Which paint should I use in a kitchen?
Which paint should I use in a kitchen?
A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel.
The universal cause of failed kitchen paintwork is grease. A film of vaporised cooking oil settles on every surface in the room, including the tops of doors and the insides of frames, and it is invisible, unaffected by sanding, and completely destroys adhesion — so degreasing comes first and sanding second, in that order. Cabinet doors add a second issue, because most are melamine or foil-faced and need a bonding primer with nothing for a conventional paint to key into. The third is patience: paint that is touch-dry in two hours may take two to four weeks to reach full hardness, and doors closed onto their frames or loaded with contents in that window will stick and mark.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Scrubbable acrylic eggshell | Withstands repeated cleaning and resists the grease film that settles on every kitchen surface. | Shows wall defects more than matt. |
| Cabinet or furniture enamel | Self-levelling, hard-wearing and formulated for the knocks a kitchen door takes. | Needs meticulous preparation, and takes weeks to reach full hardness even when touch-dry in hours. |
| Two-pack polyurethane | The hardest, most chemical-resistant finish available for cabinet doors. | Isocyanate hardener; spraying it requires an air-fed respirator and is not a domestic job. |
| Adhesion primer for laminate and melamine | Essential for factory-finished doors, where nothing else will hold. | An extra step, and it must be recoated within its window. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Degrease thoroughly with sugar soap or a proprietary degreaser, then rinse
- Abrade to a dull surface, then wipe again with a solvent
- Prime with a bonding primer on melamine, laminate or previously varnished doors
- Take doors off, remove handles, and paint flat where possible
- Leave doors ajar for several days and avoid heavy use for two to four weeks
What goes wrong
- Painting over grease
- Rehanging doors before the paint has hardened, which prints the seal onto the finish
- Spraying two-pack products at home without air-fed respiratory protection
Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.
Other paint questions
| For | Use |
|---|---|
| Previously painted wood | Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based. |
| Bare wood | Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice. |
| Plastic | Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional. |
| Bathrooms | A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix. |
| Metal | Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic. |
| Ceilings | A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first. |
| Tiles | Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower. |
| Fences | A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first. |
| Floors | Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber. |
| Radiators | A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will. |
| Exterior masonry | A breathable mineral or masonry paint — and on an old solid wall, breathability matters more than any durability claim. |
| Galvanised metal | A mordant wash, a self-etch primer or a purpose-made acrylic primer for galvanising — ordinary oil-based primer peels off in sheets. |
| UPVC | A uPVC-specific paint or an adhesion promoter with an acrylic topcoat — and avoid dark colours, which can distort the frame. |
Common questions
- Which paint should I use in a kitchen?
- A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel.
- What should I avoid?
- Painting over grease Rehanging doors before the paint has hardened, which prints the seal onto the finish Spraying two-pack products at home without air-fed respiratory protection
Related pages
- Which paint goes over previously painted wood? Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based.
- Which paint should I use on bare wood? Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice.
- Which paint sticks to plastic? Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional.
- Which paint should I use in a bathroom? A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix.
- Which paint should I use on metal? Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic.
- Which paint should I use on a ceiling? A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first.
- Which paint can I use on tiles? Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower.
- Which paint should I use on a fence? A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first.
- Which paint should I use on a floor? Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber.
- Which paint should I use on radiators? A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will.
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place