Read this: http://www.rustoleum.com/~/media/DigitalEncyclopedia/Documents/RustoleumUSA/instruction-sheets/Cabinet-Transformations-Instructions.ashx

oh thanks sammy! Have you personally used this product?

Has anyone used the rustoleum kitchen kit in light?

Never have heard anyone using these that had success.

While I did not use the Rustoleum kit, I did paint my laminate kitchen cabinets. Give the doors a good sanding. Wipe with a damp cloth to remove all the particles. Repeat this step! Use an oil-based primer and let it dry thoroughly. Two coats of high gloss paint and the end result was very nice. Just curious -- does the Rustoleum kit indicate the product works on particle board, laminate, plastic? It works great on my iron deck furniture and fences.

Yes, I looked into it and it does say it works on laminate & wood cabinet.

I have painted my present kitchen cabinets and two bathroom vanities with success. Over the years I had painted my first kitchen cabinets which were wood and then my next house which had laminate cabinets that looked like wood. Each time I lightly sanded the surface and used oil based paint. However with the kitchen cabinets I used a primer. For the laminates regular sandpaper didn't do much so I found sandpaper than looked like a piece of window screening and that worked. Good luck. You'll love the result

Cheri, did you use the rustoleum kit? The kit does not have a primer but I was going to use one anyway for better results. Also I have read that the final top coat they give you isn't the best & can tint the light color yellow. If you used your own paint did you still need a top coat? Another poster suggested using a Benjamin Moore advanced interior paint but that might have been a water based paint & I think for laminate I would need oil based. I like the kit because sanding isn't required but i'm curious to see how a sanded vs not sanded cabinet would look.

As long as you use an oil base primer, you can use latex paint for the finish. You don't need to use a final coat/glaze.

You don't need to "sand" the cabinets, just rough up the surface a bit to help the primer stick.

So do you guys think skip the rustoleum kit and just do a normal degrease, sand , prime, paint?

I have heard the kit is great but I have not used it.

Yes, skip the kit.

Do you still clean with soap and water, then use a degreaser & then sand, wipe , prime? Just want to get the steps straight!

Yes

Sammi, Use chalk paint, So easy - no sanding, no primer, you can even paint the hardware if you want. Check in your area to see if anyone handles chalk paint or go to You tube and check for Annie Sloan chalk paint. My daughter just did her kitchen cabinets and they look amazing - yes they were particle board.

With using chalk paint, do her cabinets have more of a distressed look? Looking for a smoother look with minimal brush stroke lines

I've heard of chalk paint on cabinets, but I think if you want to have a smoothe look that doesn't wear off, you have to go with the sanding, oil base primer and paint.

How would something like this be painted over? While the cabinet door & frame are normal & seem they can be sanded, the sides of the cabinets have a thin sheet of "wood". Not sure exactly what this sheet material is referred as, but I don't think I would be able to sand these sections right? Does anyone have experience with this? You can tell underneath chips easily .. I never actually considered painting my cabinets before because of this but then figured there has to be a way!

Remove that bottom kick plate piece and replace it. It's not worth painting.

After having been in business selling Rustoleums fix it kits, i highly do not recommend those. To get satisfying results, i would recommend an oil based primer, and a good coat of paint + primer in one. Valspar Reserve is a good quality paint. Make sure the area is clean, dry and free from particles once you paint it. If the corner is peeling around the edges of the particle board, one thing i have seen successfully done is to put some corner guards or moulding on it that will blend in with your cabinets. This can be done successfully only if the particle board has no water damage or swelling. So the steps are to sand, Clean, DRY FULLY, do oil based paint or primer, then a coat of latex over it. Corner guards around corners that are in bad shape.

Just because your cabinet boxes are particle board does not mean your faces, drawers and doors are. I have never seen so partcile board used in anything but boxes. There is nothing wrong with particle board boxes they are used on side panels because they are flat an easy to apply veneer to which has failed in your case.

TSP or TSP substitute to clean all surfaces you are going to paint. Buy a box of gray 3M scrub pads similar to sponges used for dishes and sand all surfaces.

You have to understand that if you have never done this before the job will never be 100% perfect. For the easiest way i would use General Finishes chalk paint. Buy a good brush and a stiff bristle cleaning brush to clean your brush after each use. If you clean it that $15 brush will last for years.

Buy a small 3" roller and those super small cheap rollers from HD. GF CP goes on so smooth you really can't screw it up without trying.

The finish will be flat but is easily touched up. You could use their clear coats if you desire afterword.

If you are confident with your painting BEHR alklyd is great paint at a low price point.. It flows out amazing but you have to know how to paint. Water clean up with oil performance $15 QT mixed to any color you want.

You might be better off not painting those cabinets yourself, or at all. Looking at the peeling off fake wood does not look like it would hold a good paint finish. They look good now, might not be the finish you like, but you do no want to get in over your head.

i used the kit ...the cocoa color with a heavy application of glaze. it was very easy and i think looks great. the paint was thin and not gloppy .. very easy to apply. however i have read on some blogs that folks are less happy with the lighter colors.

Your brown color looks amazing! But as you said I too have found that people are less satisfied with the lighter color. As many so far have suggested, I think if I'm going to do this at all I will just use an oil based primer & regular latex paint. The peeling on the wood is fortunately only on that corner & have to fix that regardless so it doesn't get worse

This is Cheri and no I didn't use a kit. The first kitchen I used Benjamin Moore after that I have used Sherwin Williams. When the kit says you don't have to sand it sounds like it might be chalk paint. And no I used a primer and two coats of paint but no top coat. I used a satin or eggshell finish. I didn't want a high gloss. I hope this helps.

I have used the Rustoleum kit on my kitchen and Guest bath. They came out very nice. Later, I used Benjamin Moore (3 coats) self leveling paint on my Master Bath and they came out fabulous! I didn't want the grain showing through like it did with the Rustoleum. I did not have to put a Poly finishing coat like I did with Rustoleum. I'm ready to re-do my kitchen and thinking of using BM .

I used the Rustoleum Tranformations kit on my kitchen cabinets and they came out GREAT and they were not real wood. They were mdf. It's the best! Click on the link to see photo: https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/bcbf4ff97bafbcf5eb3e337d2b431e21-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

I used the Rustoleum Tranformations kit on my kitchen cabinets and they came out GREAT and they were not real wood. They were MDF. It's the best! Click on the link to see photos:

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/bcbf4ff97bafbcf5eb3e337d2b431e21-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/64590113b6e320fa532b065a6c49fbb6-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/a3841a1e029cfe72d70eb0cb415a9ced-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

Wow. Is that the “sail” color?
Cabinets look fabulous!