From the Pros: How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

groveraxle Living in a 1910 craftsman bungalow with miles of woodwork, all of it painted, I learned this trick early on: the work goes faster and you get the smoothest finish with those paint pads, the kind with the little tiny hairs attached to foam. I buy a half dozen or so of the disposable kind with my paint supplies and try to keep them on hand for touch ups here and there.

olldbobbi I would like to add don't forget to paint the INSIDE of the cabinet doors, and, if you can afford it, have the doors sprayed by a professional. AND please don't paint your hinges! Take the time to remove them. Nothing will ruin a great paint job like painted hinges.

melaniemoffatt Just finished painting my cabinets with Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations (from home depot). It was easy and NOT messy !! The compliments have been endless and well worth the 3 days work...

m1a3r melaniemoffatt- We are in the midst of painting ours too. We chose Black but are trying to decide on whether or not to glaze. Did you? It looks great by the way. Also, can you tell me more about your countertops...we are replacing ours and will need 50sf. Granite is going to run us between 3 and 4 thousand which we don't want to spend. In the pic- yours look like wood??? Thanks!

Roanoke Woodworking Inc. If you decide to paint your cabinets, please be aware that the finish is more susceptible to hairline cracking and chipping over time than a stained cabinet. It is the nature of painted wood.

melaniemoffatt M1a3r. I did not use the glaze on the advice of the home depot girl. It doesn't show up on the dark colors so really an unnessary step. The counters are butcher block from Ikea. Backsplash is a natural stone. This is a cottage so we wanted to keep natural elements after painting over the wood. Hope it helps. Can't wait to see the finished product !

dawnt747 I had my maple cabinets painted white by a professional company which was quite expensive. Keep in mind if you have raised panels you will see gaps inside as the wood will contract and expand with humidity levels. I was not aware of that when I made the decision to paint rather than to replace the doors. If you have flat panels it should be fine. If I could do it again I would probably replace the doors, the cost would probably not be much different.

Layers of Color I am a professional decorative finisher and I transform a lot of cabinetry - mostly oak or maple into painted and glazed finishes of all styles and colors. If you have never painted cabinetry before, start with something small first. If you have raised panel doors, make sure to calk them first so the cracks don't show when they are painted. Having the doors sprayed will make a huge difference. Adding some glaze to enhance the finish and a good clear coat will create a beautiful look that lasts many years. See www.layersofcolor.net for some great color and glaze ideas. We teach classes too!

KILZ Brands Need a primer recommendation? Ask us!

cmz128 I have been thinking about staining my cabinets as opposed to painting, to retain the wood look. Any thoughts on doing that as a DIY?

KILZ Brands For old cabinets, you need to remove the old layers of paint, varnish, and stain. You can sand off these layers, but that is a very long process. It's much better to use a chemical paint stripper instead like Peel Away. This will penetrate deeper, stripping several layers at a time without damaging the wood. Apply with a cloth in a well-ventilated space. In some cases, multiple applications may be necessary.

Layers of Color Staining option depends a lot on what you have now. If you have to strip everything and start over, its a huge, messy and stinky job. There are great options to glaze over what you have to still see the existing grain if they don't have paint on them now. There are also options to paint and glaze over what you have to create a wonderful new woodgrain look.

Peter Koval Aside from painting the front of the cabinet, this article doesn't say anything about the inside of the cabinet door or inside of the cabinet where the shelfs are, or if not painting the inside where the shelfs are, may be suggest some treatments that compliment the newly painting cabinet doors.

m1a3r melaniemoffatt- Thanks for the info!

My EZ Kitchen Remodel Great article! I really believe that this is one of the most inexpensive changes you can make to your kitchen that has a major impact.

cmz128 Thanks for the tips on staining cabinets! Layers of Color, are there glazes that you would recommend so I don't have to get into a huge, messy project? The cabinets have never been painted. I just don't like the color. Right now they are oak, and the doors don't match the actual cabinet (if that makes sense). They are still in good shape, and I have reservations about painting wood, so a glaze might be good. Thanks!

Layers of Color The majority of oak cabinetry that I see out there are from the 80's era, so they are tired, stained or worn down and yellow because of the old laquers that are on them. There are important factors to consider before you choose a new finish or look. Do you want to see the wood grain? Even if you paint or glaze the existing doors, will they still scream "1984" ? Can the existing doors be utilized and just the surface hinges be replaced with European hinges?

Layers of Color We always paint the backs of the doors even if we only glaze the outside of the doors, but not the inside of the cabinet boxes unless they really need it. Often the inside of the cabinet boxes and shelves are melamine (the white plastic veneer stuff) and just need a good cleaning. If the inside of the boxes are real wood, a good sanding and a clear coat is very helpful to clean them up and give them new life.

tamaral Oh, how I wish I hadn't tried to do this on my own. The doors are okayish, and I went in thinking 'temporary fix' but I think doing so informed my subconscious and gave it permission to do a 'good-enough' job. Now I am touching up all the time. Shortcuts are not recommended. The point in the article about ensuring you have the patience... Yep. I could have benefited from that advice, as well as all the other advice.

Your New Home LLC Where the heck do you lay out 20 cabinets doors while you paint them? We use an aluminum extension ladder supported by two saw horses. We can extend the ladder as long as needed to hold all the doors and ladders are super-rigid so they don't deflect and bounce as you work. Wax paper or plastic wrap on the ladder will prevent sticking when you paint the opposite side.

Between coats we sand with 3m sanding sponges (fine) spritzed with distilled water. Sandpaper on uncured enamel will often cause the paint to roll-up. Use a super-light touch.

Finally, most natural wood cabinets that were built in U.S. factories (99% I'll bet) are finished with a lacquer-based varnish. So wiping the surface with lacquer thinner will open the finish and help the primer to adhere. In Canada, water-bourne polyurethane or UV finishes are common (because of lower VOC requirements) and both can be difficult to paint over. Acetone is often required to open those types of finishes.

olldbobbi tamaral, Painting kitchen cabinets is a VERY time consuming job, more so than anyone would expect. It just can't be rushed. I feel your pain! For the first time in my life I have a huge kitchen, more cabinets than I could have dreamed of, and I painted everyone of them, fronts and backs of doors, replaced all the hinges. I had limited space in which to work. It took me a good month and I worked on it everyday.

olldbobbi Your New Home - did you do the whole kitchen at one time? I broke mine up into sections to make it more manageable, because I have no where to put 20 doors!!!

Layers of Color We don't use any harsh chemicals to open up the old laquers. A light sanding and TSP is all we use. Never had any problem with adheision. Great idea for the vertical door hanger! How do you attach them to the ladder? small nails or hooks?
Yes, this can be a daunting project but once you get some systems down, its not too bad. We turn most kitchens around in about 1-1/2 weeks from start to finish.

Your New Home LLC We paint cabinets in empty houses that are being totally renovated so we do all the doors on the same day which requires drying space (thus the ladder). If I were doing my own home, I would do one section at a time and finish that section completely (down to the last detail), then move on to another section. One cabinet at a time is a more efficient process if you are not working on it full time and less mess and you get a dose of accomplishment that will stiffen your resolve to tackle the next section.

We spray the primer (tinted to match the paint) on the doors in a portable booth, then lay the doors out on the ladder with wax paper under them. (DIY'ers should prime with a brush because spraying is a mess.) We prime the face frames with a 4" roller and tip with a brush and then apply two top coats using the same technique. Then we re-hang the doors and apply both top coats on the doors with a brush. Since the primer is the same color, you don't really have to cut-in the paint to the hinge (just get close). A variation on that is to apply the primer and one top coat while the doors are off and apply the second coat with the door attached. It's a lot faster to brush doors when they are on the hinge and you don't have to worry so much about dinging them when you hang them.

If you get the cabinets really clean, the paint will stick without using lacquer thinner. However, if you sand and wipe with lacquer thinner, you eliminate the surface variations caused by residue from the cleaners. I find it especially difficult to rinse TSP and Soft-Scrub adequately without solvents. The solvent gives the surface some tooth and helps pull the paint from the brush too. But it really stinks and may not be a good idea in a house that is occupied by the owner.

Last tip: Flood Flo-trol is a paint additive sold everywhere that really improves the flow of the paint and can help a DIY'er make moldings and cabinets look professional. Lots of pro's use it.

olldbobbi Your New Home - That's a very good system. I find the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser a great way to remove the grease and grime, and it slightly de-glosses as well. Exellent for getting in all the nooks and cranies of detailed doors. It does need to be rinsed but only with a damp rag.

kmontgomery Our kitchen cabinets apparently had multiple sets of pulls and handles of various widths because now each door and drawer has several holes where the different hardware was attached over the years before we bought the home. We're not able to find any pulls now that will cover all of the holes so we're wondering about the best way to fix them before we paint the cabinets. Any ideas?

suebhoney Thank you so much for this article...lots of great tips! I'm book marking for sure! We have been toying with the idea of doing the vanity cabinet in our master bath...needs a serious update! Even though its only 1 cabinet and not terribly large (4 doors, 3 cabinent sections)...I'm so afraid of making it look worse than it does now (which really, it isn't bad...just dated). If we can't get a good professional looking finish, then I'd rather not do it. I'll be re-reading this for some time...enough to summon up the courage to do it! ;)

flowergirl3 We just had our cabinets professionally painted but they did not clean the grime off so it is already peeling off! What can be done about this??

al527 We decided not only to paint our melamine cabinets, but to add trim to the doors. A lot of work, but 5 years later, our cabinets still look great. And we saved a whack of money!

Holli Williamson Be sure to paint or stain in as dust free environment as possible. You'ld be surprised what sticks to wet and drying paint.

sasch017 ktmontgomery: I have the same problem... I was told to buy a good quality wood filler in the same tone as the finished product, and go to it! Use a palm sander with a fine grit, test the spot with a bit of paint to ensure it is smooth (re-sand if needed) and go to town! I am also filling in the routered design on the doors, which will take me FOREVER... but I hate the design, so it has to go! I am going from 1976 oak with the country style, and the door pulls are in the middle... we will see how it goes... wish me luck!

veggieerp We did our own cabinets (used Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations). It took several weekends (three coats on each side!) but love the results. I do think we would have saved time had we used high density foam brushes and rollers but other than than we would do it all the same. We also added new hardware and used Giani Granite Paint to cover the 1978 faux butcher block counters. Now the kitchen is one of the prettiest rooms in the house- all for a few hundred dollars.

bayplaza How do you get a smooth finish when painting the inside corners of recessed panel doors (like the acqua doors in the article). I can't avoid getting brush marks or an uneven finish in the corners.

tracydavidson You are exactly right. A good cabinetry can beautify and add functionality of a kitchen. Thanks for sharing these details. I think the site of http://www.avonlearenovations.com/ can help you in this.

resqchick1 We did both our bathrooms using Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations and people can't believe that our cabinets aren't brand new. The results are remarkable. We did use the glaze on the dark colors and it made a world of difference. It brought out a beautiful enhancement of the wood. I also did my fireplace mantel with the Rustoleum product and it came out beautiful as well. People who see it are amazed at how it all comes out. It is so much easier then painting since you don't have to sand in between coats. If you are considering painting your cabinets look into this product. It is sold at most home improvement stores and it is very reasonable in cost. You will be amazed at how easy it is to use. I was a little intimidated when I first used the glaze but I started on the inside of the cabinet door and quickly got the hang of it.

N.E.R.D Question with the rust oleum cabinet finish did you have to choose a color on the box? Also, did you see brush marks from where you painted the cabinets? People have all reviewed this process as great and I personally spray cabinets with proper primer and high end paint just the cabinets tend to wear in high use areas and washing removes luster.

Layers of Color Like anything else that comes in a kit, your color choices are limited for the base color and the glaze color. Rustoleum uses the same basic system in their kit as we do in our professional system of refnishing cabinetry and furniture. The color choices and combinations can be endless with the system we use. www.layersofcolor.net

shiplesp An easy way to create a dust-free chamber to spray paint is to use one of those free-standing plastic or canvas wardrobes for hanging clothes. They usually have casters, for easy movement, and a hanging bar to suspend the doors or other items you may be painting.

Sandy Hunt See black cupboards

mja2012 We just painted my kitchen cabinets. My house was built in 1956 these were the original cabinets. We added trim to the doors then painted them and added new handles. They came out amazing! It does take time and you need lots of room to lay them out.

Marie-Pierre Ayoul Decorative painting I just finished painting a kitchen buffet with Annie Sloan chalk paint (no priming required, even on lacquer), it's perfect if you want a rustic look. The sanding is done afterwards, to reveal a bit of the initial color and give it that antique European look. The finish is waxed and buffed, just like my grandmother's furniture in France, except hers was not painted. The wax takes 30 days to cure completely, so that's a bit inconvenient as it scratches easily before that, but that's just the wax, not the paint, and it's easy to touch up (sand the scratch lightly and wax over).

I painted the inside of the doors but not the inside of the cabinet since it was already an interesting reddish finish. It did take seven days to paint this, and I am a professional, so yes, a whole kitchen would be a big job.

Sorry i didn't think to take the before picture before I actually started painting, you can see the top of the buffet has already received a first coat. On the second picture you can also see the rustic faux finish I painted on the walls, as chosen by the designer. I think it's a nice fit, especially since the floor is slate.

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID We updated this bathroom on a budget. It had tired old Cherry cabinets and a pink marble counter top. We had a Faux Finisher come in and paint a strie finish in a subtle greyed down teal shade, installed a neutral Silestone counter top, a new faucet, window treatment and added a mosaic marble border around the mirror. It now is fresh and timely!

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID Annapolis, Md.

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID The before and after on this week end retreat home on the eastern shore was really dramatic. The previous owner of the home lived in the home full time and had a french country style to the home. The new owners were young and just wanted a waterfront getaway with a coastal flair. They did not have the money in their budget to put in a new kitchen after purchasing the home because of other maintenance issues. We did a faux job on the cabinets after stripping down the ornate detailing on the crown area and the doors. The new driftwood finish that we applied happened to go with the existing counter tops really well.

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID, Annapolis, Md.

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID Before and Afters are my favorite! Yes, paint the cabinets! In this kitchen we had the standard Builder oak cabinets. We painted the top cabinet in black and put glass doors in a couple of cabinets and had remarkable improvement. The new counter top was Juperano Giallo and had the black and oak color specs to tie the whole thing together!

Gina Fitzsimmons ASID, Annapolis Md.

Forget Me Not Furnishings and Studio You could save yourself a lot of time and money and use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Annie's paint goes on any surface without prepping or priming. You can paint right over formica, laminate or melamine. The finish is as gorgeous as the color pallet. We sell Annie's paint and products and love painting kitchen for people at a fraction of the cost of replacement cupboards.

Organic Design No one has addressed the "Elephant" in the kitchen! With so many thermofoil (wrapped) MDF kitchen doors around, how do we paint these with ease?

Sara Krohn I am painting or will be shortly. I have a painter hired to paint my dark oak cabinets white. I would like some tips on the process to be sure he will be doing it correctly, it's making me nervous. What is the best primer, oil or latex? How meny coats for the primer? Any suggestion on what primer to purchase. Thanks so much for any suggestions you may have.

pinkdivot We bought a house in another state and I don't like the cabinets. The house is pretty high-end, built in 1999, but I need something done with all this honey wood. I like colors but I am not sure if painting is the solution. We will not do the work ourselves... Any ideas? Thanks a million :)

Marie-Pierre Ayoul Decorative painting I need to amend the comment I made earlier, for the sake of transparency:
2 months after this buffet was done I was asked by the customer to refinish the counter part, as it had scratched and was stained with water marks. This is where they keep their cappuccino machine, and as it turns out the graphite color shows signs of wear and tear much more than a paler color. I have since struggled to refinish that counter top, repainting it and finishing it with different alternative solutions but nothing yet looks good enough. Lesson learned: ASCP with wax may not be the ideal finish for counter tops (or tables tops for that matter). But the rest of the cabinet looks fine.