Painting kitchen cabinets

Many DIY enthusiasts don’t realise is that spending hours sanding down smooth surfaces in the home in order to paint over them is not necessary.

Tired looking Formica kitchen units, laminated counter tops and melamine shelving can all be transformed in a matter of hours without having to sand until your arm is numb.

These types of surfaces, which popped up everywhere in homes in the seventies, can be painted over with the help of an adhesive coating. This coating is simply wiped onto surfaces with a cloth.

“This product is our biggest seller, yet I’m still amazed at exhibitions around the country that so few DIY people are aware of it,” said Brendan Igoe, owner of a paint products wholesale company.

Easy Surface Prep (ESP) costs in the region of 20 euros per litre and once applied paint sticks to any surface instantly. It’s just one of the many effective products used by painters and decorators to cut down on the time it takes to do jobs.

“It means that all smooth shiny surfaces, including tiles, can be painted over,” said Mr Igoe. “We’ve heard of people who have even painted their fridge to blend in with the colour of their kitchen.”

Dublin based Igoe International sells a range of products and paint additives to all major suppliers and decorating companies around the country. The additives are mixed with both water based paints and oil based paints to help them stick to problem surfaces for longer.

In this country there has been a gradual move towards water based paints in recent years.

But those in the business say that oil based paints, which leave an odour, are necessary for certain jobs.

Although these paints emit fumes of white spirits and are harder to dispose of than paints with a water base, decorators continue to use them for wood and gloss finishes indoors.

Paints with an oil base are also the preferred option for bathrooms, where steam and water splashed onto walls from the shower can leave mould stains.

“A few years ago there was a trial run on water-based gloss for doors and wood finishes, but the gloss wasn’t durable. The oil based gloss and paints are much more hard-wearing,” said decorator Denis McCarthy.

When he works with oil-based paints in homes, he quarters a number of onions beforehand and places them around the room being painted. The onions help to soak up the smell of the paint.

According to Pat Newton of Dulux, water-based paint is the biggest seller by far in the market as this type of paint comes off clothes quickly, can be disposed of easily, and is suitable for most work indoors and outdoors.

He stressed anyone working with an oil based paint should ensure that it was totally dried out before attempting to throw it out, as if paint leaks into the earth in landfill areas it can damage the environment.

He said for the last number of years Dulux has promoted water-based products as these paints are more environmentally friendly than paints with an oil base. But while 80% of Dulux products are water based, there is also a big demand for oil based glosses and paints.

“At some stage in the future legislation will probably be brought in to curb the use of oil based paints, but until that stage suppliers will continue to sell them in large quantities,” said Mr Newton.

Mr Igoe pointed out that there wasn’t the same environmental awareness in Ireland as existed in other countries such as the U.S. and New Zealand, but he added paints with a water base were not as effective for many jobs.

His company Igoe International moved from selling spray painting equipment to the market into providing additives for paint and other products to help cut down on the time it takes to do jobs.

One of their products widely known by painters is Emulsibond, which is added to the first coat of paint for exterior walls which have proved to be very flaky.

“What DIY people don’t understand is that three quarters of a painting job is in the preparation. There are products which can help to make the job a lot easier,” said Mr Igoe.

His company website (www.igoe.ie) gives a list of problems which a DIY painter may encounter and suggests products to help the person get the job completed. It’s not a shopping website as Igoe International is a wholesale company.

So if you’re thinking about a new colour scheme in your home and are unsure whether your tiles, woodwork and steelwork will be able to take a coat of paint, make sure to consult the experts before starting the job.

Proper preparation could be the key to a job well done, so don’t hold back with your questions at your local paint store. You could end up stumbling upon a host of useful paint products.