Spraying kitchen cabinets is a great way to refresh your kitchen without the need for a complete refit. When done correctly, spraying your kitchen can deliver incredibly professional results, but if you don’t know how to maintain spray-painted kitchen cabinet doors, the results might be short-lived.
In this guide, we’re exploring some of the key things you need to know about caring for your new kitchen cabinets after they have been painted. By following this advice, you’ll be able to extend the life of your kitchen cabinets and keep them looking beautiful for years to come. We’ll cover:
- Immediate aftercare for when we finish spray painting your cabinets
- Daily cleaning habits to help care for your cabinets
- How to prevent damage to your cabinets in the long-term
- Tackling small mishaps with repairs and touch-ups
- When it’s time to call in the professionals for a re-spray
The First 30 Days: Navigating the Critical Curing Period
The days immediately after spraying your cabinets are crucial. This is often when damage can happen, and mishaps that happen in this period could require a full respray. To help protect your cabinets and keep them looking beautiful, it’s vital that you follow the aftercare instructions provided as part of your kitchen spraying service.
Why “Touch Dry” Doesn’t Mean “Full Strength”
Once the cabinets have been spray painted, we’ll give you an indication of when they will be “touch dry” and when they will reach “full strength”.
Touch dry simply means that if you accidentally touch the surface of the paint, you won’t get any on your hand, but the paint isn’t fully cured yet. So, heavy touching or attempting to clean the cabinets during this time could lead to finger prints, scratches, smudges and paint transfer to other surfaces.
Cabinets will be touch dry after one hour, but they shouldn’t be handled for at least 48 hours. It can then take 7-30 days for the paint to fully cure, and things like temperature and humidity can also have an impact on the full drying time.
What to Avoid During the First Month
In the first month, as you wait for the cabinet paint to cure, you should treat your cabinets with extra care.
- Avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals, abrasive sponges or steam cleaning.
- Don’t apply tape or suction cups to the surface of the paint.
- If you need to clean them, use a soft lint-free cloth and soapy water.
For the first 1-2 days, you should avoid slamming the cabinets or allowing anything to scrape along the surface. Open and close cabinets with care so that you don’t scratch the surface with your fingernails.
How to Clean Kitchen Cabinets: Daily Rituals for a Flawless Finish
Learning how to clean kitchen cabinets can help you to maintain a beautiful finish for longer and extend the time between re-sprays. With spray painted kitchen cabinets, the best approach is to adopt a daily habit of wiping down the cabinets, rather than resorting to harsh scrubbing to tackle built-up grime.
The Best Cleaners for Painted Cabinets (And What to Avoid)
The best option for cleaning your painted cabinets is simply warm water with a small amount of dish soap. This will help to break down cooking grease and fingerprints without damaging the paintwork. A homemade vinegar spray is another great option. Simply combine warm water and distilled white vinegar in a 50/50 ratio in a spray bottle.
All-purpose cleaners can also be effective, just check that it’s recommended for use on painted surfaces.
Some to avoid would include:
- Traditional wood cleaner or furniture polish. These contain oils and waxes that are designed to nourish wood surfaces, but they will just create an oily film on painted woodwork.
- Harsh cleaners and solvents, including acetone, will strip the paintwork and should always be avoided. Be careful when removing nail polish in your home, as discarded cotton wool balls left on painted surfaces can cause lots of damage.
- Steam cleaning should also be avoided, as this will cause the paint to bubble and peel.
- Bleach is another product to avoid, as this can discolour the paint.
How to Remove Grease and Grime Without Scrubbing
Your kitchen cabinets will inevitably collect food and drink splatters, grease, dust and grime. Daily cleaning with a soft lint-free cloth and a mild detergent will help to prevent build-up, so you’ll never need to scrub with abrasive sponges or harsh chemicals.
However, you might find that you need to deep clean your cabinets occasionally. Again, you should always avoid harsh or abrasive chemicals such as degreasers and cream cleaners.
Soapy water and a lint-free cloth should be sufficient to remove any grease and grime. Multi-purpose cleaners that are marked as safe for use on painted surfaces will also be excellent for this task. Look for cleaners with citrus to help cut through the grease.
Preventing Damage: Pro-Tips for Long-Term Durability
To help extend the life of your kitchen cabinets, consider how daily wear and tear might impact the paint job. This is an essential component of how to maintain spray-painted kitchen cabinet doors.
Managing Heat and Moisture in the Kitchen
Heat and moisture are often the leading cause of damage to painted kitchen cabinets. Daily cooking, boiling the kettle, using the coffee machine and allowing moisture to build up can all lead to damage.
Consider the placement of your kettle and try to avoid letting the steam touch your kitchen cabinets. You should also make sure that the seals around your oven are properly in place, or you could face heat damage to the cabinets beside your oven.
The Importance of Using Your Extractor Fan
An extractor fan will help to reduce moisture levels in your kitchen and can also help to prevent grime build up on your cabinets. Without an extractor fan, moisture will settle on all surfaces in your kitchen, including your cabinets. This moisture will attract dust, which will often be mixed with grease. This leads to an unpleasant build-up on your cabinets.
Soft-Close Hardware: Reducing Mechanical Wear and Tear
Opting for soft-closing hardware will also help to reduce damage from repeatedly slamming the cabinets. Without these mechanisms, you might notice cracks and chips in the paint after repeated use. If you don’t want to update the hinges, you could also install dampers to help absorb the impact and prevent painted surfaces hitting against each other.
Handling Small Mishaps: Touch-Ups and Repair Advice
Accidents do happen, but you don’t have to live with chips and scratches in your paintwork. Some light maintenance can help you to keep your cabinets looking beautiful.
How to Deal with Minor Chips and Scratches
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to minor chips and scratches. If you do face a small chip or scratch, you can touch this up, provided you have a small amount of the same paint colour. Filling a paint pen when your cabinets are spray painted can help you to stay on top of small mishaps.
You don’t have to repaint the whole cabinet. Simple wipe the area down to remove any grease or residue and then use a 220 grit sandpaper to gently create a textured surface. Use a small brush to dab or stipple the paint over the scratch or chip. Rather than one thick layer, it’s better to paint multiple thin layers.
When to Call the Professionals for a Respray
This is one of the most popular questions we hear as kitchen cabinet painting contractors. Professional spray painting can last anywhere from 5 years to 15 years, depending on how heavily you use your kitchen and how well it is maintained.
Once you start to notice paint is starting to look a little shabby, you might decide it’s time for a respray. You might also decide to respray if you are renovating your kitchen and want a fresh new look.
Spray painting kitchen cabinets is one of the best ways to breathe new life into cabinets, without the need for new cabinetry. It’s incredibly eco-friendly and far less disruptive. You can even upgrade your countertops with quartz overlay worktops. If you’re ready to start your kitchen makeover, get in touch with our team today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Painted Cabinet Aftercare
How do I clean my cabinets without ruining them?
The best way to clean cabinets without ruining them is to avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive sponges. A vinegar and water mix is sufficient, or you can use washing up liquid and warm water.
Can I use dish soap on painted cabinets?
Yes, this is one of the best ways to clean your cabinets and avoid grime build up. Always apply a soapy water mixture rather than applying dish soap directly.
How do I stop my painted cabinets from yellowing?
Yellowing will often occur when there is cooking oil and grease building up on the surface of the cabinets. To prevent yellowing, adopt a daily habit of cleaning your cabinets.
What happens if I chip the spray paint?
If you chip the paint, use the touch-up method outlined in the article to address the chip. You don’t have to repaint the entire cabinet.