Painting Kitchen Cabinets?

I did it myself at my last house. Painted hideous 60s dark cabinets white. Sanded, primed, and then I think it took three coats of white to look good. I also added stainless steel hardware. A lot of work but it was totally worth it.

The sanding depends on the type of paint you buy. I bought a paint specifically for cabinets, it was a bit more expensive. However, with this paint I just scrubbed my cabinets with and SOS pad, dried them, and then painted! It did take several days to get two coats on all the cabinets! But they look awesome! Good luck.

Yes, you need to sand the cabinets before you paint. Make sure you wash with borax or ajax solution before you sand. Then prime your cabinets and then paint. When you paint use thin, even layers. You will need at least two coats, even with the primer. Between coats use a fine grit sandpaper to even out the paint, but don't try to remove the paint. It may take you more than four days, but it's cheaper than new cabinets! Good luck!

Yes - you can do it & they will look like brand new & much more up to date!!! (for super cheap). If they have varnish - you need to get a bottle of something from the paint store to wipe them down with (ask at your paint store - they will know right away). Then once you've done that - you can start painting! At least 2 coats. Good Luck!

its easier if you can take the doors off and do them flat ( less dripping) but of course you do need to sand regardless if you want the paint to adhere properly. Lucky you! at least your cabinets are actually wood(?).....the laminates don't allow the paint to adhere without using automotive paint!...if they are dark, prime them first with a good multisurface primer (the paint store should be able to suggest something if you tell what you intend to do) then depending on coverage 1 or 2 coats should do the job.
Good luck!....it should be a wonderful way to spruce up your look.

I second the other advice you received..my husband has a painting/construction business and did ours, but with stain and not paint. He took the cabinet doors off the hinges and took them into the garage to do. He sanded them completely to get the finish off and then restained them. It took him the better part of a week to do them, and you will have more steps. You will need to prime them first with a good primer (you can get them tinted to be close to your paint color to save on additional coats of painting if you are doing a darker color) and then let that dry (picture a bunch of cabinet doors laying around all over the place - hopefully in your garage) when one side is dry you flip and do the other side. Then you paint at least two coats, depending on the color you picked and the coverage you are getting and have to let each coat completely dry or you will get bubbles. If you do it while it is humid/raining out, you will need more time. You can put a fan and a dehumidifier in the room to help speed up the drying process. So you paint one side let it completely dry then the other side let it completely dry then do that all over again. I would also suggest using a semi-gloss or eggshell finish with the paint so you can wipe them clean.
My cabinets went from some dark shiny ugly color to a beautiful cherry-stained finish and look awesome. Much cheaper than buying new ones. Good luck!

The other 2 posts gave you the same advice I would have. One thing to add is dont use a cheap brush. Go to a paint store & get a good paint brush. It will cost you about $40 but its well worth it & you can use it for many projects. One other thing I learned on big projects is if I took a break or was done for the day I use to pour the paint back into the paint can, but you dont have to go through all that aggravation, you can use a plastic bag like walmart, target, etc & just put the paint tray & the roller/paint brush in the bag & close it up real well (make sure theres no holes in the bag or just double up on the bag). You can actually leave it in the bag for a whole day or over night. Well this really helped me so I wanted to share.

Check the HGTV website. They have great tips.

You should sand and then prime them. Check at your local paint store for a suitable primer. Good luck!

I've done it many times and what a great way to update your kitchen! You should sand the part you are painting to remove as much of the varnish (shiny top coat) as possible. Paint with a paint that is not flat but more resilient so you can wipe them down. Enamel is best but Satin and Semi-Gloss will work too. Oh and two coats is fine.

Good luck!

Absolutely lightly sand them first. I agree with most everything that Trisha posted except the sanding inbetween coats(I didnt sand inbetween coats and they turned out amazing). When I did my cabinets I used a wizzy(I am not sure if that is the real name of it or not)-it is a very small roller-you should be able to go to menards or someplace like that and ask them where they are. They are great for doing cabinets, trim, doors and cutting in while painting. It doesnt leave the brush strokes-it comes out nice and smooth. I do think it will probably take you more than 4 days unless this is all you will be doing uninterrupted for the next four days...good luck

Hi S.-

I still need to paint my kitchen cabinets... so I have been checking websites with videos on this topic. The decorator on the link below says you can simply use a deglosser on your cabinets instead of sandpapering.... I haven't tried this yet... but I am thinking about giving it a try. There are many videos on this topic if you Google.... painting kitchen cabinets. You'll find a lot. There's also eHow.com that's a good site for videos. Good luck!

http://www.askthedecorator.com/Painting_Kitchen_Cabinets_...

It is as easy as taking the cabinets off the hinges and sanding and painting! I have a very old house and my husband and I took the old wooden cabinets which were as old as the house and looked like it too and refinished them. We did sand them with a handheld sander which was pretty simple then we used a paint which was for cabinet and trim but I am sure the paint you purchased will be just as efficient! The nice thing about the cabinet paint is it is much easier than regular paint to clean. Make sure you use some kind of top coat on them and they should look like brand new cabinets. Good luck and have fun! Hope husband is suprised.

You should sand them down a bit first. If you didn't have a color mixed you might want to look into getting kitchen/bathroom paint. It's a little more durable and will hold up to cleaning/wiping down more. You'll probably need at least two coats but you'll be able to tell as you are painting.

my mom had been doing this for awhile now in her kitchen. you need to sand them first and its tedious job but they look great!

We did the same thing... sand/SOS the cabinets, then give two coats of paint depending upon the darkness of the wood. We used a paint made especially for cabinets (blanking on the name but got it at Menards or Home Depot).

You need to go to Lowes.com and thisoldhouse.com to get some instructions....

I did my mother's cabinets and listened to the lady at Lowes more than I did the instructions. That was a mistake. The lady just thought she knew what she was talking about.

You will need to rough them up. And you will need to prime them very well. Especially if you are changing from stained cabinets to paint.

There are lots of suggestions for this type of job including the type of roller and or brush to get a flawless finish.

You will need have a big space to work in that is clean from dust, dirt, and so on. You will enjoy the work more if you have saw horses to put the doors on so you don't have to bend so much.

Please get a few sets of instructions first and read through them all a few times to familiarize yourself with the best techniques and tricks. Don't take shortcuts because you will regret it. And after all that work you don't want them to look all scratched and nasty after a few months.

I have no clue but what I usually do in these situations is talk to the people at Home Depot. They are actually pretty helpful at ansewring questions about home improvement projects - and the advice is free! Take the time to visit your local store and talk to the people in the paint department. They'll tell you exactly what you should do. I've done this with paint projects, electrical projects, landscaping projects - you name it. And the advice always pays off because the staff are professionals in their field.

Good luck!

Primer is definitely the key but you will need one that will seal in the existing stain. Something like Bin or Kilz will do the trick. This is seriously stinky stuff so make sure you have plenty of ventilation. But it will provide a good surface so that your paint won't be absorbed into the wood and so your stain won't show through. Good luck!

Make sure to number each door in an inconspicuous spot (like the inside) as you take them off. Also number the screws/hardware for each door in little snack size zip lock so there is no confusion. You would be amazed how hard it is to figure out where each door came from! Just a tip to make life easier when you are all done!