Painting Thermofoil Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Thermofoil is also sometimes applied to existing cabinets as a refinishing technique.

Painting thermofoil kitchen cabinet doors.

Few home building materials incite as much controversy as thermofoil cabinets do. Painting mdf shelves and cabinets that are covered in thermofoil means that the surface will need to be prepped thoroughly. Thermofoil is most often seen in white or off white although some manufacturers offer a variety of colors and even faux wood finishes. Thermofoil cabinets are also perceived as being like the vinyl siding of kitchen and bathroom.

The thermofoil manufactured today is. Thermofoil cabinets have a thin layer of vinyl covering mdf. They are extremely strong and durable but they can also begin to peel over time. Our cabinets were in very good shape so i felt good about painting them.

You can choose to use any water based latex paint for the thermofoil cabinet doors. If you don t want to replace all of the cabinets we usually suggest replacing just the thermofoil on the doors and drawer fronts. The result is a kitchen cabinet with a smooth seamless finish. The cabinet boxes and faceframes can be repainted to match.

Thermofoil cabinets have many clear advantages. The pros cons of thermofoil cabinets. To remove it you simply heat it up with a hair dryer or heat gun and carefully peel it off. This would give the kitchen a whole new look derrek holland of the closet doctor added.

I lightly sanded it before applying the paint. Thermofoil cabinets are made using a flexible vinyl material that is applied by heating the vinyl and molding it over medium density fiberboard mdf or. Enamel paints are also a good choice because they are extremely durable and will last a long time without chipping and scratching. Foam is typically the best material for applying paint to thermofoil so try to find a foam based paint brush or roller for.

Using a paintbrush or roller proceed to apply your latex paint in the same fashion as your primer. Choose a satin finish latex paint if you aren t interested in a high gloss finish. Enamel is typically very glossy. If your cabinet doors are in really rough shape peeling you may want to consider having new doors made.

With your second coat of primer dry it s time to begin painting your thermofoil cabinets. Durability of thermofoil vs. The thermofoil is easy to clean but can crack peel or bubble when exposed to high heat and moisture according to best online cabinets. The surface underneath is called mdf medium density fiberboard and is painted in the same way you would paint raw wood.

Here s is a photo of the cabinet doors after the thermofoil has been removed.