hello to all, i am trying to paint our old metal kitchen cabinets. I am a cabinetmaker & am used to spraying my finishes but my wife convinced me to do a quick job on the metal cabinets with out removing the fronts & taking the doors & drawers to the shop & spraying them. We sanded them smooth & touched up with primer on bare metal spots & then rolled on the white Sherwin Williams pro classic gloss paint, i experimented with different rollers & the best fininsh i found was using a foam trim roller. The finish has a texture to it, but we can live with it. The problem is that the paint doesnt seem to flow out very well, i added about 2 ounces of Flotrol per quart (didnt want to add more because the label says it will dull the gloss). I warmed up the kitchen & the paint but, try as i may, i end up with uneven coverage, some dry spots, & roller lines any suggestions?
Replies
That's a hard one, since too much flow and you have runs. Can you test drive some thinned product (say just a tablespoon of water in a pint) to see if you get any better effect. Of course, you're going to have to do more coats, but......
Since you're rolling, are you slopping enough to cover the entire door and then spreading it, or reloading for each section you move to? Since the doors and such aren't overly big, you should be able to get enough paint to cover them and then push it around.
I'm thinking of how I would do a wall, though I'd be working a few feet at a time, I just slop several rollers full up, then spread it, running top to bottom when nearly finished.
Just like spraying, be patient. Don't try to get it in one pass, or even two, if need be.
Like I tell my buddy John when he wants to get lazy: "Any job worth doing is worth doing the right way." Take them off, sand, reprime, and paint with a sprayer. You may want to listen to your wife and do what seems like the easy way, but in the end she'll thank you because the end product looks better. It already sounds like you have the common sense to do the job the way that YOU KNOW it should be done.
Sadly, that's true. It sounds like a good job for an HVLP, but you're either going to have to cover the heck out of everything, and vent, or remove them and do them in your shop, if you want a professional job. But what the hay, go look at your mechanic's car.......
They're all right, spray metal, don't brush or roll it. If you can't or don't want to do it yourself, strip them and take them to a car shop. You'll be happier. Did that with my MG. Plus they get to deal with the fumes. I'm impressed that you want to keep them, good job.
Edited 2/11/2009 9:17 pm ET by BARMIL
I'd spray them. The thing about metal is you expect an even finish. you compare the finish to say an automotive finish because you are around them all the time.
With wood you don't have the same expectation.
I have put even finishes on cabinets by taking as much off as possible and laying them horizontal. Then put on a nice thick coat and let it level itself.
The drawer faces and door faces are what really shows so getting them right is the most important.
I just wanted to say thanks for your advice, I ended up taking off a few of the doors that looked real terrible & layed them flat & i was able to get more paint on, they looked better, at least i can live with them now. I wish i would've stripped them & sprayed them, but they look better than before i started, my wife calls me a perfectionist, but we all just want to do it to the best of our abilities... i will never use a foam roller again, thats for sure.
no problem, my pleasure.
I am a huge fan of SW paints, but Pro Classic is a only good if you are spraying. It is impossible to work with a brush. If you refinish, and it sound like you will, spray and use Incredicoat.
Bruce
This might not be at all in keeping with what you are after, but I had several nice thick gauge filing cabinets that I ground the paint off with a wire wheel leaving a brushed steel look that I then finished with clear lacquer. They look great.
I'd also like to refinish our white metal kitchen cabinets and would likely have it done by an auto body shop. My problem is replacing hardware like hinges, rollers etc. Anyone have suggestions of the availability and sources of these parts? They are the original 1949 Levitt Ranch model.
Thanks...
My cabs are 1938 & the drawer rollers are good, (actually they dont use rollers, just metal on metal slides, which work good). The handles are 2.75" cc & we found some cup pulls readily available that match those specs in 3 finishes, i think they are Belwith brand. Out knife hinges are in great shape too.
My cabs are 1938 & the drawer rollers are good, (actually they dont use rollers, just metal on metal slides, which work good). The handles are 2.75" cc & we found some cup pulls readily available that match those specs in 3 finishes, i think they are Belwith brand. Out knife hinges are in great shape too.
I googled Belwith and was taken to a supplier that happens to have their showroom about five miles from my house! So many pages to look through on their website, I'll take a couple of examples with me. I'm looking forward to visiting.Thanks for posting!
I'm not sure why this thread has returned to life after a year .... but, for the benefit of those who may find it in a search later, I'll give my take.
First off, your wife has nearly guaranteed failure with the restrictions she placed on the job. Next time she cooks, constrain her from using the sink - see how she likes artificial constraints!
Metal is metal. It is not wood, or plaster, or drywall, or any of the things that house paint is designed to cover. Nor is house paint intended to provide the 'perfect' finish you desire. Even if you apply it perfectly, there's still some doubt as to how well it will perform over time.
The best results can be had by - your instincts are right- spraying a paint that is intended for metal. I'd be wary of automotive paints, as many of these still contain lead. At least automotive paints will dry to a hard, tough finish, though.
The next choice isn't a 'paint' at all, but a laquer. Many, many light-as-dust coats sprayed on.
If you're not too fussy, you can get a relatively decent result using the thinnest roller you can find, Rust-O-Leum, and painting with the surface dead level. I'm not keen on this paint, because its' dried surface is relatively soft.
If you must use house paint, Flotrol and a very light touch on the roller is a must. Then, seal it all with either a spar varnish, or a good coat of paste wax. The clear coat is critical, as the house paint will attract grime and resist cleaning, making for a poor appearance in short order.
The thread was revived by jsimpson's spam.