The average family kitchen is subject to more use and abuse than just about any other living space imaginable. Extreme temperatures, humidity, spills, splashes and the daily attacks of hungry kids (and adults!) can really take a toll.
Which is precisely why even the most immaculate kitchen can quickly become unsightly. Or if not unsightly, less than immaculate…to put it mildly. Nevertheless, the perceived complexity of getting the job done often means that the kitchen also goes overlooked as a room that can be spruced up with a new coat of paint.
Of course, a cramped and chaotic kitchen is always going to represent more of a challenge to paint than a minimalist lounge or bedroom. Nevertheless, it’s a job that’s more than worth taking on for the enjoyment you’ll get out of it on the other side.
After all, if you spend huge amounts of your waking life in the kitchen, why not make it a kitchen you’re delighted to be in?
So with this in mind, what follows is a brief overview of six simple yet important tips and tricks for anyone serious about painting their kitchen like a pro:
- Get Serious With the Cleaning
First and foremost, don’t underestimate the intensiveness of the cleaning required when preparing your kitchen for painting. After all, these are the kinds of walls that are exposed to the kind of floating grease, grime and general grubbiness that’s pretty much absent around the rest of the home. Don’t even think about going ahead until you have gone to extremes with the cleaning, which also means giving your walls sufficient time to dry.
- Go Bright
While there are exceptions to the rule, bright and cheerful colors tend to represent the best choices for most kitchens. Particularly if dealing with a kitchen that is relatively limited in terms of its overall dimensions. Yellows, blues, greens, whites and even reds can all be great for kitchens. Consider taking a step out of your comfort zone and experiment with something new. After all, you can always change it back later if you aren’t convinced!
- Go Durable
For obvious reasons, it’s worth painting your kitchen using the kinds of paints that are as durable and easy to clean as possible. Particularly in any areas that are more exposed than others to splashes, splatters and general mayhem. Glossy paints are typically easier to keep clean than matte alternatives, though there are various paints you can pick up these days that are specifically engineered to be as easy to clean and maintain as possible.
- Contrasting Cabinets
Nothing will make a bigger difference to the aesthetic of your kitchen than the color you decide to paint your cabinets. Hence the reason why we’d definitely recommend looking beyond the walls only. If you do, think carefully about the kinds of colors that could contrast perfectly with the colors chosen for your walls. Keep things understated and simple if you like, but going bold with something bright and beautiful comes highly recommended.
- Remove Hardware
Don’t make the mistake of thinking it will save you time and effort if you simply mask-off and protect the kind of hardware that could be easily removed. From light switches to power sockets to shelves to handles and so on, anything that can be removed with ease should be removed before going ahead. Not only will you find it so much quicker and easier to get the job done, you’ll also produce far better results.
- Consider Specialist Paints
The kitchen can be the perfect place to bring the fun and functionality of magnetic and/or chalkboard paints into the mix. And given that they’re so affordable and easy to work with these days, seriously…why the heck not?
- Plan Ahead
Last but not least, the worst thing you can do when looking to paint your kitchen like a pro is rush things along. The problem being that given the importance of the kitchen to your everyday life in general, you’ll probably want to get things done as quickly as possible. As such, it’s important to plan ahead and allocate a time when you can give the project as much time as it needs. Rather than simply starting on a whim and allowing things to descend into chaos, think carefully about when would represent a more appropriate time to spruce up your kitchen.
For more information on anything to do with interior painting or to arrange an obligation free quotation, get in touch with a member of the Homm CPS customer service team today.