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Paint Design Dilemma Kitchens

Help! My painted cabinets are peeling on the non-wood parts.

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I had my kitchen cabinets professionally sanded and painted. It's been a few years and now some of the paint on the non-word parts (MDF?) is starting to peel. Has anyone else had this happen? How did you fix it? With extra trim pieces? Thanks in advance.

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Comments (11)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 years ago
I am thinking this got wet
User
2 years ago
Water damage. Just do a standard maintenance paint touch up after sanding off anything that is peeling. Water in that amount WILL damage both your cabinets and floors. A damp mop doesn’t drip a drop. It isn’t sloshy.
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That is unfortunate to hear that the painter/wood installer you hired, did not sand or prime your cabinets before painting. We always recommend that you check the license/insurance of who you hire before hiring them to avoid this issue. He is most likely not licensed. A simple license check with your state will prevent many of these issues from ever occurring in the first place. Because he did not degloss, sand and prime the cabinets (and then wait the appropriate amount of time for the primer to cure) before painting them, then you will unfortunately need to strip the cabinets and start over. Our company specializes in painting cabinets as well as stripping cabinets- We have fixed a LOT of jobs around our area, where homeowners "went cheap" and hired an unlicensed/unqualified painter and paid the price. This is very, very common. We probably do 2 jobs a week to fix the mess of someone cheaper. I really don't understand why more people do not just hire professionals the first time, why tempt fate... but I digress. There is no quick fix here- you will need to do things the right way from here on out, unless you want to experience this problem all over again. So again, you'll need to have the cabinets completely stripped then cleaned, prior to sanding, oil priming and repainting. Or you could just buy new doors entirely, and negate needing to do the stripping and cleaning work for the cabinet doors. (You'll still need to sand, oil prime and paint them.) I recommend hiring a professional to finish this job, as most likely this guy is just going to do things wrong again. They always do. If he isn't smart or diligent enough to even do a basic google search or crack open a textbook to understand cabinets need to be primed, then do you really think that he's going to magically become a cabinet aficionado the second time around? Most likely not. And if he does a bad job stripping the cabinets, he may cause further damage, like deep scratches, uneven stripping, etc, along with wasting more of your money on materials and time.
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80sgirlatheart
Original Author
2 years ago
I just added a second pic. The paint on that one is peeling right below and under the counters. Nowhere near the floor. And it's in a place where no water would reach it. I don't actually mop much so I am pretty sure that isn't it. Eek. I am ashamed to say that I sweep a lot, but don't mop. It is only on the parts of the cabinets that aren't wood. I am guessing the paint doesn't take the MDF or whatever material it is in the same way. Wondering if I bought some trim to cover the edges, if that would solve this. I want to take care of it before big sheets start peeling off. Right now, it isn't really noticeable except to me.
80sgirlatheart
Original Author
2 years ago
We only use Bona when we clean and my husband is in charge of this. He sprays only small amounts and then cleans with a cloth.
User
2 years ago
Sand, prime, paint. What product did they use? Did they leave you some? it will be too old to use, but you can get a fresh quart of the same from the supplier. .
calidesign
2 years ago
Sand it and prime it before you try painting over it. We painted a melamine cabinet 6 years ago that still looks perfect. We lightly sanded, primed, and then painted two coats.
PRO
Edmond Kitchen & Bath LLC
2 years ago
As someone else previously mentioned, priming it with BIN will help. It is shellac that is based in denatured alcohol and it sticks pretty much to anything. You still want to sand it and clean it well before priming it with BIN but that should help minimize future problems. I think instead of MDF that is probably melamine. It is difficult to get paint to stick to that but BIN usually will.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
2 years ago
The cabinet sides were made from essentially contact paper on mdf that originally had wood grain to match the oak face frames. Cut a new side panel out of 1/8” birch plywood and paint that, you will never have a problem again. Alternately frame the whole exposed end with 1/3’s to make it a shaker end panel.
millworkman
2 years ago
"The cabinet sides were made from essentially contact paper on mdf that originally had wood grain to match the oak face frames."

If builder grade cabinets it probably is not MDF but cheap fiberboard with a photograph veneer that may not hold up well regardless.
80sgirlatheart
Original Author
2 years ago
The company that painted the cabinets, did so with a sprayer. If I sand, prime, and paint, it will be with a brush. Is that going to look bad? Wondering if I should put new side panels on that are wood instead as said per @HALLETT & Co.
cat_ky
2 years ago
You may be able to find wood side pieces at one of the big box stores, back in their unfinished cabinet department. I bought one there, for another purpose. Yes, replace the panels, rather than do a patch job.

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