How to spray kitchen cabinets?

Short answer

To spray kitchen cabinets, remove and number the doors, clean and scuff the surfaces, and mask the room. Prime with a sprayable bonding primer, then apply several thin topcoats with an HVLP or fine-finish airless sprayer. Spraying gives a smooth finish with no brush marks, but it needs the same preparation as brushing, along with masking and ventilation.

Choose your equipment

• HVLP turbine. Gives a fine finish with less overspray, but it is slower. It suits most DIY kitchens.
• Airless with a fine-finish tip. Faster, but it produces more overspray and needs careful masking.
• Air-assisted airless. Professional-level equipment with more control over the finish.

If you are still deciding whether to spray at all, see is it better to spray paint or brush paint wood furniture.

For airless guns, fine-finish tips with an orifice of about 0.010 to 0.012 inch suit cabinet enamels. Tip codes such as 210, 310 or 312 are common examples. A wall-paint tip, around 0.015 to 0.017 inch, is too large for cabinets and produces heavy coats and runs.

For HVLP guns, a needle and nozzle of about 1.3 to 1.8 mm suits thinned waterborne enamels. Check the gun maker’s chart.

Use the lowest airless pressure that gives a clean fan. More pressure does not improve the finish. It adds overspray and bounce-back.

Prepare the kitchen

Spray travels further than most people expect, so containment matters more than it does with a brush.

1. Remove the doors and drawer fronts. Number each door and its matching box with painter’s tape.
2. Set up a spray area. Use a garage, a shed or a room you can close off. Cover counters, floors, appliances and openings with plastic sheeting and drop cloths.
3. Plan the ventilation. Keep the area ventilated, but do not aim fans directly at wet paint, which can leave dust and marks.
4. Turn off ignition sources. Switch off pilot lights and other sources before you spray solvent products.

Clean, repair and scuff

Spraying does not skip preparation. Clean the surfaces thoroughly, as described in how to clean kitchen cabinets before painting. Fill dents and old hardware holes, then sand them smooth. Scuff all surfaces with 150 to 220 grit, then vacuum and wipe with a tack cloth. Whether you need to sand depends on the existing finish. See whether you have to sand stained cabinets.

Prime

• Use a sprayable bonding primer. A shellac-based primer, such as Zinsser B-I-N, is common for blocking tannin bleed on oak.
• Let the primer dry fully according to the label.
• Once it is dry, scuff it lightly with 220 to 320 grit, then wipe it clean.

Spray the doors

1. Spray the backs first. Hang the doors from hooks, or lay them on painter’s pyramids, so you can reach every side.
2. Spray the edges next. Angle the gun slightly to avoid heavy build-up.
3. Spray the fronts last. Work in even passes with about a 50 percent overlap.
4. Hold the gun steadily. Keep it perpendicular to the surface, about 6 to 8 inches away for HVLP and 10 to 12 inches for airless.
5. Start and stop off the surface. Trigger the gun before the edge of the piece and release it after the opposite edge.

Thin, even coats prevent runs. Heavy coats and holding the gun too close cause most of them.

Frames and boxes

Frames can be sprayed in place, but the room needs heavy masking first. Many DIYers brush or roll the box interiors and spray only the exterior frames, which limits overspray inside the kitchen. For the interiors, see should you paint the inside of kitchen cabinets.

Thinning and straining

Strain the paint through a mesh strainer before loading it. For HVLP, thinning with about 5 to 10 percent water is common, but only if the data sheet allows it. Some enamels limit thinning, so check first.

Recoat, reinstall and cure

• Apply two topcoats, observing the recoat window on the label.
• Reinstall doors after about 24 to 72 hours, handling them with care.
• Avoid scrubbing for two to four weeks while the finish cures fully. See how long painted cabinets take to cure.

Common mistakes

• Skipping preparation. Cleaning, scuffing and priming still apply.
• Turning up the pressure. It adds overspray and does not improve the finish.
• Using a wall-paint tip. It is too large for cabinets.
• Under-masking. Overspray travels further than most people expect.

Safety

• Airless injection injury is a medical emergency. Never point the gun at skin, and always engage the trigger lock when you stop.
• Wear a respirator suited to the product. For solvent products, use a P95 or P100 particulate filter with an organic-vapour cartridge.
• Ventilate well, and switch off pilot lights and other ignition sources when you spray solvent products.