Application and spraying

Spraying a kitchen in place rather than in a workshop

Kitchen cabinet carcasses being sprayed in situ with doors removed to one side.

Spraying a kitchen where it stands means the household is not without a kitchen for a week, but it asks more of the masking, ventilation and sequencing than sending doors away to a controlled workshop. Deciding between the two is largely about how much disruption the household can tolerate against how close to a factory finish they want.

Questions we are asked about this

Will we be without a kitchen for the whole job?

Not necessarily — we can often sequence the work so part of the kitchen stays usable, though there will be periods without full access while drying takes place.

Do you take doors off to spray them?

Usually yes, to a separate area, so edges get even coverage and paint does not bridge the hinges while the door is fixed shut against the frame.

Is in-situ spraying as durable as a factory respray?

With the right primer and topcoat system, cured properly, the durability is comparable — the main difference tends to be edge finish rather than long-term wear.

What has to be masked and why

Worktops, appliances, sinks, flooring and any adjoining rooms need sealing off before a spray gun is switched on, since a kitchen sprayed in place sits inside a home that is still being lived in. Every gap around appliances and every worktop edge is a potential path for overspray, so the masking plan is worked through junction by junction rather than sheeted in general.

Worktops, hob and sink individually protected and sealed
Appliance gaps taped rather than left as an open edge
Adjoining rooms sealed against drift, not just the kitchen doorway

Doors on or off the hinges

Cabinet carcasses are usually sprayed in place while doors and drawer fronts are removed to a separate area, since spraying a door on its hinges risks paint bridging the hinge gap and locking the door shut once dry. Removing doors also allows all edges to be coated evenly, which is difficult to achieve while a door hangs closed against its frame.

Sequencing so the kitchen stays partly usable

Where the household needs some kitchen function throughout, cabinets can be sprayed in sections, working from one end of the run to the other, so a working sink or hob remains accessible for part of each day. This slows the job slightly but avoids leaving a family with zero kitchen function for the full duration.

Runs split so at least part of the kitchen stays usable
Drying times respected before doors are rehung
Handles and hinges refitted only once the finish has fully cured

What in-situ spraying cannot fully match

A door sprayed flat on a rack in a controlled workshop will generally get a slightly more even edge finish than one sprayed on its hinge in a domestic kitchen, simply because gravity and access are more forgiving on a flat surface. For most households the practical benefit of staying in the house during the work outweighs this small difference, but it is worth setting the expectation honestly.

How we work on this

We mask worktops, appliances and adjoining rooms junction by junction before any spraying starts.
We remove doors and drawer fronts to a separate area for even edge coverage rather than spraying them on the hinge.
We sequence cabinet runs so households retain partial kitchen use where the layout allows it.