Can You Paint Old Fitted Wardrobes? A Newcastle Handyman Guide
If your fitted wardrobes are still solid but the finish looks dated, you may not need to replace them. In many cases, you can paint old fitted wardrobes after the right preparation and give the room a noticeably fresher look.
Depending on the material and condition of the existing surfaces, you can sometimes prepare and repaint fitted wardrobes to give them a completely different appearance.
At Handyman MultiFix, we recently completed this type of wardrobe makeover in Newcastle NE5, transforming dated dark wooden wardrobe fronts into a modern grey finish.
Can You Paint Old Fitted Wardrobes?
In many cases, yes. However, check the condition and surface of the existing doors first. Painting directly over an old finished surface without suitable preparation can affect the quality and durability of the final result. That is why preparation was an important part of our Newcastle project.
How Do You Prepare Fitted Wardrobes for Painting?
Before painting, we mechanically sanded the existing wardrobe surfaces to prepare them for the new finish. For this project, we used a Milwaukee cordless random orbital sander to help achieve a properly prepared surface.
The video above shows part of the sanding and preparation carried out on the actual wardrobes. Sanding can also help deal with minor surface imperfections and provide a more suitable surface for the next stages of refinishing. The exact preparation required, however, depends on the material and existing finish.
What Paint Did We Use?
For this particular project, we painted the prepared wardrobe fronts using Rust-Oleum Washable Matt Furniture Paint. The grey matt finish changed the appearance of the wardrobes considerably while allowing the existing fitted units to remain in place.
We also replaced the original wooden knobs with new black-and-chrome handles to complement the updated finish.
Should You Paint or Replace Fitted Wardrobes?
There isn’t one answer for every wardrobe. If the existing units are structurally suitable and the layout still works for the room, refurbishment can be worth considering. It allows the existing storage to remain while changing its appearance.
Replacement may make more sense if the units have serious damage, the internal layout no longer works, or you need a completely different wardrobe configuration. Before deciding whether to paint old fitted wardrobes or replace them, assess their condition.
A Real Fitted Wardrobe Makeover in Newcastle NE5
For this project, Handyman MultiFix took the existing dark wooden wardrobes through the preparation, sanding, painting and finishing stages to produce the grey wardrobes shown below.
Rather than showing a showroom example, these photographs document the actual transformation carried out during the project.
See our full Fitted Wardrobe Makeover & Painting in Newcastle NE5 project for additional before-and-after photographs and details of the work.
Thinking About Updating Your Wardrobes?
If you would like to paint old fitted wardrobes or update other built-in furniture, send us a few photos and tell us what you would like to change.
Handyman MultiFix provides handyman, decorating and home-improvement services in Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding areas. For typical costs and our half-day and full-day options, see our Handyman Prices in Newcastle page.