A painted wooden kitchen refurbishment on Wirral Peninsula

Mark Roberts is an experienced kitchen painter, and a trusted Traditional Painter based in the North West and here he explains the process behind a painted wooden kitchen refurbishment on Wirral Peninsula. As the photo at the end shows, it is in a beautiful part of the world.

After being contacted via Traditional Painter, I arranged to meet the client to see first hand what they had in mind to give their kitchen a new lease of life!

On viewing, this was a well made kitchen, but it had been let down by its previous paint job, which was bad!

A distressed/antique look had been attempted, and failed. And to make matters worse, the paintwork itself was failing too in a lot of areas. For good measure the overall effect made the units appear quite dark as well.

The clients pointed out several areas like the plinth and drawer fronts above with extensive paint damage and wear and tear, expressing their concerns about how it would look once repainted. I assured them that I knew what needed to be done to restore it as good as new.

The Preparation

With the colour and finish chosen, I set about restoring this kitchen to showroom condition. Worktops and floors were protected with a stout 1200gm lining paper, all surfaces to be painted were thoroughly degreased using my last supplies of Krud Kutter, agitating it with Mirka Mirlon pads as I go.

A lot of time was then spent getting the woodwork ready for painting, using my Festool DTS 400 power sander with dust extraction system. This really took care of the failing old paint work, and left the surfaces smooth for the next stage.

Despite the amount of time spent on preparation, the sanding system I use eliminates 95% of the dust at source, which is appreciated by all concerned.

The Painting

With all surfaces now prepared, hoovered and wiped down with a tack cloth, it was time to get on with the painting! The chosen colour was an equivalent of Little Greene’s First Light, and the finish – Tikkurila Helmi Matt.

A coat of Tikkurila Otex primer (mixed to the finish colour) was applied, followed by 3 coats of Helmi matt. I used a selection of Corona Archers and Grand Red-Gold sash brushes on the woodwork, and the large panels I rolled and tipped, using a worn in Wooster 4″ Micro Plush.

At each stage the units were carefully checked for any imperfections, and sanded smooth with lighter grits. For a silky smooth finish over the whole kitchen, you have to constantly pay attention to the small details.

Racking

Another specialist kitchen painter’s tool I carry is the Erecta Rack, which served me well on this job.

It is worth its weight in gold, and another super investment that benefits both the client and me with the way it keeps the work space so tidy! And then packs away neatly into a carry bag when finished.

The end result

Once the paintwork was completed, all protection was then removed and all areas cleaned.

The failed and damaged paintwork came up looking like brand new again, just as I had envisaged.

It was great to see my clients’ reaction to the overall transformation – over the moon.

To my eye it was another success too.

Final thoughts

It is all well and good me explaining how the job went from my point of view, but what about the clients? How did they think the project ran from start to finish? Helen and Nic kindly sent this testimonial.

Intricate Kitchen cupboard Painting

We spent a long time researching painters and decorators to repaint our intricate kitchen cupboards. Mark stood out above all the others when he came to do a quote. His attention to detail, knowledge of paints and processes were far superior to anyone else… (continue reading)

And for good measure, what a fantastic view at the end of the road, making the whole project that bit more enjoyable – a beautiful part of the country!!

Thank you for reading this and if you have any questions on the process to refurbish a painted wooden kitchen, or the tools or materials I used, I am happy to help.