Expert: Greg Scholl - 3/2/2009

Question
We bought a house about 2 years ago now and the kitchen cabinets looked great(white painted) when we first moved in but over time they've started to peel. You can grab the paint and pull it off in strips.  It has almost a silly putty type consistency.  I'm not sure what they did wrong when the cabinets were painted but I suspicion that they weren't primed properly.  Also I think the paint is latex and really should have been oil based.  I'm just guessing though.  I really have no experience with this type of stuff and I'm definitely not sure how to go about correcting the problem. Should I strip them first and then repaint?  Or should I sand them smooth,then prime and paint?  Mainly it is just the cabinet doors and drawer fronts that are really bad along with the bullnose edge (we've got tile counter tops with a wood strip for the edge) Do you think it would look ok if I didn't do the rest of the cabinets(just take the drawers and cabinet doors off and do them outside) or is it going to look horribly mismatched?

Answer
Hi Lenora, this is a big problem with no easy fix I'm afraid. It sounds like they didn't use a primer, and it sounds like they used latex paint and didn't prep the old finish properly so they had bad adhesion. This means the only way to fix it is to strip it all off, and if you're going to do that then you'll get into stripping the finish under the paint off as well, and this is a huge, messy job. Because it's likely latex, and not prepped properly, it wouldn't be smart to even try to rescue what's already on there...because you need to have good adhesion and a properly prepped, primed surface if there's any hope of the new paint finish lasting. Also, Latex is the wrong paint for painting cabinets to begin with. An oil would be a good choice, or a 100% Acrylic like Benjamin Moores' Regal Acrylic line. I would seriously think about saving for and investing in new cabinets, as this type of job is HUGE...not only do you have to strip the cabinets (and they may have a catalyzed or conversion type finish on them which is a bear to strip..), but then you'll have to prep and completely refinish them. They'll likely need to be taken down to do this, as working on large vertical surfaces, (especially the uppers), is more than a pain in the butt....and a monumental undertaking that will disrupt the kitchen for months......post back if need be- wish I had a better answer....I'm not saying you couldn't do this....I just wouldn't recommend it...regards- Greg