Painting oak kitchen doors

Hand painting a limed oak kitchen in Castle Donington, Derbyshire.

Here’s a kitchen painting project I carried out recently in Castle Donington near Derby. The clients first questions when contacting me were ‘I’m thinking of painting my limed oak kitchen doors, can it be done and will they last? My answer was of course a resounding YES! Providing the correct and thorough preparation is carried out and not just use any old household paint is used!

painting limed oak kitchen doors
Limed Oak Kitchen doors can be hand painted like any other wooden kitchen

This limed oak style was very popular back in the early to mid 90s but as time passes by, the oak becomes slightly orange in colour and the whole kitchen takes on that dated look.

If the kitchen is still in good condition then painting it,  is a very cost effective long term option to consider. The clients had just finished some major remodelling to the kitchen/dining area of the house and had researched various cost options for a kitchen refit.

painting existing kitchen cupboards
This style of kitchen is perfect for hand painting

After weighing up the options, a new kitchen of similar spec was coming in at around £20K. Although this wasn’t beyond the  clients budget, the layout of the kitchen still worked for them and so did everything else, so painting the kitchen seemed a viable long term option! However some questions needed answering before the final decision was made.

Painting Oak Kitchen Doors – This is where I come in!

  • What’s the preparation Process?
  • Do you use any particular primers?
  • What sort of paint do you use?
  • Is it a durable finish and easy to keep clean?
  • Will it last, I have 2 young grandchildren?
  • Will my kitchen be off limits, whilst its being painted?

Its a big decision having your kitchen hand painted, so I like to try and give you the client as much info as possible prior to the work commencing. Lots of other questions are answered along the way but the 6 listed above, seem to be popular ones.

Preparation is always key to a successful painting job, even more so when it comes to hand painted kitchens! I use a variety of trade strength cleaners/degreasers (Krud Kutter and Fluxaf Pro Clean) are a couple I would highly recommend, these 2 will remove most grease and grime from kitchen cabinets. Methylated spirits is also very effect on pine furniture.

Choice of primer depends ultimately on the surface I’m painting, for this kitchen I use a shellac based, high adhesion primer.  I see a lot of decorators around the internet who claim to use many of the designer branded paints, in my opinion, they are NOT suitable for this type of work; poor coverage and not durable enough to withstand daily kitchen life.

Again I use a variety of Scandinavian paint systems to suit the particular surface I’m painting! Tikkurila, Eico and Alcro are very durable, reliable brands which are hard wearing and easily cleaned.

A medium sized kitchen of around 20 doors will take anywhere between 7 to 10 days to complete as a general rule. This obviously  varies and depends on age and condition. Although all the  kitchen surfaces are thoroughly masked off and protected during the prep and painting process, the kitchen can still be used on an evening once I’ve cleaned up, packed away and headed home.

You will find many other answers by looking around my website and reading my furniture painting blogs.

Painted in the equivalent colour to F&Bs Elephants Breath.

This is a mid tone, stone colour which works well against natural stone flooring, it also made a great contrast on this job against the mid blue/grey Corian worksurfaces.

painted oak kitchen doors
The Colour is the equivalent to Farrow & Ball Elephants Breath

Choosing a colour for your kitchen can seem like a daunting task! Because we hand paint kitchens on a daily/weekly basis, we get to see what works and pass on that knowledge to our clients. In this case the client was in no doubt as to colour and I think their choice worked out a treat.

painting kitchen doors in Elephants breath
Hand painting wooden kitchens offers a new lease of life to those tired looking oak doors

This tired old oak kitchen has been given a new lease of life and together with some clever LED strip lighting above and below the wall units, its made it look modern, light and warm.

Employing a specialist kitchen painter is not a cheap proposition per se, but in terms of value for money, and in comparison to a brand new kitchen, a hand-painted finish will last for years and is well worth your consideration.

If your have any items of old furniture or an existing wooden kitchen which you are thinking of painting. Please feel free to Contact Me. I will be more than happy to discuss your requirements and give you the benefit of my experience.

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4 Responses
  1. Mandy Turner

    Hi
    I am very interested in having my existing kitchen units painted. The kitchen is about 13 years old, it isn’t solid wood but a maple veneer I think. Is it possible to paint this finish?
    I could send you some photos if this would help?
    Many thanks

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