4 Tips for Painting Garage Storage Cabinets
Painting your garage cabinets can make a great difference to the appearance of your workspace as well as promoting the longevity and functionality of your cabinets. In many households, garage cabinets provide an excellent means of organizing small tools, storing materials or simply creating extra storage space for household items that aren't currently being used.
DIY Safety
Always undertake painting jobs in a well ventilated area especially if you are using chemical or oil based products. Remember to wear dust or particle masks, safety gloves and protective eyewear while carrying out work on your garage cabinets.
Garage Storage Cabinets
Not everyone can afford purpose-made garage storage units. In the majority of garages, you’ll find that many DIY enthusiasts use old furniture as a means of creating storage units. This can actually work quite well and garage cabinets can be made more attractive by using simple paint and preparation techniques. Always bear in mind that wood can swell in damp environments which may cause paint layers to crack. Metal cabinets are also available and these are much more durable for withstanding the demands of everyday use than wooden alternatives.
Tip #1 - Effective Preparation
Rub down all visible surfaces of your storage cabinets with P180 grit sandpaper. This can be refined by rubbing down the surface further with a finer grade of sandpaper of P320 grit. Ensure that all dust is removed by wiping with a damp cloth before applying two coats of wood primer. The type of primer designed for exterior wood surfaces such as windows and doors is ideal.
Choose a pink or grey undercoat if you are painting your garage cabinets in a dark top coat. Dark top coats are ideal for garage cabinets because they hide dirt and messy fingerprints effectively.
Tip #2 - Product Choice
Primers and top coat paints are available as water or oil based products and both have different merits. However, many people put more faith in the effectiveness of oil based products when refinishing their garage cabinets. The sheen effect of oil based paint means that grubby marks can be easily wiped off to keep your storage units sparkling clean.
Tip #3 - Applying Oil Based Paint to Wood
Apply one thin coat of gloss on top of the dried primer. If the correct color of undercoat has been used, this should provide ample coverage. Remember to treat any metal fixtures anti-rust preparation product prior to painting. A second coat of paint can be applied if coverage is weak after the first coat.
Tip #4 - Metal Garage Storage Cabinets
Purpose built metal storage cabinets, as described earlier, are more durable than wood and offer a more practical solution to storage problems in the garage. These can be prepared in a similar fashion to wood but priming and painting with aerosol products is recommended.
Lightly rub down all visible surfaces with P320 grit sandpaper to remove scratches and flaking paint before cleaning off any surface dust. Apply two coats of primer and allow to dry before keying it up with a fine grade Scotch-Brite. The metal cabinet is now ready to paint.
Choose red or black colors as these make perfect top coats which are practical and hide dirt and grease easily. Two-pack acrylics are ideal for metal garage cabinets as these are easy to clean because of their high gloss content.
