Painting Cabinets With HVLP Sprayer: How To Do It Efficiently? [2023 Updated]

The first step in a cabinet painting project is to remove your cabinet doors and drawers. Spray paint cannot be done without removing the doors. Label the doors when you take them out, so you’ll know where to put them back.

1. Take them out of the kitchen and take them to the place which has been selected for your task.
2. After this, lay the doors and drawers on the surface of your workspace.
3. Wash the front and back doors and drawer fronts in a solution made of warm water and dish soap to get rid of oil.

It is common for the frame of the kitchen cabinet to accumulate grease and dirt, so it is necessary to remove it. Clean the frame of the kitchen cabinet thoroughly using a cleaning agent so that all the grease and dirt are completely removed. Remove all the tape from the cabinet frame’s ends.

Tape the kitchen’s walls, floor, and ceiling to protect them from paint splatter. Cover the countertops with rosin paper. Wrap the vent hood and the appliance in masking tape if you don’t plan to paint them with your cabinets.

Sand down any damaged spots on your doors if you have any. Spackling compounds can be used to repair scratches, holes, and dings. Utilizing a small knife, work the compound into the damaged area. Fill holes with handles and hardware if you are replacing hardware and need holes in various locations.

Sanding is required before priming your cabinet. If the previous paint on your cabinet has a glossy sheen, the new paint won’t stick well. Intermediate sanding is still required if the cabinet doesn’t have a shiny surface. Sand your door, cabinet frame, and trim using 320-grit sandpaper. 

The right idea would be to use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust from wood. But make sure to use a bristle fitting on a vacuum cleaner to vacuum.

Now, you have to prime your kitchen cabinet. So, you select a stain-blocking primer for priming. Then, using a paintbrush, prime the cabinet door and frame. Prime all doors on one side. Allow the cabinet face frame, sides, and frame to dry after priming. Next, prime the door’s opposite side.

Using fine-grained sandpaper, paint the cabinets. Use a tack cloth to clean the surface. Fill in the wood grain with a spackling compound to give your doors a smooth finish if they have a coarse wood grain. Utilizing a small knife, skim-coat the door with the compound while working with the grain of wood. After letting it dry, sand it with medium-grit sandpaper before re-priming it.

Combine one gallon of paint with a half-cup of water and a half-quart of Floetrol paint additive in a bucket because the paint must first be thin for a clean coat. It is ideal to use a brush to paint any exposed cabinet parts. 

Although brush paint leaves a mark, because the Floetrol paint ingredient has been included in the paints, the lighter brush markings will vanish as the paint dries. Starting in one corner, paint the cabinet frame. Before moving on to rails or styling, paint the entire rail using a high-quality paintbrush, including the inside edge.

Before beginning to spray paint, you should practice a little. Create a makeshift booth where you may practice. Put together a work surface. Hang plastic sheets next all over the workspace. Make sure the space is ventilated. You may easily get rid of the paint’s fumes by using a fan or leaving the window open. Spray paint that has been blended with Floetrol and water into the container. 

It would be best if you were prepared to paint your target cabinets once you have mastered the spray paint technique. Therefore, you must lift the door in order to paint it. You can do this by placing a block of wood or a box made of cardboard on your work surface. Then set the door on top of the box and a Lazy Susan turntable on top of it. 

To paint the door, you must rotate it. In order to paint the door on both sides, you should rotate the door while standing still. Keep the nozzle 9 to 11 inches away from the door to ensure an equal angle when spraying.

Now, work on the detail on one side and paint the edges. To paint the edges, turn your cabinet’s doors. Spray the edges first, then spray the doors. After the painting is finished, let the doors dry for the night. Spray paint the cabinet frames and apply a second layer to the trim and sides the following day. The door fronts should receive the first coat.

Now, it’s time to paint the drawers. So, to paint the drawers, first wrap your drawers inside with paper or something else. Then paint the drawers using your HVLP sprayer. Paint the back of the drawers first. Then paint the edges. And finally, paint the drawers from top to bottom. Allow the drawers to dry overnight after you have finished spraying.

Use a paintbrush to fix the paint runs or imperfections, and it should be done before the paint dries if any imperfections are visible after the paints are dry, smooth out the imperfection and apply the paint again.

After painting your cabinets, properly clean your HVLP sprayer to ensure no paint particles are left inside. Then, rearrange your cabinets.

Cabinet drawers and doors should be reinstalled. You will need to install hinges on the doors before affixing their doors to the cabinet frame.

So, fit the hinges on the doors in the right manner. Reconnect any additional piece of hardware. Scrape off any paint that has dripped into the hinge hole; otherwise, the hinge won’t fit properly.