Can you paint over plywood cabinets?

Painting your plywood cabinets is a great way to spruce up your kitchen. It does take time to do it right, but with a bit of patience and a few coats of paint, you can achieve a smooth, even finish and transform your kitchen without spending money on a full renovation.

What kind of paint do you use on plywood?

For plywood projects, water-based acrylic-latex paints are generally the easiest to work with. Epoxy paints also offer great durability. Opt for high-quality paint and apply with a quality brush for the best possible results. Wet the brush before painting, and apply in the direction of the top grain.

Can you paint straight on plywood?

Painting plywood is very similar to painting any other lumber – you have to fill all the holes and non-uniformities (there is a special trick to this!!), prime and then paint and seal it.

Do I need to sand plywood before painting?

Since Grade A plywood is usually sanded, it's not necessary to sand the surface before painting. If your sheet of Grade B plywood isn't sanded, you must be very careful not to remove too much material while sanding. Remember that the layer of wood veneer on top is as thin as 1/16 of an inch.

Do you need to prime plywood before painting?

If you want to paint plywood, you'll first need to apply a primer. General-purpose wood primer will give you a smooth, nonporous base coat to work with. The base coat will prevent the pigment in the paint from being absorbed by the plywood, requiring many layers and creating muted colors.

How to Finish Plywood Cabinets: Inside

Can plywood cabinets be refinished?

However, plywood cabinets lose their finish over time. To prevent fading and a dulled appearance, refinish the wood with a stain and varnish. The process reconditions the color and texture of the cabinets while protecting them as well. Treat plywood cabinets with a stain and varnish for a new, durable finish.

What is the best finish for plywood?

Polyurethane. Polyurethane varnish is probably one of the most common finishes applied to projects made out of plywood, especially furniture projects made out of hardwood plywood. Polyurethane is easy to work with and gives an excellent finish, even with minimal skill.

Do painted kitchen cabinets hold up?

With proper care of professionally painted kitchen cabinets, you can expect your newly painted cabinets to last 8-10 years. However, there are a few things that can drastically shorten this timeframe, leaving you needing them repainted 3-4 years later.

Which primer is best for plywood?

How do you keep plywood from warping when painting?

The best way to store plywood, to prevent it from warping in the first place, is to lay it flat. Rather than laying it directly on the floor of your workshop, use pieces of lumber to create a platform, albeit a makeshift one, for the plywood to sit on.

How do you seal plywood for painting?

Using an epoxy sealer is probably the most popular way to seal plywood against the elements. The epoxy is usually found in paint or spray forms. The advantage that epoxy provides is that it makes the plywood stronger, in addition to waterproof.

Is it cheaper to paint cabinets or reface them?

Cabinet painting is hands-down the cheaper way of giving new life to your old and stained cabinets. However, this method is only applicable if the hardware of the cabinets is in good shape. Here, a fresh coat of paint is added to the doors, drawers, and cabinet walls.

Can you sand plywood kitchen cabinets?

Sanding and Smoothing

Gently sand the plywood using a 180-grit sandpaper to help create a better footprint for the primer and paint. If there are any pinholes, dents or indentations, apply a water-based wood filler to the area, smooth it into place with a plastic putty knife and allow it to dry.

Is it worth it to reface kitchen cabinets?

If you love the way your cabinets and appliances sit and function, refacing is a perfect option to retain the kitchen you love, but with a style update. Refacing your kitchen cabinets costs at least half as much as remodeling the entire thing. So you save a ton of time, money, and energy by choosing this option.

Is it cheaper to refinish or replace cabinets?

If budget is your main consideration, refinishing is often the cheaper option. Estimates have shown that refinishing cabinets costs about 2/3 the cost of refacing, and refacing costs about 70 to 80 percent the cost of installing replacement cabinets.

Can I use latex paint on plywood?

Both latex and oil paint work with plywood. If you use a latex-based primer, either kind of paint can go on top of it. Two coats of paint on top of the primer is best, applied between two days and two weeks after priming.

Can you use Kilz on plywood?

You can paint kilz on your subfloor though it depends on the type of floor and purpose of application. What is this? The paint is especially ideal for hardwood, plywood, and other organic-based subfloors with an affinity for stains and unpleasant odors. Kilz paint can either be a water-based or oil-based primer.

How do I get a smooth finish on plywood?

Can you stain plywood cabinets?

Plywood is a cheap and durable material for carpentry, but it does have the problem of being made partially of glue, and glue mixes poorly with some types of wood stain. The main issues with staining a plywood cabinet are to properly prepare the plywood surface for staining, and to avoid the wrong kind of stain.