How To Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets
If you can paint a wall (and even if you can’t) you can paint your kitchen cabinets. There are just a few tried and true rules when attempting this project, so if you follow the simple steps outlined below it’ll be pretty hard to screw things up. And although you’ve all seen our newly renovated kitchen, we actually painted our previous 50-year-old knotty pine cabinets right after we moved in (to tide us over until we had the funds to replace them altogether). Check out the dark and dingy kitchen that we inherited with the house:
And the refreshing “after” thanks to only a few hours of prepping and painting:
So how did we do it? Easy peasy.
Step 1: Figure out what you want. Bring home paint swatches and select the perfect palette, and if you’re planning to replace your hardware, purchase some before you move on to the next step. Because most old hardware is a different size than newer hardware (the holes are further apart or closer together), it’s important to know if your new door and drawer bling is spaced differently than your current hardware before you begin. Then it’s nice to wash everything down with a little soap and water to cut the grease and the spills that have built up on the doors and drawers over the years. Nothin’ like a little sponge bath to get you in the mood to makeover your kitchen…
Step 2: Take it off, baby. Now it’s time to remove all of your hardware and your hinges (regardless of whether you’ll be reusing it or replacing it- and it helps to store everything in a big ziplock bag so you’re never short a screw). Of course by removing the hinges you’ll be removing all the doors, so finding a place that you can lay out a big fabric or plastic drop cloth (which are about $2 from Home Depot or Lowe’s) is a good idea. Once you have your drop cloth in place, lay out all your cabinet doors and drawers so you can paint them all together in one convenient spot (and have full access to the frames of the cabinets in the kitchen).
Step 3: Fill ‘er up. Then if you’re replacing your hardware with something that won’t fit the existing holes in your doors and drawers, you’ll want to pick up some wood filler (it’s around $6 a tube, which is all ya need) and fill those existing hardware holes in all of the doors and drawers. There are many different colors of wood fill, but since you’re painting your cabinets, matching the tone isn’t really a big deal (although it can’t hurt to grab the one that most closely resembles the color of your current cabinets).
Step 4: Get sandy. The sanding process isn’t always necessary (for example, our cabinets weren’t glossy so we skipped it and went straight to priming) but for some people with super shiny cabinets (aka: lots of polyurethane) it can’t hurt to run an electric sander over everything- or take a bit more time to hand sand things- with fine grit paper to rough everything up for maximum paint stickage. Not sure if yours need to be sanded? If they feel matte like a cutting board (a little absorbent) then they shouldn’t need it, but if they feel shiny like a laminated piece of paper or a glossy credit card then sanding is your best bet. Note: lead paint is a serious health risk when sanding, so if you have an older home with already-painted cabinets that look decades old it’s worth testing for lead with a $6 lead test kit from Home Depot. Safety first!
Step 5: It’s prime time. Due to all the grease and even just the wood stain that often coats kitchen cabinets, it’s über important to get down and dirty with oil-based primer (even if the water-based equivalent claims that it works just as well on cabinet surfaces, we’ve seen stains seep right through that stuff, so oil-based is the better-safe-than-sorry alternative). One coat of primer applied with a decent quality roller should do the trick (then just use a brush to get into those tigher spaces and the grooves in the doors). We prefer wool or polyester rollers (Purdy’s a great brand) over foam ones as we’ve found that they rile up the paint and cause bubbles. Oh and it doesn’t matter if you can still see the wood tone underneath after one coat, the primer’s main job is to make your cabinets sticky and the paint will do the rest. You’ll probably want to snag an extra brush just for priming since they’re usually pretty messed up afterwords (it’s best to toss it or save it for other priming projects and use a pristine new one for painting). And ditto with the roller. We usually don’t even try washing the oil-based paint out of it- and prefer to replace it with a fresh new one before painting for a seamless result (reused rollers and brushes can often compromise the smooth finish that you’re going for when it comes to your cabinets).
Step 6: Get your paint on. You’re in the home stretch, so just two coats of latex paint (in a semi gloss finish for easy wipe-ability) are next on the agenda. You’ll definitely want to wait a few hours after applying primer, but I actually primed and painted my cabinets (two coats!) all in the same day. When it comes to applying the paint, a high quality wool or polyester roller makes for the sleekest application (so use a brush sparingly just to get into those little cracks and crevices that your roller can’t reach). Oh and do yourself a favor by buying an angle-tipped brush as opposed to a flat-tipped one- they make staying in the lines a lot easier.
Step 7: Wait for it. After two coats of latex paint you now have to practice patience. Most experts advise waiting at least three days to rehang or begin using your doors and drawers (especially since the rehanging process involves lots of holding and pressing and drilling which can muck up anything that’s not 100% dry). We actually advise waiting five days if ya can (it beats doing the whole thing all over again and guarantees a totally seamless finish even in high humidity).
Step 8: Hang in there. Then all you have to do is rehang your doors (either using your existing hinges or new ones), slip in your drawers, and add your hardware. If the hardware is new, take time to measure twice before you drill to avoid any annoying mistakes that will make you want to putty and repaint, which never looks as good as the flawless finish that you get the first time around. John actually took his sweet time drilling all of our holes for the new hardware (to the tune of about two hours) but it was well worth the assurance that everything was perfectly centered and right where it should be. In this case slow and steady wins the race.
*Oh and it bears noting that if your cabinets are anything but solid wood (laminate, veneered, etc) you should definitely take off a door or a drawer and bring it with you to your local hardware store and ask the paint pro there what they recommend. There are some great oil-based primers and enamel paints out there so it might be possible to get a semi-durable finish (although none as long-lasting as solid wood paint jobs). The key is really roughing up the surface so it’s less glossy and then priming and painting with the best stuff they have (usually oil or enamel based). Oh and don’t forget to let everything dry for a while so things can cure up and get super durable for the long haul.
So that about does it for our cabinet painting and refinishing tutorial. Of course Step 9 is to invite all of your friends over for celebratory margaritas or to do the happy dance every time you walk into your amazing new space. We hope this will help you completely transform your kitch on a dime and in a flash. And just in case you need a few more before & after pictures to convince you, here are two clients of ours that we helped transform their rooms with painted cabinets:
Here’s Kim’s crazy blue kitchen that she inherited with her home:
And here’s her two-tone masterpiece after a quick paint makeover (we suggested slightly different colors for her upper and lower cabinets):
And here’s Carla’s kitchen before she came to us for help:
And here it is after we encouraged her to paint her cabinets a crisp glossy white tone (along with her dining room chairs) while the dining table went black to mimic the backsplash:
Amazing what a little paint can do, eh? And if they can do it you can to! So if you have a spare weekend or even a few week nights you’ll be well on your way to a totally new room. Happy painting…
In need of a furniture painting tutorial? Fret not, we’ve gotcha covered. And speaking of paint, here’s one of our favorite books when it comes to picking the perfect colors for your entire house. There are so many fun ideas we wish we had more rooms…
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Comments
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Let me start off by saying I love your blog…LOVE it! My husband, of 3 years now, and I bought our fisrt home 1 year ago and haven’t started any real projects but I can’t wait to try doing our cabinets!
My question is: If I want to change my counter top can I use the old cabinets??? If so, what steps should I take to ensure the best results? Thanks so much in advance!
~Crissa
You can definitely save your cabinets but change your counters. The eternal debate would be whether you should repaint the cabinets first and then get your new counters installed afterwards or do it in the opposite order. On one hand, you might get your new paint job scraped a bit when they put in the new counters (it’s a pretty tight fit sometimes and they have to brush the counters right up against the repainted cabinets) and on the other hand if you wait to paint until after you new counters are installed you’ll need to take care not to get primer or paint on the new counters. We would actually recommend replacing the counters first. Then just cover them with plastic and tape them off so when you paint the cabinets they’re perfect and protected. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Sherry!
My hubs and I and our friends follow your blog religiously, and we all often find ourselves asking ourselves (hah) WWTYD (what would the youngsters do)?
Anyway, this weekend I am going to paint our oak kitchen cabinets. They have an arch design on the doors, so they are not flat. I think you’ve always recommended brushes over rollers for these projects, right? If so what brand of brushes would you use? And how do I make sure to avoid drips and unevenness around the beveled arches and frames?
Also, our cabinets definitely have a layer of polyurethane on them but it’s not super shiny. Do you think hand sanding with 220 grit paper would do the trick? Would you sand again after a layer of the oil primer too?
Thanks,
Val
Hey Valerie,
You can actually roll as much of your cabinets as possible and then just have a copilot come in with a paint brush and get into all the cracks and arches, etc. That’s how my sister in law and I tag-teamed my old cabinets (she rolled and I brushed along behind her). We like a nice high-quality 2″ angled brush from Purdy and a good Purdy roller made for flat surfaces. You actually want to pick up two rollers and two brushes (since the primer can gum things up so you’ll want fresh new rollers and brushes for the painting phase for a more seamless effect). And as for the poly on your cabinets, we would definitely sand everything down before primer but not after. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks! Sorry one more, just one more (I hope): how do you recommend cleaning the grit and dust that accumulates from the sanding? Wet sponge and wait to dry, or do you have a better technique?
Can’t wait to send you our ‘before and afters’!
Yup, we used a wet rag to wipe everything down followed by a dry rag to be sure we got everything. Of course waiting til it’s totally dry to prime is the best way to go. Good luck!
xo,
s
Thanks Sherry! Now I just have to go sweet talk the hubs into a new counter top! :) He’ll be so thrilled! LoL!
I just painted my kitchen cabinets. They were the honey oak look…I cleaned, sanded everything down, but, used a water based tinted primer and then two coats of latex semi gloss paint…is that going to be ok? I noticed everything you have stated said to use oil based? They look great? But, am very concerned that this will be a problem? What is the difference between the two? And, do I need to use some sort of sealer? If so, what? Thanks!
If thibgs look great they should be perfect- no sealer required! Some people get bubbling and peeling and tackiness but water-based formulas are getting better and better so if they look smooth and lovely you’re in good shape! Just be sure to give them TONS of drying time to avoid any dents and dings while they fully cure. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Getting ready to embark on this project, and of course, came to your website for advice….
One step I noticed is missing from your process is using a “stripper” before sanding. I didn’t know that this was necessary, but at Home Depot today, someone suggested using something to strip the poly off before sanding. Do you guys think this is necessary? Or can I go straight to sanding? Thanks for the help!
We never used a stripper (nor did many other people that we know who have experienced excellent results) but it’s sort of like extra credit. It can’t really hurt but it’s probably not necessary. Sanding will rough up the poly and create a nice grip for the primer so you should be golden. It’s how the experts do it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I am new to this site, so you may have answered this question many times over, but…. We primed and painted new pine cabinets and now have knots bleeding through. We primed twice and painted twice, but didn’t use an oil based primer. How do we fix this mess?
You needed to use oil-based primer to block the bleed. Water-based just won’t do it, no matter how many coats you apply. Definitely just rough everything up with some sand paper and go for the oil-based primer method detailed above. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi, Love your blog. Need some suggestions for painting wood cabinets black (bathroom area). Would you still use a white oil-based primer underneath (most primer I see is white or light colored)? Do you have any suggestions for the primer before painting my wood cabinets black? I am worried the light primer would come through if it got nicked chipped. Thanks for your help and all of your wonderful ideas!
You can definitely get them to tint any oil-based primer (or even pick up a ready-mixed one with a darker base) so just visit your local home improvement store and ask for something that will work under black paint. Just be sure they don’t try to talk you into something water-based (trust me, they do this often and we’ve learned the hard way that it’s not the way to go). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
My husband and I have become addicted to your blog! We are getting ready to do a facelift of our 1960’s kitchen that includes painting our cabinets. Is there a specific type of latex paint that you would recommend? Did you use paint that is intended for cabinets or just regular semi-gloss paint? Thanks for all of the great ideas and step by step tutorials!
Just regular old latex semi-gloss paint. We like Behr, Benjamin Moore and Mythic (which is a great No-VOC option). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Nice article!
As a professional painting contractor I can tell you have some experience. Gotta use the oil primer. I’ve never found a water-based one that’s even close. I usually wash all my cabinets with water and then again with Lacquer thinner or Acetone. It’s stinky. But some grime is h2o based and some solvent based. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Ben! We too have learned from experience that the oil-based stuff is incomparable so far. Every job that we do following the steps that we detailed in the post above works out perfectly and when we deviate with any water-based primer the finish is always tacky or even stained/marred with bleed-through marks. Here’s hoping someday they’ll come up with a less fumey alternative, but in the meantime we encourage everyone to get the job done right the first time with the oil-based primer if they can!
xo,
s
Got a question on the subject of painting cabinets.
Over the last 2 weekends we’ve repainted the entire interior of our house, replacing caramel browns, brick reds and psyche-ward yellows with a combination of a light, soft greenish blue and a creamy soft yellow in all the rooms. Your blog inspired me to light colors.
Problem is, now my kitchen cabinets look incredibly dingy next to these light airy colors. I’m thinking of painting them a soft white, the same color that we painted all of our trimwork and doors.
I’m wondering if it will look okay to have the cabinets match the trimwork, or if we should go with a different shade of white for the cabinets. Our countertops and backsplash are tan tile with grout a few shades lighter. Floors are light ceramic tile.
Any opinion?
Oh yeah we’d actually recommend sticking with the same soft white that you used for your trim so neither the cabinets nor the trim will look dirty by comparison. Keeping that color consistency will open things up and look cohesive and lovely. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I was at Home Depot the other day and saw a Kilz oil-based primer that was low odor and low VOC. Was wondering if you have tried this? Do you think it will work as well as the regular oil-based Kilz? Or do you think they watered down this oil-based low odor version?
We have no idea but it’s a great question. Maybe the paint experts can shed some light on the subject and compare the differences? We would hope that as long as it still says “stainblocker” on the can (and not just “primer”) that it would work just as well when it comes to blocking those pesky bleed-through mishaps. If it doesn’t you might just want to bite the bullet and prime those cabinets with a gas mask on and the windows open for the most flawless finished product. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks for your quick response. I will definitely check the can for “stainblocker”. Another quick question. What grit sand paper should I use to sand my kitchen cabinets? They are old with a lot of poly in some areas. Thanks again!
It’s great coming across your post while researching repainting kitchen cabinets online. I have a questions about this product called CabinetCoat. Have you or anyof your followers tried this? Does it work like it claims? It claims to be primer/stainbocker/paint in one.
Thanks for your help!
We haven’t used it but did have excellent results with the process we detailed above in this post. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We are thinking of painting our kitchen cabinets, we were recommended to used the “Aqua Lock water based primer sealer” first and than apply 2 coats of the Melanine paint. Could you tell me the difference between the semi-gloss latex paint versus the melanine paint?
thanks for your great help!
DR
We actually can’t tell you the difference, but that would be a great question for the experts at your local home improvement center. We’re just sharing what worked for us in this post, so because we didn’t go with melamine or aqua lock primer we can’t really shed any light on that subject (other than warning you that many people have issues with bleeding or tackiness that refuses to harden when they use water-based primer over the oil-based stuff). Just know that tons of people have used our tutorial above with a lot of success so it’s relatively error-proof if you’d like to give it a try (scroll up for comments from people who have successfully painted their kitchens with this method, which might help you out). Good luck!
xo,
s
Hi, guys! Love your blog! My husband and I are in the middle of a huge remodel…just added 1,500 sq. ft. and are doing all of the finish work ourselves. I was wondering if there is a reason you use semi-gloss paint for your cabinets and trimwork, or if it’s just personal preference. All of our trim in the old part of our house was high gloss. It’s all about to get repainted as the new trim in the new addition gets painted. Just wondering! Thanks in advance!
:o) Jo Anne
It’s part personal preference (since we didn’t really need it to be super glossy) but also part practicality since it’s harder to get a flawless finish with high gloss paint (it shows a bit more brush strokes and imperfections than the slightly more forgiving semi-gloss option). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Guys!
Okay so this may be a silly question and I feel totally dorky asking it buuutt….
How do you paint the front and the back of the cabinet doors at the same time? Do you have to just paint one side, wait for it to dry and then paint the other side? Or is there another way that I’m not thinking of that saves some time?
We just bought a house, so I have about a million ideas running through my head!!
Hey Leslie,
We actually only painted the fronts of the cabinets (so we never turned them over) but if we were going to paint the inside as well we would recommend doing that two or even three full days later so you don’t have the freshly painted side lying on a tarp getting indentations or smears. You want it to really cure up and get a nice hard finish. Starting with the insides of the cabinet doors is also recommended so if you do turn them over a few days later and they get a few imperfections at least they won’t be on the outside. Hope it helps! We promise the extra effort will be worth the wait!
xo,
s
Wow you are quick!
Thank you for the info! Maybe I will just skip painting inside then. Painting the cabinets is just a temp fix until we replace them in the next couple of months!
Thanks again for all of the amazing home improvment advice!
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Hey Kathy,
We love Kilz when it comes to oil-based primer. Unfortunately the oil-based stuff is stinky and definitely not non-toxic, but if you apply it in a ventilated area (in the garage or out in the yard) it’s truly the best way to get great results. Many people try the low odor water-based stuff instead but it’s not a shortcut- it’s actually a longcut because it often involves sanding everything down once it bubbles and peels and starting over with the oil-based stuff. Hope it helps!
xo,
s