It’s not always sufficient to know the type of paint to use on kitchen cupboards. The type of finish matters too, as some are more prone to mechanical damage than others. Take matt for example, it marks easily in comparison to high gloss finish.
Here’s Why matt kitchen cupboards mark easily
Matt kitchens cupboards won’t mark or scratch easily from the normal day to day wear subjected to them, especially when the paint is of high quality, but compared to high gloss cupboards, they do and it’s because of the lower amount of resinous binder in them.
Why do matt kitchen cupboards mark easily?
Matt kitchen cupboards mark easily because they have a lesser amount of resinous, adhesive binder in them which causes their surface to be less solid and smooth.
This makes them increasingly susceptible to mechanical damage like marks caused by hard objects like utesils or nails, for example.
This characteristic also makes them highly susceptible to staining and attarcting dust in comparison to the latter.
Do matt kitchen cupboards show damage easily?
Despite the fact that matt kitchen cupboards show more susceptibility to mechanical damage than cupboards with a higher sheen, they are very good at hiding these marks compared to the latter.
So if you have a light blue cupboard finished in both matt and eggshell or high gloss, and you accidentally scratch the door with a solid object, say fork, the matt will suffer the deepest marks, but the smaller coverage on the high gloss will be more evident (from afar) when compared to the matt.
Sometimes, matt will hide stains better than high sheen too, and the reason for this is the sheen of the latter: the increased quantity of the resinous binder that makes more regular reflections possible on the surface which exposes every imperfection, from smears, marks, stains, scuffs etc.
Are matt kitchen cupboards hard to maintain?
The fact that matt kitchen cupboards get dirty easily, pick up stains and marks faster than high gloss finishes doesn’t mean they’re magnets to dust, dirt and stains.
They are only lagging in these regards relative to a high gloss finish, but overall, matt is a finish you can use in your kitchen with great success.
Keeping your matt kitchen at prime quality really isn’t that hard. You just have to make sure you’re inspecting and cleaning the cabinets regularly as it’s easy for matt to pick up a lot of stain, dust, dirt and marks and hide them successfully, unlike with high gloss finish where they’ll show up quickly.
And stains that have settled on matt cabinets can be difficult to remove than those on a higher sheen finish.
How do you get rid of marks on a matt kitchen cupboard?
If you have marks created by solid objects such as utensils on your matt cupboard, then these might be permanent, and the only way to fix the issue is to repaint the cabinets all over again.
But most of the time, you won’t have to go this route as the marks will only be visible when you come close to the cupboard. From afar, they’re barely visible, and that’s one of the areas where matt is superior to high gloss finish.
How do you stop fingerprints on matt kitchen cupboards?
You can’t stop fingerprints from appearing on your matt kitchen cupboards, what you can do instead, is to learn how to tackle them effectively.
You can easily get rid of fingerprints stains by using an all-purpose cleaner like the one from Áthos.
When you spray the cleaner directly on the affected spot, use a microfiber cloth dampened with water to rub gently against the surface. Quickly follow up with a dry microfiber cloth and you’re good to go, no streaking, and certainly, no fingerprint stain!
How do you get grease and oil stains out of matt cupboards?
The most basic ways to get rid of grease and oil stains on a matt kitchen cabinet is using a solution of warm water and liquid detergent.
Soak a microfiber cloth into the solution and wring it properly. Use the wrung microfiber cloth to gently clean the matt surface making sure to pay attention to areas that have stuck-on bits on them, or are likely hotspots for dirt to hide i.e the handle area.
When you are satisfied with the cleaning, go ahead and use a microfiber cloth dampened with warm water to wipe off any leftover detergent on the surface of the cupboard.
Afterwards, use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe away any moisture remaining and you should have a clean matt surface.
How do you clean a matt kitchen cabinet?
First of all, when it comes to cleaning matt kitchen cupboards, it’s best to tackle things as they form, as aged stains become more difficult to remove on matt than on high gloss surfaces.
So when you notice or pick up stains or spills on your matt cupboards, tackle them immediately using soapy water and microfiber cloth.
We’re emphasizing the use of microfiber cloth as opposed to aggressive cleaners like wire brushes or scourers because these can actually scratch the surface of your matt and make it look ugly. You certainly don’t want that on your expensive finish.
As a good practice, it’s good to always run over the surface of your matt cupboards with a dry microfiber cloth every 2 to 3 days to tackle dust accumulation.
Perform a deep cleaning at least once in two weeks using any of the techniques we’ve outlined above which are the all purpose cleaner or the soapy water method.
If you’ve tried everything and your stains aren’t going away, try a paste of vinegar and baking soda on the affected spot.
Apply the paste to the spot and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently rub the area using a dampened microfiber cloth and wipe off the paste with the back of the towel.
Next, use a clean dampened microfiber to remove moisture and follow up with a dry one to finish off.
Because baking soda is a light abrasive, it will do the job of lifting dirt and stubborn grime on the surface of the matt without actually causing damage, at least on the macro level.
What is the best paint finish for kitchen cabinets (to protect against marks)?
When it comes to paint finish, the general rule of thumb is that the higher the gloss of the finish, the more its resistance to staining, mechanical damage, as well as dirt accumulation.
However, such characteristics come with a caveat too. High gloss finishes, when they eventually pick up stains and mechanical damage like scuffs, will show them quite easily compared to a flat finish.
So as far as the best paint finish is concerned, in my opinion, it would be a finish that sits somewhere between the two, i.e, one that only barely shows scuffs, dirt, scratches even when it accumulates them. And that would be the semi-gloss type of finish.
Additionally, it is very important to pick up the right type of color as choosing the wrong color can make all your effort to nail the perfect paint finish go in vain.
This is because some colors naturally show damage and dirt more easily than others. If you’re going for a flat finish, make sure to choose darker colours like blue, brown and black and avoid picking white or yellow which will show dust and dirt easily.