hand-painted kitchens
I can transform almost any kitchen with a traditional hand-painted finish.
Tired custom-made oak kitchen doors, luxury new wooden kitchens, modest pine kitchens, MDF/poplar, most laminates…they can all be painted to create a stunning centre-piece in your home.
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This is a before and after of a 15 year-old lacquered limed oak Neville & Johnson kitchen. The kitchen was really well-made, the layout was perfect, but the look had dated. It was a choice between a new kitchen for £10′s of thousands, or refurbish for under £3000.
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This is another spectacular refurbishment of a substantial custom-made Poggenpohl oak kitchen. It worked well from a practical point of view, but aesthetically, had become dated. After thorough preparation and painting, plus new knobs and a professionally designed colour scheme, the owners feel they now have a brand new kitchen for a fraction of the full price of new.
How? Using appropriate abrasives and specialist primers, I can prepare bare timber or MDF; clear lacquered oak, lacquered pine; waxed pine; foil wrapped laminate or melamine surfaces. This is a selection of some of the products that I have at my disposal.
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Once prepared and primed correctly, it doesn’t matter what the doors or frames are made of underneath, they will accept finishing coats, and the end result will a beautiful and durable traditional hand-painted eggshell finish.
New custom-made wooden kitchens
I accept commissions for painting new custom-made kitchens too. This Heatherington Newman kitchen came pre-primed in the factory and I finished it in a two-tone hand-painted oil-based eggshell finish. I also paint new un-primed kitchens, fitted furniture, cabinets…
Where do you do the painting work?
I hand-paint kitchens in situ. I am meticulously clean and tidy and I have vacuum extraction sanders and wet sand to keep the dust to an absolute minimum. (When the whole kitchen is being hand-painted, there is no logistical advantage to having the doors and drawers taken away to a workshop.)
If you manufacture kitchens, I have a lot of experience painting fitted furniture in joinery shops.
Do you paint kitchen walls, ceilings, skirtings?
If you want a full kitchen decorating facelift, I am fully equipped with dust extraction power sanders, the best rollers and brushes and all the potions and fillers needed for a high end re-decorating service.
I charge a little more than your local house painters might, but I think you will be more than happy with the standard of my preparation and the quality of the finished paint work, and it will be completed in good time.
What geographical area do you cover?
I tend to work in a 50 mile radius of Chester, or travel time about an hour. So Chester up as far as Formby, Wigan down as far as Nantwich and across to Wilmslow / Alderley Edge / Prestbury.
I also work further afield for clients who are happy to pay my standard rates plus an overnight allowance.
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Below is further information on the level of service I provide. At any stage of your planning, feel free to contact me for a quote or to discuss what you have in mind.
Painted kitchen specialists around UK
If you are outside my area and you are looking for a local specialist, this is a list I have compiled of other trustworthy specialists in hand-painted kitchens in UK.
Case studies of kitchens I have hand-painted
Frequently asked questions
It is easy for me to say that painting your kitchen is fairly straightforward, it is what I do! But it maybe doesn’t look so straightforward from your side.
These are questions I get asked all the time, in no particular order.
How much?
Preparing and painting your kitchen is not a job for an everyday painter, and although a refurbished hand-painted kitchen is by far the most economical way to upgrade and extend the life of a functional but tired kitchen, it is not a cheap as chips option, for sure.
If you count up all the cabinet doors and multiply by £100, that should give you a ballpark of the sort of money involved. (This is a ready reckoner formula I have developed that allows for painting all the kitchen doors, drawers, pelmet, cornice, plinth.) If you are comfortable with that sort of budget, let’s talk.
What next?
If you would like a free quote, it is best to start the process by phoning or emailing me.
Let me know what sort of kitchen you have (oak, clear lacquer, waxed, laminate…) and how many doors.
In addition to painting, do you envisage any upgrades, as in new handles, new worktops, additional cabinets or new flooring? If so, please include some brief details / ideas.
I also ask that you upload a couple of photos to give me a better idea of the scope of the work. I can also see things you may have overlooked!
With that initial information, I can usually prepare a fixed price quote. In some circumstances, I may arrange to come and see you – if I am not sure about the surface and the preparation required.
If my price is within your budget, I will book a start date, ask you to confirm colours a week in advance of my start. (If you are struggling with colour, I highly recommend Ingrid at Lilou Interiors: Online colour consultations, or in person of you prefer.)
With price, colours and start date sorted, you can relax about the painting, and look forward to a radical transformation of your kitchen. (If you have other work to complete, or handles to source, please let me know if there any delays well in advance, thanks.)
There’s more to painting kitchen cabinets than meets the eye!
If you are interested in the full story behind the pictures of finished painted kitchens, below I have gone into detail about what I have to think about regarding choice of paint, different specification options for wood primers and sealers and the practicalities of painting kitchen cabinets. I think what follows will give you a good idea of the level of service you can expect.
How I go about hand-painting a kitchen
Best paints for kitchen doors cabinets fitted furniture
How many coats to hand-paint a kitchen?
Masking up and protecting floors, appliances etc
Protecting your home from dust
If you want to know how to DIY paint kitchen cabinets yourself, here is a good description. And good luck. With time, patience and good kit, it can be done!
Refurbish a kitchen beyond just painting
With additional touches such as new handles, new work tops, a different floor tile, or fine-tuning your current layout, any functional kitchen can be upgraded without the uproar of starting from scratch. This a good summary of the options available to refurbish a kitchen rather than fit a brand new one.
If you are in Cheshire looking to have your property decorated to a really high standard with minimal fuss and disruption, or...
Looking for ideas or costings to refurbish a tired kitchen or hand-paint a new one? Please contact me via the form below.
If I can't help, I'll know another specialist decorator in the UK who can.
Contact Andy Crichton
