If you’re planning on switching up your kitchen’s colour scheme, consider giving your kitchen appliances a makeover, too. After all, colour coordination is essential to creating an appealing kitchen space.
But it’s quite impractical and costly to buy new appliances when your current ones work perfectly well. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money for your kitchen to look exactly the way you want it to.
Instead, you can apply a fresh coat of paint on your appliances to give them a new look and revamp your kitchen. Since you’re only paying for paint and some simple supplies like brushes or rollers, painting your appliances can save you a lot of money. It’s also a fairly simple process so long as you’re careful. If you want to give your appliances a good paint job but don’t know where to start, below is a guide to help make this process a smooth one:
Things to Do Before You Start
As the old saying goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail, and the same can be said for painting your appliances. Making the necessary preparations will ensure that you stay safe and give your appliances the polished paint job they deserve. To learn more about the stages of this process, you can refer to the sections below:
Create an Appropriate Workspace
Before getting to work, make sure you’re in a well-ventilated and spacious environment. Many primers and paints contain volatile organic compounds that produce corrosive fumes. Working in an outdoor space is ideal, as it provides maximum ventilation. If you’re painting inside your home, open the windows to encourage proper airflow. You can also wear a paint respirator mask to avoid inhaling harmful fumes. Paints can also cause irritation when they come into contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves and clothes that provide your body with good coverage.
Prepare Your Appliance for Priming and Painting
Next, you’ll need to prepare your appliance for priming and painting. To begin, unplug your device to avoid any electrical accidents. Then, using circular motions, rub steel wool or sandpaper across its surface. This sanding process will create a coarse and matte surface so paint can adhere better. If your appliance has a high-gloss finish, then you may need to use 150 or 180 grit sandpaper to completely remove the shine. Afterwards, use a damp cloth to gently wipe away any dust that was created during sanding. Once you’ve finished wiping, cover the handles, knobs, logo, or button panels of your appliance with painter’s tape to keep them clean while you’re painting.
Choose the Right Kind of Paint
For a quality paint job, you’ll need to use enamel paint on your appliances. For appliances that generate a lot of heat—like stoves—purchase heat-resistant enamel paint. You can also choose between acrylic and hybrid enamel paint. Acrylic paint is water-based and will give your appliances a durable finish. Meanwhile, hybrid enamel paints are made of both oil and water and produce little to no strong odours. Enamel paint also comes in epoxy varieties that are self-priming, so you can head straight to painting without breaking a sweat.
Apply Primer
Covering your appliance with primer can be an optional step if you’re using a self-priming paint formula. However, it’s highly recommended that you proceed with this process, as primer helps your paint achieve a uniform finish. You can use a brush and roller to apply primer, or an airless paint sprayer. Apply the first coat of primer and let it dry for the amount of time indicated on its instructions. Once that’s done, be sure to apply a second coat of primer. Now you can move on to the next and most important step, which is the actual paint application.
Painting Your Appliance
There are two main methods to apply paint onto your appliance, each one requiring different techniques to achieve a polished finish. Read the sections below to learn more:
Brush and Roller Method
Using a roller, apply your paint onto the larger surface areas of your appliance. Then, with a nylon brush, carefully paint any small sections and corners that the roller couldn’t reach. When using a brush, make sure to apply slow and long strokes with even pressure for a smooth coating.
Spray Paint Method
If you’d like to apply your paint using a spray, then you can opt to use spray paint or an airless paint sprayer. While spraying paint, make sure that the nozzle is positioned twelve inches away from your appliance’s surface for optimal results.
For both methods, do be sure to apply two to three coats of paint for proper coverage. Spray paint may need more coatings for a professional finish. Once you’re satisfied with the results, let the paint dry for about twenty-four hours before touching your appliance.
Breathing new life into your kitchen doesn’t have to be a painstaking and expensive process. Thanks to paint, you can easily change the colour of your appliances whenever you want to. With some careful preparation and attention to detail, you'll be able to transform any appliance into a stylish accessory for your kitchen space.
