Painting your kitchen cabinets is a perfect way to give a dated kitchen a fresh look, without splurging on a big overhaul. It doesn’t cost much and with the proper preparation, it’ll look great and last long. We’ve outlined each of the steps below, including a video recap of all of the steps that we used to updated our wood kitchen cabinets.
(Rolls up sleeves, looks into the mirror, smiles, fixes weird fly aways, and whispers “let’s do this.”)
It’s finally here. The day that we get to wake up and pad into a kitchen that used to look like this…
And see this…
So here’s how we did it from soup to nuts. Wait, first let me gush a little more. Seriously, it doesn’t even feel like the same room. Scroll back up and picture yourself standing next to the fridge in the “before” shot. The cabinets felt about two feet away from you on all sides. I can’t explain it, but it was like the room didn’t respect my personal space and was always inching towards me. It was all up in my area. Now when I stand at the sink or pantry, I literally feel like I could perform a small musical number (with a minimum of six Glee backup dancers). It just feels so much roomier. Plus no weird cabinet knob-eyes are looking over my shoulder anymore. Bonus.
But let’s get back to the present. Ahh, much better.
Our big cabinet-painting victory hardly happened overnight. We’ve been slowly working up to this sucker for a while now. First we painted the paneling, the fireplace, and the beams. Then we rearranged our cabinets a bit, got new appliances and, oh yeah, got a big beautiful hole busted in the wall. Then some cabinets came in, others came down, and eventually new counters made their way to us. Finally, the painting project was upon us. So first came the primer…
… and, at long last, the paint. Speaking of the paint, we used Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint in Cloud Cover in a satin finish (it’s a soft tonal taupey-gray color, so it’s not quite as bright as our glacier white counters for a subtle layered look). Benjamin Moore Advance paint actually came recommended by a few pro cabinet painters that we know. We went with the satin finish because it’s specially formulated for cabinets (they actually came out with satin first and only added semi-gloss later to help folks who wanted more shine). We used it on our office cabinets a few months back (which still look great after Clara has beat on them relentlessly with wooden fruit) so it’s safe to say that we’ve been extremely happy with it. The fact that it’s low-VOC, self-leveling, and amazingly durable is pretty much the best thing ever.
Since a bunch of you have asked, here’s a rough timeline of the cabinet painting process (we just worked on nights after Clara went to bed and weekends during her naps, so it’s a good indication of what anyone with a day job might be able to follow):
- Day 1: We removed the cabinet doors (including drawerfronts) and hardware (including hinges), applied wood filler to cracks and hardware holes, let everything dry for a few hours, lightly sanded the putty spots by hand, and refilled them with a second layer of wood filler wherever necessary. We did the same to the cabinet frames. Our wood filler of choice was Elmer’s ProBond Professional Strength Wood Filler.
- Day 2: With the wood filler completely dry, we used a palm sander to smooth any putty spots and rough up all cabinet doors in the sealed off sunroom (it’s a dusty job). We then emptied out all the kitchen cabinets and covered appliances with drop cloths so we could also use the sander on our cabinet frames (roughing everything up = better adhesion). After everything was sanded, we wiped it down with a liquid deglosser (we like Next from Home Depot because it’s low-VOC and biodegradable). Read a lot more on the puttying, sanding, and deglossing steps of this process here (there are lots of pics too!).
- Day 3: Cabinet door backs and cabinet frames were primed (we love Zinsser Smart Prime which is high-quality, stain-blocking, and low-VOC – the primer trifecta). We applied it with a high quality 2″ angled brush to get into all the cracks and a small foam roller to smooth everything out and ensure that we were applying super thin and even coats (there’s a video of the application process a bit further down in this post)
- Day 4: We flipped the cabinet doors over and primed the fronts, leaving them to dry another 24 hours, just like the backs. Read more about the priming steps of this process here (there are extra pics too!).
- Day 5: With the primer all done and dry (be sure to read the can – ours said not to over-prime, so one coat did the trick), during Clara’s nap we flipped the cabinet doors over again and painted one coat of paint on the backs (we used Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint in Cloud Cover). We applied it with a high quality 2″ angled brush to get into all the cracks and a small foam roller to smooth everything out and ensure that we were applying super thin and even coats (there’s a video of the application process a bit further down in this post). Clara woke up before we could paint the frames, so after she went to bed that night we put a first coat on the cabinet frames.
- Day 6: We applied a second coat of paint on the back of the cabinet doors and the frames after Clara went to bed. As for applying any sealer or topcoat, the general pro recommendation for cabinet painting is to use high quality stain blocking primer and 2-3 thin and even coats of super high quality paint with ample drying time between coats (Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint is meant for cabinets without any top coat, since sealers can drip, yellow, and even cause things to stick/crack since they thicken the application).
- Day 7: We gave the doors a full day to dry before flipping them over and applying a first coat to the fronts (the reason we did the backs first was that just in case the backs got marked up while we painted the front, at least the front would remain pristine). The day of drying time did the trick though, so the backs look as good as the fronts.
- Days 8 & 9: We applied the first and second coat of paint to the front of the doors over these two days. Read a lot more on the puttying, sanding, and deglossing steps of this process here (there are lots of pics too!).
- Days 10 – 13: We let the doors dry and cure for the recommended time on the can (always read the can!).
- Day 14: We drilled for and installed the hardware on all of the doors (more on that in a sec). We also hung the doors but ran out of time before getting to the drawer fronts.
- Day 15: We installed hardware on the drawer fronts, put the drawers back in, and restocked the kitchen. A droopy but spirited happy dance also ensued.
All that info above (and those three bolded links to the previous posts on puttying/sanding/deglossing, priming, & painting) should be enough to get you going on any cabinet-painting project – but just because I always think a video is worth a thousand pics, here’s a quick one that runs through the process for you. Although at some points I’m so delirious that I make up words (putty brush?) and refer to primer as paint about a dozen times. But it definitely can be helpful to see exactly how to putty a hardware hole or how to prime and paint a cabinet door. Enjoy!
As for the hardware installation details that we promised in our timeline above, we bought these handy Liberty Hardware guides at Home Depot for $7 to help us place everything evenly (centered side to side, and consistently at the same height so all the doors match up). Let’s call it the best seven beans we’ve ever spent (it’s incredibly nerve-wracking to drill through your freshly painted cabinet doors, to say the least – so any tool to make it more of a science is a friend of mine). My only tip is to double check everything ten times before drilling. And see those white blobs on the template on the left? Those are small pieces of masking tape that we used to surround “the good holes” (the ones we were using) so we didn’t accidentally drill into the one to the left or the right.
We also realized that using a small piece of scrap wood would shift all of the handles a smidge closer to the edge of the door, which we realized we liked best (after holding the handle in various places on the template). So we used this scrap wood piece…
… for marking each door with a pencil…
Then John drilled a small pilot hole first (to make sure he was going straight into our marked dot and ensure the wood wouldn’t crack or splinter). Then we went back through with a larger drill bit that would allow the screw that was provided with our hardware to slide right on through.
By some miracle, everything ended up looking nice and even. Whew. You know how sometimes when you reuse something (ex: our oak cabinets from the early 80’s) you think it’ll somehow be wonky or look cheap after something like a paint job? I’m happy to report that they look so solid and amazing. We had completely new cabinets in our first house’s kitchen (to the tune of 7K – ouch!) and we’re just as happy with these. I guess sometimes solid oak from 30 years ago is just as good as solid oak from today. Haha.
Oh and our new hardware is from here for $3.24 per handle. We love the way the satin nickel looks with our stainless appliances (and we think the soft gray backsplash will only add to the fun. We got all the same hardware for every door and drawer, but just placed them horizontally on drawers and vertically on doors. Speaking of money, here’s our entire budget breakdown:
- Wood filler (Elmer’s ProBond Professional Strength Wood Filler from Home Depot): $7
- Primer (we used Zinsser’s Smart Prime from a local Benjamin Moore store: $22
- Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint (in Cloud Cover in a satin finish): $40 (thanks to a coupon)
- All new hardware (see that link above): $84
- All new hinges (from a local hardware store here called Pleasant’s): $89
- Hardware templates (by Liberty Hardware from Home Depot): $7
- Total cabinet makeover total: $249
Not bad when you compare that to the 7K total of the new white cabs that we selected for our first house’s much smaller kitchen. Le yikes. And we love that we added an entire peninsula with secondhand cabinets for under $95 (one of them was even free) – which is definitely one of those DIY coups that makes ya proud. All that storage and extra workspace is already coming in handy.
Anyway, to get back the whole putting-the-room-back-together thing, after we added the hardware, we just needed to reattach the hinges…
… and enjoy the view (don’t mind the clashy dishwasher- we’ll install our stainless one after we lay the cork floors so they’ll run underneath it).
I’ve totally been doing that thing where you spend way more time in a room than necessary, just staring at things. I keep gravitating towards the kitchen (ex: Clara, let’s go read this book on the floor next to the refrigerator!).
Oh and here’s a shot of how things look with the natural oak color inside the cabinets while the doors and fronts are painted. We don’t mind the two tone look at all, and this way we can toss things in there and pull them out without worrying about scratching or peeling paint (we did the same thing in our first kitchen and in our office built-in cabinets, and they really hold up nicely). Our tip would be to just keep a nice clean line around the frames when you prime/paint them (using a small foam roller sort of does that for you). That way it looks intentionally two-toned and not crazy-sloppy when you open the door. And yes, that is a slide out cutting board. Our cabinets may be old, but they still have their tricks. Haha.
For those who can’t watch the video above to see my shot of the painted cabinets up close, the picture below might shed a little light on the whole oak-grain thing. Using high quality primer and good self-leveling paint helps hide a lot although it doesn’t guarantee 100% invisible grain (we don’t see any evidence of grain on the oak cabinets in the office but do see a hint of it on the kitchen cabinets, so it probably just depends how much grain your cabinets have to begin with). We don’t mind painted wood that looks like painted wood though, so a little grain is ok with us, as long as the paint is nice and even and glossy.
Words can’t express how much additional function/workspace our little peninsula added to the kitchen. It’s amazing to think that none of these cabinets were here before our makeover! And the fact that we gained a 3 x 5′ counter on that peninsula already makes eating/baking/spreading out and doing crafts there a regular occurrence.
We mentioned in this post that two of the retrofitted cabinets were 100% seamless, and it’s these babies in the corner. We don’t think Sherlock Holmes himself could tell, even with his nose an inch away from them. Hurrah!
As I mentioned here, the three other retrofitted doors are tad less than perfect. By this I mean if you look at them from an inch away for five minutes (bobbing your head back and forth to catch the light bouncing off of them) two out of ten people might notice a tiny seam. The cabinet hanging above the cereal jars in the photo below is one of them. See how it’s almost impossible to pick up from far away…
But when you get super close and the light hits it just the right way you might be able to catch a super subtle horizontal line? In person it’s so unnoticeable that we can’t decide if it’s worth doing anything about, but we’ll keep you posted if we decide to sand them one more time and use some sort of buildable primer and a few more coats of paint to hopefully make them as perfect as the two corner cabinet doors are.
I don’t know why I love this shot but I do. John’s totally my hero for figuring out how to build in the fridge like that. Mah man.
Oh my gosh, can you even believe that room looked like this last December when we moved in? In case you can’t tell, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around that.
The doorway to the dining room definitely helps bring the light in – and the glossier cabinets and bright white counters definitely brighten things up too.
Here’s the other side of Dark City:
And the same view now that I’m the Mayor of BrightVille!
Of course there’s still tons to do, like…
- hang our backsplash tile
- add floating shelves & a range hood
- redo all the lighting (two pendant lights over the peninsula + inset lights in the cooking area)
- install our mocha cork floors (can’t wait to balance out the brightness with some rich contrast!)
- install the new dishwasher
- add quarter-round and crown molding
- possibly tweak our stools (we’re waiting for the room to take shape a bit more)
…but it’s definitely progress. Hooray, progress. So who’s about to embark on a cabinet painting adventure of their very own? I hope this post full of details (and especially that little video we whipped up) come in handy! Have fun and don’t forget to make up words (might I recommend putty brush?).
Update: Our painted cabinets are still holding up great. Check out a little update post here.
Psst – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Andrea (Lil-Kid-Things) says
We will be embarking on a similar journey soon. I have been holding out for painters while my husband wants to DIY, therefore NOTHING is getting done. After reading your how-tos I am ready to do this!
Stacy says
Cabinets look great! Did you ever consider using the new Rustoleum cabinet refinishing kit? I am just curious as I have been eyeballing it for awhile. Any thoughts on that? Thanks – enjoy your site!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we thought about it but more pros that we talked to recommended the good primer + good paint method – which we loved since it was low-VOC and included steps like sanding (the kit skips that which makes a nervous nellie like me… well… nervous!) Haha.
xo,
s
Lauren L says
What a great post. It’s totally encouraging me to do our cabinets in our kitchen! Also, I LOVE that you guys still have your tree up. Three cheers for keepin it real! :D
Kate says
Looks AMAZING! Can’t wait to see the cork floors!
Jadie says
Um, I am pretty sure I already commented on this, but I was just looking over this post again…and am still in total, complete LOVE (and envy)! Great job!
Corrie says
I love the bar stools! Do you mind sharing where you got them?
YoungHouseLove says
They’re actually from a school supply store. Here’s that link for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/12/stool-boom/
xo,
s
Christy says
I am about to paint my kitchen cabinets as well. I was very excited that you posted step by step directions.
I do have a question. I was thinking about renting a spray gun to apply the primer and paint to the cabinets. Is there a reason why you used brushes and rollers rather then a spray gun?
I know it is a bit more messy but I was thinking that it would give me a more even/ smooth finish (no roller/brush marks) at least on the doors.
Thanks for your help! Your Kitchen is looking GREAT and has motivated me to get mine going as well. Thanks for the advise! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We have always been happy with the smooth and even finish that brushes and rollers give us so we worry that a spray gun could lead to drips or other inconsistencies (they take a bit of getting used to, so we just like using what we know works for us!).
xo,
s
Christy says
Thanks! I have an old cabinet that we moved out of the kitchen because we reworked the layout and I think I will use that one for a practice run.
Thanks again! :)
Jaya says
Hi guys- I just want to say thank you for the detailed instructions. We have one more smidge of wall paper left to go and then painting cabinets, here we come! I have read these posts multiple times the last few days, with the intensity of studying for the cpa exam! wood filler, sand- 60 and 200 grit and primer, small roller, angled brush. I should put this on a flash card! Thanks so much for the detailed instructions! Please know people are reading and using your instructions in real time :)Thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so glad. Good luck!
xo,
s
laraffinee says
I have been reading up on the paint you used, the Benjamin Moore Advance, and it is supposedly state of the art and all, but must be used correctly or it will peel off or be a mess. They say to work quickly with it and to do as little re-brushing or re-rolling as possible because it sets quickly and can actually ball up. You did work quickly in the video – were you keeping that pace because of the set time? , but you did re-brush and re-roll over the surface.. Any advice about working with this particular paint? What primer did you use with it? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I didn’t find it any harder to work with than other paint, so I was moving fast in the video (probably 30% faster than normal) but when I went at my normal pace I didn’t have any issues. I used Zinsser Smart Prime with it and really liked that too. In general you don’t want to brush or roll over an area of paint that you’ve done a while back because it’ll start to cure and get gunked up, so I just tried to apply my little brush stuff and then my roller stuff as you saw in the video and then I moved on. No going back to retouch stuff until it was time for the next coat. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Justin says
This is awesome!!
When sanding did you guys use a fine sand paper to finish it off and make it really smooth??
YoungHouseLove says
Yup! We did low grit first (about 60) and then did high grit (150-200).
xo,
s
Justin says
Thank you.. I will stop bothering you now!! ;)
I sure will be back though!! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- good luck!
xo,
s
Justin says
Okay. My wife wanted to know if guys cut out the hole in the wall out by yourself??
We are doing the same thing to open up the kitchen into the dining room..
YoungHouseLove says
We hired a licensed contractor since it was load bearing. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kerry V says
Hi guys;) did you have Home Depot mix your Cloud Cover or did you happen to go somewhere else? Thanks! Kerry getting ready to paint in Ohio;)
ps I painted my kitchen walls Native Soil by Behr , the trim is all white do you think Cloud Cover would look right or do you recommend another color for the caninets? I have 20 cabinets and an island. Along with 10 drawers.
Thank you so much!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We actually got it at a Benjamin Moore store here since we wanted it to be in Advance paint (their brand) since it’s supposed to hold up so well! So far, so good! Hope it helps. I think it’ll look great in your kitchen!
xo,
s
Debc says
Amazing work! What I also LOVE is your wall color, which I didn’t see mentioned. Care to share?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! It’s Sesame by Benjamin Moore. Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Kazie says
Your kitchen is looking amazing! I actually have nice cabinets they are just darker, this post has helped me get brave enough to try my cabinets I took one of my doors off and have tested the back of it. I have used the same paint as you but not the same primer ( the guy at the Benjamin moore paint store talked me out of your primer) I don’t know if I am just maybe a crappy painter but my cabinet is not as smooth as I would like or as smooth as yours look. Any ideas why ?? Do you think the primer would make the difference??
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, ours are really smooth and we loved our primer (recommended by two cabinet painters along with the paint – it’s what they use). It might be your coats (you want thin thin thin and even coats of both primer and paint) that has made it not-as-smooth or maybe it’s the different primer. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Betty819 says
Congrats on the great job you all did! We moved here 7 yrs. ago and the kitchen has dark cherry cabinets. They are not the best quality, in my opinion. We have tried to find a manufacturer’s name/logo on them and can’t..the hinges on some of the glass paneled doors, the screws are stripped and the cabinets don’t line up even..ABOUT your retrofit cabinet..the one that you couldn’t put a handle on it..is it a cabinet with a lazy susan inside? I don’t know the exact name for it but you can probably figure it out. If it is that type of cabinet, ours has like a bi-fold door on it with only one handle, Maybe you should have installed your handle on opposite side of the door and let the one cabinet open opposite from the others. Would that have worked without looking odd?
We replaced the laminate pink countertop with Quartz..and took down the pink tile or was it white with decorative tiles mixed in randomly with roses on them? I chose to go with plain white subway tile because the cost of the Quartz ate up our budget but DH wanted granite and he settled for Quartz and we are very happy. All our furniture in this house is dark cherry and I am sick of the dark color. I’d love to have the kitchen cabinets painted white but DH would never agree to it. This house was built in 1977 and has a dropped ceiling, plastic panels and 4 flourescent lights behind the dropped ceiling panels. It makes the kitchen ceiling so low and a good contractor has taken the dropped ceiling down, installed new light fixture, and some he built a soffit over the top of cabinet. Of course, painting was involved. I’m not sure if he replaced the ceiling wallboard or just painted it. I’m going to get him to give us an estimate. What he has done, adds height as well as brightness to the kitchen. What an improvement!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that could have worked too! It’s just a corner cabinet (no lazy susan) so there are a few ways to go with corner cabinets. We just added hardware to the lazy susan one that worked with that one and hardware that helped the doors in the other corner cabinet work the most intuitively. Sounds like your kitchen makeover has already turned out amazing and maybe since you don’t think your cabinets are in the best shape over time your hubby will agree to painting them! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Betty819 says
What a great gadget that template is..where in the store did you find that? Cabinet hardware? I could see it being useful with other projects.
YoungHouseLove says
Home Depot!
-John
Liz says
kitchen looks great! quick question: you have probably answered this one a thousand times, but, to be sure – we sanded, primed, and painted our kitchen cabinets white. unfortunately, the paint was not the right finish. would you recommend re-priming and repainting with b Moore paint? or could we just paint over with b Moore paint? thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
I would sand it all, degloss, prime, and paint with the same primer and paint we used! We love it so we wouldn’t use anything else!
xo,
s
Green DIY Guy says
Fantastic tutorial! Many thanks for this.
My wife and I are getting ready to paint our dated wooden cabinets and we used ya’lls article to get the list of required primers and paints etc.
I managed to order the Zinsser primer, brushes, rollers and some other minor stuff through Amazon.com!
Thanks again,
Martin & Katie
YoungHouseLove says
I just had to comment and say how funny that you guys are a “Martin & Katie.” My sister’s name is Katie and she’s married to a Martin!
-John
Andrea says
I am getting ready to redo my kitchen including painting my cabinets white and stumbled upon your blog. It’s the best info I’ve found! I am going to follow your lead to the T. I especially appreciate the bit on the hinges–I was considering a paint job on the hinges–my current ones are bronze and I would like brushed nickel. Oh, and your kitchen is BEAUTIFUL! Great job.
Aki Travis says
Your kitchen looks amazing! We want to paint our kitchen cabinets and wall too but we have a 5 month old baby so we aren’t sure if the paint will be harmful to our baby or not. Did you bring your baby to the kitchen after the paint was dry or did you wait until the smell was completely gone? Also, did you take her to the kitchen while you were still painting? Is it safe to do that? Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
It was low VOC paint, but not no VOC paint so my recommendation would be to wait for the paint to fully dry with fans and windows open before children are allowed in the room (which is good for them not touching it while it dries, too, haha).
xo
s
Stacy says
Where did you buy your Zinsser Smart Prime? My local Home Depot and Lowe’s don’t carry that formula.
YoungHouseLove says
We purchased ours at our local Benjamin Moore.
-John
Amanda says
Your cabinets look amazing, as does the completed kitchen! Congrats on finishing such a huge project.
Question for ya: I am using BM Advance to paint an old dresser. The brochure says to lightly sand in between coats with a fine fine fine grit. Did you guys do that? Your video suggests not, but wondering if you think it’s worth doing? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t do that, but only because we apply super thin and even coats, so if you feel like your coat went on a little gloppy or drippy or has any areas you’d like to smooth out, it’s a great way to accomplish that!
xo,
s
Lauren says
We just started painting our old wooden cabinets white – they actually looked a lot like yours before. I am on day two, and the kitchen is a total wreck! It is so much work (we just finished sanding the frames and the doors and drawers have all been sanded and de-glossed), but we are excited to see how they turn out.
I just wanted to say thanks for the awesome tutorial, and that you guys are like my DIY gods :) You are so creative and your house(s) look amazing! I wish I had half as much motivation as you! Thanks again for the tutorial and the inspiration!
Lauren
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Lauren!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Thanks, Sherry. I applied the first coat today and your video was SUPER helpful. The foam roller was key to getting the thin, even coat. I’ll see how it looks dried tomorrow. Thanks for giving such a detailed technique of how you did this, and for replying to my comment!
YoungHouseLove says
Sure thing! Good luck!
xo,
s
Coelle says
How well does cabinet paint that you can get from Lowes and Home Depot work that doesn’t require the primer, etc? I want to redo my cabinets in the place we are buying. The cabinets almost look exactly like yours.
Thanks! Coelle
YoungHouseLove says
I would worry about anything that doesn’t involve sanding and primer since that’s what adds up to long-term durability. The method we outlined in this post was the only one we trusted with our cabinets for the long haul (they’re holding up great, even when they get seriously slammed and banged and beat up!).
xo,
s
matt says
The link to the hardware is 404’ed. Can someone provide a link?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, it’s through myknobs.com and it’s made by Amerock. It’s the satin nickel finish. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kit Blair says
Wonderful site with great advice! We’re trying to make a decision on paint color for our new oak cabinets. Would like to keep them light without doing white. The general color scheme (walls, floor, etc) is very similar to the first kitchen on your original page (looks like a coffee with lots of cream in the picture). Since you keep such great records, can you tell us what cabinet color you used?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
That was Brown Bag by Glidden. You might also want to check out Ashen Tan by Benjamin Moore (it’s the prettiest creamy light tan tone ever). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kit Blair says
Wow. Talk about instant gratification. I have my list and will pick up samples tomorrow. Thanks for the super fast response.
Kit
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck!
xo,
s
Laken says
Wow! That looks amazing!! We’re working on our kitchen too! Well, all of our house really but the kitchen needed it the most so that’s where we started!
Lisa says
Thanks for the recap. I really appreciated the update on your cabinets. I’m taking that plunge as we speak! Primer is on, hardware is ready to go. I just needed a little push to gear up for the paint! One quick question, whatever did you do with a microwave? I must have missed that detail and couldn’t find it in any photos I quickly searched out. I’m having the microwave dilemma myself. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh it’s hidden in the cabinet to the left of the sink. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/12/goodbye-microwave-hello-microwave-cabinet/
xo,
s
Tami says
Quick question: would similar cabinet paint be the best to use for a high use dining table? Or would you recommend something else? You guys know your stuff so I’d love your insight!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I would definitely go with Advance. It’s awesome.
xo,
s
Patti says
Looks good. I will not have another white kitchen. I was constantly wiping down the cabinet doors everyday because you can see every bit of dirt and dust on the cabinets. It was a chore and I got to the point I hated cooking or doing anything in there.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man that stinks! We had a white kitchen in our first house for nearly five years and never had any issues with the cabinets! I wonder if it’s a difference of how slick they are (maybe white textured cabinets hold dust and dirt more while it slides right off smoother ones?). So far we’ve had these white for the past 5+ months and they’re the same as the ones in our first house (no issues, thank goodness!).
xo,
s
Bella says
hi, good jobs guys…wish my husband could do that but he’s kind of not so handy at all. like a lot your kichen make-0ver…so bright and fresh.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Bella! We really think most people can do it! It’s sort of a long and tedious process but it’s not too complicated if you just go step by step!
xo,
s
Livvy says
Definitely going on Pinterest. Questions:
1. If time and money were not a consideration, would you paint the insides of your cabinets?
2. In your old house, you opted to replace the cabinets that you painted with new cabinets? Was that in any way related to your interest in having cabinets with white insides, or the potential resale value of your house?
3. Do you have any feedback from your network as to whether having two-tone cabinets affects the perception or value of one’s kitchen?
I’m doing to paint my oak kitchen white this year, but I’m hung-up on the 2-tone cabinet thing…
thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
1. I don’t think so, just because we don’t mind the two-tone look and for maintenance reasons it’s easier to keep the wood clean and not worry about dishes sticking or peeling off paint.
2. Oh no, we just completely redid the floor plan in the kitchen and couldn’t use the existing cabinets because we didn’t have more of them to make a u-shaped plan (they were also too shallow to fit our dinner dishes, haha).
3. It’s all personal preference- some folks might want wood inside since it won’t stick or peel while others might want the same color in the inside. On our new Kraft-maid cabinets in the first kitchen, all the drawers were actually wood inside- must be an industry standard thing!
xo,
s
Abbey says
Hello! I don’t *think* this was covered, but if it was, I apologize. I wanted to know how much paint (i.e. gallons) you needed for the cabinets. It is always so hard for me to estimate, and I believe I have a similar amount of cabinets. Thanks!
Abbey
YoungHouseLove says
Oh just one with lots leftover!
xo,
s
Peggy says
I sure wish I’d read this post more thoroughly a few weeks ago. I made a major mistake on my cabinets. I painted the oil-based polyurethane over my cream cabinets. It is now yellowing horribly! Any suggestions? I have primer and higher quality paint ready to go, but how should I prep to go over the polyurethane? Sanding? I also have the wallpaper beadboard on the front of the cabinets, so you can’t sand or steel wool that. HELP!! Love you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
I would sand it wherever you can and just prime and paint over it in places that you can’t sand. Good luck!
xo,
s
Peggy says
Oh thank you! I found some awesome primer at Sherwin-Williams that is the mother of all primers and it should work. Done with sanding and some priming, now it is time to hit the hay. Thanks for your response!
YoungHouseLove says
Sure thing, good luck!
xo,
s
EhubbsK says
Love that you have this tutorial! Sent over to my friend who was thinking about hiring the painting out – hopefully this convinces her that she can do it herself!
Rhapsody says
I’m thinking of painting my kitchen cabinets when I sell, but I’m not sure how to paint the interior of them — do I take them off the wall? Do cabinets come off/go on easily? Or can I paint them while they stay up?
YoungHouseLove says
They should come off the wall just by removing a few screws in the back and maybe sides. However, I would paint them in place if you’re able. It will make your task much easier, as rehanging cabinets can be a challenging job (it takes two people).
-John
Anna says
I keep re-reading this post for motivation to paint our kitchen cabinets… is everything still holding up well?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, all is well!
xo,
s
Judy says
This kitchen looks great! We have a similar situation where we are thinking about being a bit “frugal”
and just painting our cabinets instead of buying new ones. The only difference is that the ones we have
now are already painted a cream color. So it might not even make sense that we paint them a different
color. You mentioned that you got new cabinets, did you get melamine cabinets? And where did you
purchase them?
YoungHouseLove says
We got “new” cabinets from a secondhand store called the Habitat For Humanity ReStore- so they were previously used (and one was even already painted) but we followed these steps and they all match and look brand new! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Carol Frampton says
The link to your hardware, http://www.myknobs.com/hok53712g10.html, isn’t valid. Would it be possible for you to correct this?
thanks, Carol
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, they no longer sell the same knobs we got, but they were by Amerock and were brushed nickel. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ellen Greeley says
We’ve been devouring your site, planning a little kitchen facelift. We’re just about ready to paint our cabinets and then realized you did your counters first. Is there a reason (order of operations)here? Would it matter if we painted cabinets first and then got counters a little later? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We learned in our first kitchen that the cabinets going in scratched a few of the painted cabinets which then needed touch ups, so we opted to paint after since it was easy enough to tape off the counters.
xo,
s
remi says
love this post! thanks! my husband and I are about to tackle our very first house reno. and this helps immensely!! I apologize if you’ve already answered this, but I’ve read through as many comments as I can, and haven’t found an answer! I linked to this more recent post from your first cabinet painting post and in the first you said to use a wool or poly roller for painting, but in this one you used a foam….did you discover this was easier? better?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes small foam roller is our favorite! Nice and thin costs.
xo,
s
Kathy says
Why would you paint kitchen cabinets? Weren’t they all-wood? Isn’t wood better for resale?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s all personal preference! Many buyers want white painted cabs and many want wood- just like how some folks like a house with wood siding and others like brick!
xo,
s
Dane says
Love the cabinets! We are about to start this process as well… Quick question though. Did you paint the sides of the drawers? I see you left the inside of the cabinets unpainted, I but didn’t see any pics of the drawers… Thoughts?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We left them wood since the new Kraftmaid drawers that we bought in our first house (which were white on the outside) were wood on the inside (they really held up to a ton of banging that way!). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Dane says
Sorry. Asked that question wrong. I was referring to the outside of the drawers…where the roller sits, which would be visible from the side when the drawer is pulled out.
Thanks for the quick reply!
YoungHouseLove says
Ohh, gotcha! We just did the drawer fronts (not the inside, or exterior sides) for a sort of two-tone wood effect. Oddly enough when the drawer is pulled out it looks great (maybe because the wood inside the drawer makes the wood outside of the sides make sense and look balanced?). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laura in Denver says
Thank you for such detailed instructions & encouragement. You gave me the courage to repaint an old oak medicine chest white (as a first step toward doing all the bathroom cabinets & maybe someday the kitchen). I love how you name products and go step by step.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad Laura!
xo,
s
Laura in Denver says
What finish did you use on the paint? The woman at my Benjamin Moore store recommended satin, but I’m wondering if I should have gone shinier. Then again, the glossier the finish, the less forgiving.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we did satin. Worked really well and wasn’t super shiny to see any flaws.
xo,
s
Matthew McGarity says
Great blog post — and it definitely inspires us. We are about to paint our cabinets white now! We will be sure to let you know how it turns out.
One question: you mentioned in the budget breakdown that you bought new hinges, but the post does not explain why — what was the reason for new hinges?
YoungHouseLove says
We just wanted a new finish (the old ones were brass and we went with brushed nickel hardware so we wanted hinges to match). Hope it helps!
xo,
s