hand-painted kitchens, furniture & period property decorating

Plain English Kitchen painted by Lee Simone, Leeds

Posted: 25 Sep 2013 01:55 AM PDT

The post Plain English Kitchen painted by Lee Simone, Leeds appeared first on Traditional Painter

Traditional Painter in Yorkshire Lee Simone goes through a Hand Painted Plain English Kitchen in Leeds.

For this project the clients had bought a ‘Plain English’ kitchen and had it delivered in box form ready to be fitted and tweaked on site by their joiner. They wanted the units to be hand painted in brilliant white and for the finish to be top notch.

Alongside the kitchen they also wanted me to paint the main door, the skirting boards (which were new pine) and 2 fitted cabinets that were original features of the house and were set into the walls on the opposite wall.

With other painters unwilling to take on the responsibility of painting the kitchen, they got in touch with me. ‘Plain English’ kitchens are beautifully designed and crafted and are a pleasure to paint, though uncompromising due to their simplicity. There is no margin for error if you want a top quality finish, as any imperfection stands out a mile away.

After a consultation I emailed my quote and the clients replied saying they’d love me to the job. We arranged a starting date, talked over the finer logistics and I called a few days before I was to begin, to touch base, arrange keys etc… then it was painting time

Masking Off -

I began the project by first masking off the worktops, the appliances, wall edges, floor etc with 1200 lining paper and a mixture of low tack masking tape and 3M's wonderful Edge Lock 2080EL. (Reviews on the 3M site)

Once masked I thoroughly cleaned all the units with Krudcutter Original, followed by white spirit. Although the kitchen was new and had been boxed up, it’s always best to clean even new units thoroughly, to remove any chance of any dirt or grease spoiling the finish.

Once cleaned, I then lightly sanded every inch of the doors thoroughly to create the perfect key for painting. They had already had a coat of factory primer applied so I used 180 grit sandpaper to avoid scoring the doors in any way.

Priming -

The next stage is the all important priming. I used Otex by Tikkurila bought from Holman Paints. This is a brilliant product, lovely to use and creates a really good base for the top coats. Once primed, I then filled any gaps or holes, gave it a light sand, hoovered again ready for the next stage.

Top Coats -

For this project I applied three coats of Dulux Brilliant White oil eggshell, lightly sanding between coats. The eggshell was applied using a mixture of brushes including Purdy Pro-Extra’s, a Wooster Flawless, acrylic artist brushes and a high density foam roller.

This was the first time I had used the * Wooster Flawless (which had been specially ordered for me by Andy Cherry at My Paint Brush, and it worked well for tipping off, though it was susceptible to clogging and needed a very light touch.

I have since used it for applying Fiddes Hard Wax Oil (The brush specification is mainly for wood treatment oils and varnishes and sealers), and it did work brilliantly for this kind of application – almost ‘flawless’ I’d say

The clients were over the moon with the finish and extremely happy with their new bespoke ‘Plain English’ kitchen. They were still undecided about the handles by the time I’d finished, so I kept all the drawers and cupboards slightly ajar using bubble wrap, allowing easy access, without the risk of damaging anything.

If you’d like to see a great Blog on how Traditional Painter Mark Nash set about re-painting another ‘Plain English’ kitchen, please click on the following link Plain English painted kitchen

Thanks for reading, until next time

Lee Simone hand painted kitchens yorkshire

Based nr. Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Lee Simone began Imaginative Interiors in 1999 and now travels throughout Yorkshire transforming and rejuvenating furniture and kitchens to the highest level.

Alongside beautifully hand painted kitchens and furniture, Lee can also offer you outstanding specialist paint effects, faux finishes, murals and trompe l’oeil.

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Plain English Kitchen painted by Lee Simone, Leeds