I’m taking delivery of my new wooden kitchen tomorrow. It’s an in-frame design, Tulipwood fronts and door, solid oak drawers, oak veneered Mdf carcasses/interiors.

My plan is to paint the fronts/doors and varnish the interiors. The kitchen won’t be fitted by me for 6 weeks, so I have time (and space!) to get it all painted prior to fitting. I shall be removing all doors/drawers/hinges, planning to Prime then 2 coats of Jonstones trade acrylic eggshell.

Any hints/tips? Brush or roller? Paint suggestions?

Thanks.

I’d have got the people making it to paint it with something they know will last.

Spray.

A friend has a company come round and take all the doors away and do it. They used some sort of 2pack and it’s very durable.

Sending away doors won’t help as the frames need painting too. Not sure me spraying it is a good idea!

Looked at similar a couple weeks ago and there was a guy on youtube with a walkthrough of how he paints his own made ones with rollers. Worth a search and watch. I’ll see if I can find it again later.

Hammerite

Varnish? Hmm, never seen that before.
It’s your new kitchen…. Get someone in to do it properly (i.e. once it’s fitted)

Edit: actually I’ve never seen oak laminated interiors either. My mate does properly expensive kitchens (£50-100k) and they all have a standard laminate interior as it’s hard-wearing.

I d roller it, for colours i would go and look at some hi end kitchens , copy the colour and get jonstons to make up the colour. They can copy the farrow and ball colours but it isnt as chalky. I always use jonstons now, not much more expensive either. Keep a bit back in a jam jar as touch up.

I would look into getting it painted professionally to be honest. Kitchens are a heck of a lot of work and expensive things!
If you do decide to go down the diy route then I’d personally avoid johnstones acrylic eggshell on a kitchen and look into products by benjamin moore, tikkurilla or little greene. Paint application is a personal thing, some brush, some roll and lay off with a brush. Get the best products and tools you can afford basically

Sounds like an ill thought out bodge. If your going to the expense of having it made in solid wood then why wouldn’t you of considered the finish before hand. If I was buying a solid wood kitchen I would want to see the wood and not cover it in paint.

Re varnished interior – I’ve done this in previous kitchens & it has worked well. Alternative is oiling, but IMHO it requires more upkeep.

I am going to do it, not getting someone in. It’s the third wooden kitchen I’ve fitted/painted, so not a complete novice, I’m just seeking some opinions, seeing if anything new is around since I did the last one 6 years ago.

Lion – thanks for those recommendations. What is the big difference between paint brand? I’ve used F&B previously, but didn’t like the chalky finish. Johnstones was recommended on a previous job and reviews of there recent paint were good.

Have a look at the Neptune paints (which I believe are Little Greene).

We’ve painted furniture in their stuff and it looks great (can be sprayed also).

Sounds like you know what you’re doing, but with grandma/egg related apologies:
*Use wood knotting compound generously to avoid anguish of later bleed through.
*I wouldn’t cut corners on less than premium paint. The extra cost of premium paint is a tiny percentage of total cost, esp. when you factor in time/effort costs. Personally I’ve never been impressed with Johnstone’s paint except for ‘buy to let’ levels of finish.
*Use tester pots generously. I have just been through a similar exercise in painting my back yard/garden and thank god I used tester pots as the first five or six candidates were horribly wrong once applied. (apply via lining paper, live with it for a few days etc). Variations in light etc.Fine difference turn into big differences when applied. Range of degrees of matt also a factor.Choosing off computer screen recipe for disaster etc.
*Worth getting advice from a good quality paint/interior design shop. I cannot recommend highly enough Cotton & Cloth Interiors, Whalley, Lancashire (not sure where you are): a paint shop run by interior designers. Lots of ‘free’ advice, great range of samples, ideas advice. Most deco shops run by decorators with good tech knowledge but limited knowledge of colour concepts etc.
*I started off with Farrow and Ball ideas, ended up with some Mylands paints. Expensive but look superb, made with marble dust etc.
*Standard Dad advice: preparation key to good result etc.
*Handles maketh the kitchen.

Thanks – we have a local Neptune so I’ll have a look.

Lotsroad – agree with all of that. The cabinet doors/frames are tulipwood due to it’s lack of knots over pine, but I’ll definately use where necessary.

I’ve been planning this kitchen for years, and know exactly the colours we want, and already have the handles

These in Satin Stainless Steel.

Wow, i don’t frequent this forum much now (and i am reminded of that now), but i lurk from time to time. In the midst of whats happening right now, and I don’t just mean the election but the general world order of things. If you have realistically planned your kitchen for “years” you should view yourself as a seriously troubled person! Jeeeeeesus, it’s a place to cook and feed. Have a word with yourself. PS. On your deathbed i hope you don’t regret “The kitchen planning years”…. i think you May… (No pun intended) p.s. i really don’t mean to be offensive, but ask Theresa May what her kitchen looks like..(it’sprobably quite nice) 🙂

Planning for the work on the house took ages, so I’ve had far I much time mulling stuff over.

Sorry, really don’t mean to offend your sensibilities… ill get my coat! 🙄

Takes far more than that!!

much time mulling stuff over

Between wheels up and wheels down on long haul? Only so many crosswords one can do,,,

Back on topic, echo the Mylands & Little Green paint recommendations.

DrLex – you obviously know me well!! I’ll have a look into all the recommendations. What is it marks out a quality paint? Coverage, toughness, finish? Or a bit of everything?

What is it marks out a quality paint? Coverage, toughness, finish? Or a bit of everything?

This from Mylands brochure:
rich and highly pigmented eco friendly water based paints formulations which are easy to use with outstanding coverage and opacity and exceptional durability.
-superior quality raw ingredients such as marble dust and earth pigments in our signature marble matt emulsion. no low grade fillers or plastic bulking agents.
-the only premium flat matt with EN 133000 Class 1 Scrub Resistance Certification.

I think basically it looks better for longer. I have a sort of grudging respect for OCD obsession over quality (pace Beanieripper) : I got it over my yard, stressing out over the right colour of mortar, searching stone yards to get the right match for the existing stone etc. etc. . There so much mediocrity and shabbiness in the world, it’s nice to create some perfection/beauty especially when you’re living with it every day.

Notwithstanding all the above, I think primer, undercoat and at least two finishing coats is what really matters, whatever paint you choose. Could be an epitaph?

Interesting, thanks.