hand painted kitchen in Lichfield
This account of a hand painted kitchen in Lichfield is from Martin Dunn, Traditional Painter in Staffordshire.
This was a complete rejig of an old and tired oak kitchen. The units had been moved, new bits added, new tiles fitted, plus block-board work surface, new electrics, cooker and canopy. All this work was carried out, prior to my arrival, by Purestyle Interiors, Lichfield.
Preparing the kitchen for painting
All doors and drawer fronts were removed. remaining unpainted areas masked up, and handles removed.
Prepare varnished doors
The existing coats of clear varnish had worn, so we used wet ‘n dry abrasive paper to flatten the surface and sanded to give a good key for painting.
Painting varnished doors
Once thoroughly prepared and cleaned, we applied 1 coat of Zinsser Cover Stain (oil based high adhesion primerand stain blocker) to the oak doors and drawers plus the carcass.
The primer was followed by one coat of MacPhersons undercoat to build up the paint film. This is still one of the few oil undercoats on the market that drys quickly and matt with a splash of white spirit and driers. Since 2010, the majority of mainstream undercoat have become very shiny in comparison to what we would expect from a flat undercoat.
The undercoat was then followed by 2 coats of Little Greene oil eggshell.
Work tops were finished in Danish oil.
Finishing touches
Clean round, all handles, doors and drawers refitted, and there you have one totally transformed kitchen!

Martin has been a specialist decorator for many years, and is expert in most traditional decorative finishes, and wallcoverings. He also spent 7 years lecturing, and is one of only a few in the country who were qualified to assess the workmanship of professional decorators.
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4 comments to “hand painted kitchen in Lichfield”
Lovely job! I’ve been loving Little Greene oil-based and acrylic primer undercoats – so you rate the MacPherson as being better? And you’ve had no problems with oil-based eggshells yellowing?
thank you very much. never used little greene undercoats in any form to be honest. mainly due to availability and the fact i stick to what i know. have used 2 coats of coverstain in the past but i find in this weather and time restraints, the 2nd coat can lift the 1st coat. macpherson undercoat has a hell of a body to it so great opacity. it also dries quickly, nice and flat and rubs down lovelly.
jonos not to bad just avoid dulux and even crown has a bit of a shine. i want an undercoat to build up my coatings and give good opacity – thats it, my adhesion is allready there through the coverstain and durability from the eggshell.
as for yellowing, i wouldnt do a white one in oil based! but most of my customers go for the “dirty whites” or creams so no real issues. i think that one is slaked lime – but i may be wrong? all the best, mart
Thanks for all the clarification Mart. I’ll give Macpherson a go, if I can get hold of it locally. I rate the Little Greene primer undercoats, but I’m always willing to try something else.
We would like our kitchen repainted and how much would this costs ?