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Hello,
In the past I’ve gotten very good advice from this forum, so I’m turning to you again for help. I’m making cabinets for my kitchen and am now at the point of putting a finish on some of them. They will be painted white, and originally I was just going to brush on a coat of the same high quality oil-based enamel I used on the kitchen woodwork. But I noticed some cans of spray enamel paint in the hardware store and thought maybe that would give a better finish (since I don’t have a compressor/sprayer). Is this a bad idea for any reason? Are there any brands that would be best to use? Thanks for any advice! Beth
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With no compressor and spray gun, if you don't mind the idea of subbing the job out, it might be worth considering spraying either a tinted pre-cat, which I've found works well. Also I've sprayed regular oil based paint with good results, except that the overspray is extremely messy. I just thought posting these ideas would bring your topic up to the top for further discussion, but my suggestions might be genuine options for you. I can't tell from here. Slainte, RJ
*In this area automotive jobbers will put liquid paint into spray bombs...... for a price.Good Luck
*Beth - I hope you're a damn good woodworker. Building cabinets that look good painted is ALOT more demanding than building the same style for stain. Even the tiniest imperfections will telegraph through paint. Sand, sand, sand, and oversand. I always either sub out the painting or sell the job unpainted. That's a whole other profession, and there are darned few painters around who can do as good a job as you'd like.
*Locate a cabinet maker in your area and find out who does his finishing. Some cabinet pros do it all and some just build and sub out the finish work. Take them a cabinet you consider ready for finishing and your list of other cabinets and let them quote.In any event, the wood should be sealed/primed with an oil-based penetrating primer (I would recommend BM alkyd fresh start) then finish sanded and wiped with a tack cloth before the final coat(s).If you decide to split up the job, you can apply the primer/sealer by brush and do the final sanding/ tacking. Trying to apply spray can enamel over bare wood will tire you and your pocketbook out.Good Luck!
*Beth, Personally, I'd not use spray can paint for cabinetry...for several reasons.The easiest way I've found to hand paint cabinets is to use one of the small 4" mini-rollers, a paint tray, and a high-quality paint brush.I use the mini-roller to apply the paint, it goes on rather quickly. I then back brush with the brush. Work from the back of the cabinet towards the front. I do the back, then top, then sides, then bottom.When the carcasses are done I'll come back and do the face frames.From prep to cleanup, this method is faster than spraying on-site, and gives much nicer results.
*Thanks for your replies. I guess I'll go with Mongo's method, using a roller and brush, and priming first of course.
*If you want to do it yourself MY suggestion would be buy a cheap spray gun from Home Depot and borrow a compressor, shouldn't be that hard to come by.
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Hello,
In the past I've gotten very good advice from this forum, so I'm turning to you again for help. I'm making cabinets for my kitchen and am now at the point of putting a finish on some of them. They will be painted white, and originally I was just going to brush on a coat of the same high quality oil-based enamel I used on the kitchen woodwork. But I noticed some cans of spray enamel paint in the hardware store and thought maybe that would give a better finish (since I don't have a compressor/sprayer). Is this a bad idea for any reason? Are there any brands that would be best to use? Thanks for any advice! Beth