stained kitchen units General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[popeye60]

can someone help , we have b&q wite kitchen units, although replaced once by them have still gone cream only the doors have done this while all trims and handles remain white, is there any way to paint them or clean them up. the doors doo have a grey coach line incorporated into design. many thanks john

[DUDE DIY]

can someone help , we have b&q wite kitchen units, although replaced once by them have still gone cream only the doors have done this while all trims and handles remain white, is there any way to paint them or clean them up. the doors doo have a grey coach line incorporated into design. many thanks john

Hi john, have you tried cleaning them with white spirit or somthing stronger than conventional cleaning products?...maybe try a hidden section with white spirit or nail varnish remover. Use a non abrasive cloth and wear protective gloves and open a window. If you do you this make sure theres no naked flames, the last thing you want is a fire. If this does work and clean the cupbaords you will still need to wash them again afterwards with warm soapy water to clean off the spirits as again its a fire risk....let me know how you get on. cheers

[popeye60]

many thanks for your reply, have already tried nail polish remover, no impact at all, the only thing i can think of is there a paint i could use, someone has suggested they were not annealed on manifacture but B&Q dispute this.it's such a shame nice kitchen that just looks a mess because of doors. thanks again

[DUDE DIY]

I have some knowledge on statutory rights. If a product is sold which isnt fit for its purpose, ie your kitchen then legally your entitled to your money back. Im not sure if you said it was a new kitchen or it was already in your house when you moved in???...if it was bought new recently, say within 1 year or even longer then you still have a case to take it up with B&Q. If you did buy the kitchen I think the best approach is to be quite friendily with B&Q but keep on at them, your more likley to get the result you want if your pleasant when trying to get them to sort it out for you. Definatley get advice from your local trading standards. B&Q wont want bad local press either so get the local paper involved. Take it to the top brass at B&Q and work down. Hope you get a result mate, it rattles me when companys try to swing the lead!...let me know how you get on. Hope you get it sorted.

[popeye60]

many thanks for your reply, have already been down that road to try to sort it out after a year through trading standards, they did replace doors but within 5 months were just as bad, now we have had kitchen several years and not in a position to replace doors our selves we were hoping we could paint them or simular i.e. clean them up. once again many thanks for your answer, it's just nice that someone replies. thank you . john

[PhilC]

John,

It is possible to revamp the doors with a touch of paint, but you do need to be methodical and not rush things if you want a good finish.

You can use either a gloss paint, or a good quality emulsion, but if you use emulsion it would be better to select one of the hard wearing ones designed for kitchens or bathrooms.

Whichever you choose I would remove the doors from the carcase by undoing the single screw on the hinges (you said they are B&Q) so this is standard, and I would paint them whilst flat. Take your time and don't rush. Two thin coats will give you a much better and longer lasting finish than trying to put the paint on thickly and cober in one coat.

Wash them first to thouroughly remove any grease or spills otherwise you will get a patchy finish. And trust me all kitchen doors get greasy!

Good luck

P

[thedoctor]

See our project on painting kitchen units. Gloss or emulsion will not last 5 minutes on melamine doors without first applying a proprietary melamine primer available from decorators merchants. Other paints chip and crack very quickly with the "abuse" a cupboard door takes.

[popeye60]

many thanks for all help given,will try the melamine primer first and take it from there , will get back to you with results later . thanks john

[popeye60]

i thank you so much for your help , thought you would like to know i have found a wonreful answer to my prayers called CUPBOARD PAINT from wilkinson d i y shop and even better its only £7 a tin. It's done a fantastic job. took them all down washed in sugar soap then left to dry thoroughly for two day, changed knobs, now got a new look kitchen to be proud of. Once again many thanks for all your replies without them i was ready to give up on the matter . john :lol: :lol: