Thinking of giving your kitchen a fresh new look with a respray? You’re not alone. Kitchen cabinet respraying has become a popular, affordable way to modernise your kitchen without the hassle and expense of a full replacement. But not all respray services are created equal and some might be putting your home and health at risk.
What Is 2-Pack Paint?
Many respray companies use what’s known as Cellulose based 2-pack paint (also called 2K paint). It’s a polyurethane-based system that requires a hardener to chemically cure the coating. While it’s often used in car body shops and industrial settings for its durability, it’s not always ideal or safe for your kitchen.
The Problem with Cellulose 2-Pack Paint in Your Home
Here’s why you should think twice before allowing a respray company to use cellulose 2-pack paints in your kitchen
1. Toxic Fumes
2-pack cellulose based systems contain isocyanates, chemicals known to cause respiratory irritation and long-term health issues when inhaled. Professional auto body shops use specialised spray booths and air filtration systems to contain these fumes. Many kitchen respray companies do not.
If cellulose based 2-pack is sprayed in your home, without proper ventilation or extraction, those fumes can linger in your kitchen for days and you’ll be breathing them in.
2. Inadequate Safety Standards
Some companies cut corners. They may set up a basic spray tent in your home or garage and hope for the best. But unless they’re using full extraction systems, sealed areas, and wearing proper PPE, they’re not protecting you or themselves.
3. Damage to Your Cabinets
2-pack paints are unforgiving. They can chip if not applied correctly, and they’re difficult to touch up. We’ve seen clients come to us after a “cheap spray job” that looked great for a few weeks, then started cracking, peeling, or yellowing.
4. Hard to Repair or Repaint
Once a cellulose based 2-pack has been applied, refinishing becomes more complicated and expensive. Future updates or colour changes are harder to achieve without stripping everything back adding time, cost, and mess.
The kitchen in this video had been painted by a well known respray company. The cellulose based paint started to chip nearly straight away. As you can see, nearly all of the paint sanded away easily. We were called in to fix this and repaint properly.
Our Safer Alternative
At Oisin Butler Ltd, we don’t use cellulose based 2-pack paints inside your home. Instead, we use modern, water-based and low-VOC (volatile organic compound) systems that are:
- Safe for indoor use
- Durable and long-lasting
- Low odour
- Healthier for your family and pets
Our spray equipment is designed specifically for onsite kitchen resprays, with professional masking, ventilation, and a clean finish every time.
Cheap & Fast – Just Don’t Last!
If a company offers you a bargain price but uses industrial-grade cellulose based 2-pack paints in your home, ask yourself: Is it really worth the risk?
Your kitchen is the heart of your home. Make sure it’s treated with the care, professionalism, and safety it deserves.
