Radical Vibes

Painting your kitchen can instantly transform an old worn out look into some something new and interesting.

Painting can prove to be an extremely rewarding job when you take a look at the finished result; however, preparation is critical. You need to make certain that the process goes smoothly and that there are no messy or costly mistakes to repair.

To prepare your kitchen, remove all furniture from the room, including curtains. If this is not possible push all furniture to the centre of the kitchen and cover it with old shower curtains or sheets.

Cover the floors with drop sheets or thick canvas and use masking tape to fix it down firm. Also use masking tape to cover any skirting boards, door or window frames that you don't want painted.

Masking tape will make the job much easier; it will give a straight clean paint line when you remove it. Ensure you peel it off as soon as the paint starts to dry to avoid peeling your new paint off.

To remove grease and dirt from your kitchen wall, wash them with sugar soap. If the current paint work is peeling; you will need to scrape it back and sand it smooth.

Any cracks in the walls will need to be filled using premixed filler and sealed using an acrylic sealer undercoat. Once this has been done, sand the walls until smooth and wipe away any dust with a dry cloth.

It's now time to pick up your brush, but which type should you use. There are many different styles of paint brushes; some are designed for sliding along difficult to paint corners others; are great for small crevices. What ever the type you choose, choose quality brushes and rollers. Cheaper ones might leave bristles behind and you will find it very annoying trying to pick away loose brush hairs from your newly painted wall.

Once you are sure that your kitchen walls are clean and smooth, you can begin painting. Begin at the top of the furthermost corner from the doorway and work your way down and back. If using a brush, use a diagonal crisscross pattern, rather than straight up and down for a professional finish.

Be systematic and fussy ensuring that you get an even spread of paint. Depending on the original color of the wall that you are painting, you may need two or more coats.

For a modern look, you might like to use a different paint finish. One fashionable paint finish is sponging. Complete the base color and then dip a dried sea sponge into a contrasting paint and dab it on the entire surface of the wall. Another interesting pain finish is rag rolling, which is achieved by applying paint using a rag. There are many more paint techniques you can try.

If you do decide to use on of these techniques, do practice on some scrap timber first to perfect the method.

No matter, how you paint your kitchen the end result will reflect the amount of preparation you put in. It's not a difficult job and with a bit of planning you will soon have a brand new kitchen.

Choosing a color for the paint can be difficult but this article on decorating with color is bound to help. And if you a still having trouble this blog is all about how to choose colors.