How can I finish my cabinet in a porcelain glaze?
Answers:
Porcelain is a material that has to be fired in a high temp. kiln. You find it on things like pottery, bathtubs, etc. You probably are thinking of enamel. Painting cabinets is a very time consuming project but can definitely be done by a home owner.
The key to a good and lasting job is in the preparation. First you'll need to remove all the doors and drawers. I would suggest you remove the hinges from the doors as well as the cabinets ( note that the screws in the back of the door are different than those that attach the hinge to the cabinet). Make a diagram of the cabinet layout and number each door/drawer on the diagram as well as the piece itself. Number the doors on the area that the hinge covers and cover it with a small piece of tape. This will keep any paint from hiding the number. Number the drawers on the back or bottom of the drawer. Next, clean off all grease, dirt, etc. from all surfaces to be painted. After the surfaces are dry, fill in any areas that need it ( dings, holes from picture nails, etc.). If you are using the same hinges, do not fill those holes. Next, sand all of the surfaces with 150 grit sandpaper. The object is to scuff up the finish that is on the cabinets to give the primer a good surface to bond to. Remove dust with shop vac, old paint brush, rag wetted with mineral spirits. Caulk any cracks between trim and cabinets, etc. Apply a coat of oil based primer to all surfaces. Doors will have to be done on one side, allowed to dry , then flipped over to do the other side. Suggest you start with the backs first. There are fast drying primers, but drips, runs and brush marks will be more difficult to avoid than with a slower drying oil primer. With the cabinets, always go back after five minutes to see if there are any drips or runs. Smooth them out if you find any. You can avoid runs by laying doors flat after priming. Leaning them against a wall may also result in them warping.
When all surfaces are primed, sand with extra fine sanding sponge, not paper. The idea here is to get the primer smooth without removing much. If you do go down to the wood, touch up those areas with primer before applying finish coat. After sanding is complete, use something called a tack rag to remove dust. The rag is actually a piece of cheese cloth impregnated with bees wax. While sanding, keep it in your rear pocket to soften it. Remove as much dust as you can with shop vac old paint brush. Open the package and completely unfold the cloth. Now wad it up loosly and very lightly go over all the surfaces to be painted. If you press on it, you'll get wax on the surface which will prevent the finish coat from bonding properly. After all surfaces are dust free, apply a good enamel paint. Use a good quality brush for best results.
After enamel is dry, check to see if one coat covered. If not, repeat the sanding with extra fine sponge and repeat dust removal steps and then apply a second coat.
When paint is dry ( allow at least 24 hours ) install doors and drawers per diagram. It is best to have 2 people install the doors so that cabinets don't get damaged during the process. Apply pads to the outside corners of the doors and 2 bottom corners of drawers to make them quiet when closing and new handles ( screws for drawer knobs are often longer as they have to go through the thickness of the drawer front as well as the drawer box ). Now you have a like new set of cabinets.
You can expect to pay between $25 and $50 per opening to have this done professionally.
Other answers:
you would need alot of glaze,it could get very expensive...
you would need alot of glaze,it could get very expensive...