Nuvo is Giani's satin-finish cabinet paint. Instead of incurring the costly venture of replacing your kitchen or bathroom cabinets, breathe new life into them with paint.

All Nuvo cabinet paint kits will cover 100 square feet of cabinets. Nuvo is designed to be applied with 2 to 3 thin coats. Most applications only need 2 coats, however, if you are painting a lighter color over a dark wood, or a darker color over light colored wood, then you will need multiple thin coats to hide the underlying color.

Nuvo Will Cover:

• Bare and painted wood (see note below)
• Paper covered cabinets
• Bare and painted metal
• Varnish finish
• Laminate
• Melamine
• Vinyl

While our paint does have a primer in it, for raw woods such as plywood and cabinets that have not been sealed but instead exposing wood grains and knots, we recommend sealing the wood with a good wood primer such as Zinsser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 or something similar. Otherwise, the tannins in the wood might bleed through the paint.

For conventional wood or laminate cabinets, thoroughly sand all of your cabinet surfaces, whether it be wood, laminate, vinyl, or a painted surface. You do not have to remove your existing finish, just sand with a #300 grit sandpaper until all of your surfaces are de-glossed. If you have wood cabinets then follow your wood’s grain with your sanding motions and avoid sanding in a circular fashion. If you have an electric palm sander then follow your woods grain as well.

Be sure to sand extra well around your door handles and stove because of the potential oils and dirt located in these areas.

When you are done sanding, wipe up all of the sanding dust with a standard window cleaner since the alcohol and ammonia won’t leave a residue. Clean well with Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP cleaner or a degreaser) around the handles and places where you often touch the wood, as the oils from our hands get onto the surface and will keep the paint from adhering. Pay extra attention to the area above and around the stove where oil and grease accumulates. You may need to clean a few times depending on how much the grease has settled. After cleaning, wipe up with water or Windex® to remove any TSP or degreaser residue. This may need to be done a few times.

For paper covered cabinets or cabinets that have the ends covered in wood paper, use TSP to clean the surface of the cabinets (including the paper covered portions), and wipe the residue clean with a clean cloth. Use wood glue to repair any existing tears in the papered portions of your cabinets according to the manufacturers recommendations. Allow the repairs to dry, lightly scuff all surfaces with #300 grit sandpaper, and smooth down any raised, repaired areas. Once you've scuff-sanded all of your cabinets, clean once more with TSP or a substitute degreaser, wipe clean and allow to dry completely. Prime only the surfaces of your cabinets that are paper covered with a single coat of Zinsser's oil-based, white Cover Stain Primer Bond. Allow the primer to dry for at least 24 hours before applying Nuvo Plus.

For applications on an existing high gloss finish, it is optimal to apply a liquid deglosser to your finish first and then use the #300 grit sandpaper to lightly scuff up the surface.

Cracking may occur if you do not clean your cabinets well enough.

Nuvo Plus is formulated to reduce color separation as much as possible, but as with any paint, some settling can occur over time, which can result in a “streaking” effect. To properly prepare Nuvo for painting, ensure the lid is secured tightly, and vigorously shake each can of paint for 5 minutes to ensure full mixing. Then, remove the clips and lid, and use the included sticks to lightly stir the paint as this will release air from the paint. Repeat this procedure if Nuvo is unused for more than 48 hours.

Our paint is uniquely designed as a paint and primer in one, so for most conventional wood and laminate cabinets, there is no need to prime. However there are circumstances in which primer is necessary.

For paper covered cabinets or cabinets that have the ends covered in wood paper, you will need to prime the sections covered in paper. A single coat of Zinsser's oil-based, white Cover Stain Primer Bond is necessary to properly prep papered surfaces before painting with Nuvo.

For raw woods such as plywood and bare wood cabinets, the wood grain may cause tannins to bleed through the finished paint and must first be covered with a good primer of your choosing, specifically designed to prime wood surfaces. We recommend Zinsser products due to their ease of use and compatibility with Nuvo Plus.

Project Times:

• Dry Time: Wait 2 hours in between coats of Nuvo. After final coat, leave cabinet doors open for 8 hours before closing.
• Using Your Kitchen Again: You may use your kitchen in just a few hours after you apply your final coat and close the cabinet doors. We simply recommend you exercise caution around your new finish.
• Cure Time: The cure time of Nuvo is 14 days depending on your climate. For the first couple weeks do not aggressively clean or be rough with your cabinets as the coating’s durability and adhesion builds with each day.

We recommend painting with the included roller and paint brush for tight corners. Once dry, the paint is very smooth and has a sprayed-on effect.

Some Additional Tools You May Want:

• #300 grit sandpaper
• Small flat-tipped screwdriver
• Painter's tape
• Paint tray
• Wood filler
• Liquid deglosser
• Fine tip artist brush
• Degreaser or TSP cleaner
• Zinsser's White Oil-Based Primer (for paper covered cabinets)
• 2" angled brush

Nuvo Cabinet Paint may be spray applied as long as it's with professional equipment such as conventional, airless, air-assisted airless, air brush, or an HVLP (high-volume low-pressure) spray system, along with the proper tips and gun nozzles. It's not necessary to dilute Nuvo with added water for a spray application. As a disclaimer, we do not recommend using an HVLP sprayer indoors.

Nuvo doesn't require a topcoat, however, we do have a Semi-Gloss Topcoat that is an optional finishing step. The formula is specially designed to add a slight sheen to the Nuvo Plus satin finish, to provide increased durability and water resistance, and protect your Nuvo application against everyday wear and tear.

For a high-gloss look you could use our Giani Topcoat over your cabinets. You can apply another brand’s topcoat at your discretion. But please note, we cannot guarantee how it would perform with our paint and thus it would void the limited warranty. If you go this route, we would suggest using a water-base acrylic topcoat as that would be most similar to the Nuvo finish.

We recommend waiting a minimum of 7 days before cleaning your cabinets. The full cure time is 14 days. Clean by wiping your cabinets with soap and water. We do not recommend any harsh abrasives or chemicals, such as household cleaners as this will wear down the paint over time. The paint is water-based, so aggressive scrubbing or moisture sitting on it for long periods of time can put it in a weakened state.

Nuvo is formulated to reduce color separation as much as possible, but as with any paint, some settling can occur over time, which can result in a “streaking” effect. To properly prepare Nuvo for painting, make sure the lid is on tightly along with the included clips on the outside of the can. Vigorously hand shake each can of paint for 5 minutes to ensure full mixing. Once this has been done allow to rest, remove the clips and lid, and use the included stir sticks to lightly stir the paint as this will remove air from the paint. Repeat this procedure if Nuvo is unused for more than 48 hours.

Nuvo Plus is an acrylic paint system and may be used over white acrylic painter's caulk only. Silicone caulk will resist Nuvo completely. If an acrylic painter's caulk is used on your cabinets, allow it to fully cure for at least 72 hours before painting. Even if the caulk is dry to the touch, it will still allow moisture to escape to dry throughout. If the caulk is not allowed to cure over 72 hours before painting, Nuvo Plus will crack over in areas where caulk was applied.

When stored properly, all Giani products have shelf lives of 2 years. The best storage is in a cool, dry area, away from extreme hot and cold temperatures. Applying Nuvo past the recommended shelf life will negatively affect its performance, and thus, would not be covered by our limited warranty.

During the winter months, paint is at risk for freezing due to the cold temperatures it may be exposed to during warehouse storage and delivery. Frozen paint can sometimes be tricky to determine initially because your cans won’t feel cold to the touch, however the paint will exhibit a grainy/slushy texture. But not to worry, the paint will completely recover! We recommend allowing your paint to recover at room temperature for one week before applying. DO NOT apply the paint if it appears clumpy or frozen.