I recently refinished my kitchen and used an Ikea end unit at one end of the cabinets, but it's simply a shelf unit, no doors. I did paint it to match the rest of the cabinets, but I wouldn't paint a full set of cabinets. For my purposes it's fine.

The finish on their cabinets doesn't allow for great paint adhesion, and I doubt a primer would make a difference. Because you are talking about painting an entire set of cabinets, I would probably practice on one cabinet first. Order one cabinet, the cheapest one they have in the style you want, paint it with primer, then paint it the color you want. Then, play around with it and see how easily it scratches, give it a real workout. Also, remember, over time it will get a much more serious beating.

If you want a particular style and color, and are having difficulty finding it reasonably priced, I can understand your plan.

Good luck.

There is a company (listed on Houzz) that makes doors for IKEA cabinets, so you can buy the box from ikea and they will send the door. I guess you can choose the color.

http://houzz.com/photos/1738799

I think she likes the Adel style of door but wants a color. As I understand it, from reading many comments and articles on Houzz, just about anything can be painted if you use the correct methods and the correct primer. I believe the Adel doors are actually solid wood, not plastic. We have Adel in our current kitchen. Wood can certainly be painted, though the frames are not solid wood.

This company makes doors that Ikeans frequently use.
http://www.scherrs.com/cabinets/index.html

What color are you looking for?

i believe the adel doors (the white, at least) are thermofoil, which i understand is a type of laminate.
use zinnzer's "sticks to anything" primer after a very light sanding. VERY light.
once the primer has dried and had a day to cure, paint your topcoat on.
make sure you let it dry thouroughly between coats.
put a coat or 2 of poly on top of the paint. satin finish for preference. won't show so much dirt.

having the doors made for you might be the way to go though, if you're not comfy with the steps involved in painting them.

There is a site of IKEA hacks - everyone's modifications of IKEA gear. I don't have the site address sorry, I'm sure you could search for it though, you'll see some very impressive changes though. I'm sure you could get something from the site to help you.

http://houzz.com/pro/semihandmade

According to the Ikea site:

Adel Medium Brown door-
Product description
Door panel: Particleboard, Birch veneer, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer
Frame: Solid birch, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer

Adel off-white door-
Product description
Fiberboard, Foil, Melamine foil

Ikeahackers.net

Or..... http://www.ikeafans.com

I think the finish on Ramsjo white lends itself better to painting - it's not quite as plain as the Adel - but the paint job will be easier to do and last longer (in my opinion) on a Ramsjo white door !

Here's photos of each - first one is Adel - second Ramsjo white - so you can see the difference in the style ( not much !)

Sarah Richardson uses ikea cabinets a lot. She always has them sprayed by a professional.

where can you spray them in toronto area???

Hi- I just found this thread. Has anyone tried painting any other types of Ikea doors? If so, what were your results?

Shellac based primer and a satin laquer paint applied with a sprayer will yield very good results. For brushed or rolled diy application there are some specialty acrylic cabinet paints that work pretty well (Cabinet Coat or Cabinet Rescue). It will adhere, but brushed or rolled finishes tend to be thick and will "plug" or obscure sharper door details.

We painted our IKEA Orsa doors: http://www.dove.ly/new-cabinets-to-match-the-old

We refinished this ikea door for a client.
Original color on the left.
Two new colors on the right.
this is the front and back of one door.

We just did this for a client.
Who is thinking of buying an Ikea Kitchen.
He wants to change the color on the doors.
Original color on left.
Two new colors on the right.
This is front and back of one door.
preciouscustomcabinets.com

The cabinet color on left is exactly what I have and I wanted to repaint them either white or off white. What type paint should I use?

We respray a lot of IKEA cabinets here in the Toronto area. Customers typically have them shipped to us still in their boxes, we refinish them and ship or deliver them back, still in original boxes. We do advise though, that customers bring them home 1st to check for quality control and that the order is all there, with no mistakes. One out of 4 IKEA customers we assist find discrepancies or damage, which can delay the installation schedule.

IKEA paints and clear coats are durable, but the lighter colour can yellow over time. We can repaint them with any and all types of paint on the market, any colour and any sheen. Different types of paints produce varying finished looks, and should be chosen based upon the design of the doors/drawers, as well as the lighting that will illuminate the area. Acrylic spray paints are water soluble and come in a range of relatively low VOC levels and sheen's, poor to excellent durability and lustre as well as abilities to hold tints and colour match. We have been using them for over 5 years and have very few customers call us back for touch ups due to product failure.

Solvent spray paints (lacquers) have been around in many forms for many decades, contain high VOC's that require many weeks to off gas, and if painting will be required in the home, to match the refinished doors at the shop, matching might be difficult. We've had reasonable success matching colours and sheen's but it takes time and shopping around.

Careful sanding preparation is key to repainting IKEA furniture, including the use of quality retail or commercial primers, thus ensuring a long lasting and durable finish. You can do them yourself, as Jordan's Cabinets suggested but be sure you can live with a finish that isn't factory smooth. Our typical cost to repaint a new IKEA 15" x 30" door is $60 to $75, depending on how intricate the design is.

Incidentally, IKEA boxes are excellent value for reasonably low cost. We install IKEA boxes and then doors made by a variety of after market manufactures. They can be cut down to fit any space, and the mill work is impeccable.

we sprayed our ikea doors and it turned out well. If you rough up the surface (sandpaper) and use the right primer (shellac-based), the paint will stick very well.

http://shirleyandchris.net/blog/2017/05/15/diy-painting-ikea-kitchen-cabinets/

We'd be happy to make doors and drawer fronts for your IKEA cabinets.

Upgrading your Ikea cabinets

Here's a blog of someone who used IKEA cabinets and our fronts:

Remodelista: Brooklyn Rowhouse

Does anyone think this process will work on my 2008 IKEA cabinets? I think they are plastic instead of laminate....they feel like they can be either or.

I hate the puke light brown/tan color. I want to paint them bright white.

Any suggestions?

Has anyone repainted ( either diy or professional painters) Abstrakt high gloss facings?

Abstrakt Product description

Main parts: Fiberboard
Front side/ Edge: Foil

You cannon have these doors refinished - its thermofoil = thin PVC glued on MDF.

Even if you could, refinishing would cost the same as new doors.

I haven't tried it yet, but I am thinking about painting my island. I have found this site: https://www.keystoinspiration.com/how-to-paint-ikea-sektion-cabinets/ She tried sanding with very fine sandpaper, shellac-based primer, and spraying enamel based paint.