Painting the units instead of replacing them
Of the village's homeowners, 380 own outright and 258 are paying a mortgage, according to the 2021 Census. For them, a repaint leaves the sink plumbed in and the oven where it is. First, Graham looks at what your doors are made of. Timber, solid wood and MDF take paint well with the right preparation, while some wrapped finishes don't, and he'll tell you before you book.
Each door is cleaned of grease, keyed with Mirka dust-free sanders and primed with Zinsser before two top coats of a durable eggshell or satin. Our Graco Ultra cordless airless sprayer is quickest on flat doors, while a brush often suits panelled and Shaker styles. The kitchen respray page explains how we set up for spraying.
Kitchen walls, ceilings and worktops in Bottisham
Steam and grease mean kitchen walls are washed down first and given a wipeable finish. Water stains around a sink or below a bathroom get a coat of stain block so they don't bleed through. Ceiling and walls are done before the units, and our kitchen painting and decorating page covers products in more detail.
Last of all, wooden worktops can be given an Osmo oil, the finish we used on the worktops at the Old Telephone Exchange in Fulbourn.
Bottisham at a glance
- 8 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 12 minutesOSRM routing
- 70%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
- 28%of households own with a mortgageCensus 2021
- 93%are houses rather than flatsCensus 2021
How we approach kitchen cabinet painting
We'd plan the order so the sink and fridge stay usable, label and remove doors and hardware, and degrease everything. Ceiling and walls are washed, filled and painted first. Units are then sanded, filled and primed for their material before top coats in Tikkurila, Farrow & Ball or Dulux. Tiles, worktops and appliances are sheeted and taped for the whole job. The full method, products and FAQs are on our kitchen cabinet painting page.