DIY Kitchen Cabinet Painting Suggestions

Transforming your kitchen with a fresh coat of paint is an exciting way to update the heart of your home without a full renovation. Painting the existing cabinetry allows for customization to match your personal style, while adding vibrancy and character to your space. With some preparations and helpful tips, a DIY painting project can lead to stunning results. We'll share everything you need to know, from proper prep work to color ideas and essential painting techniques.

Prep Work

Preparing your kitchen cabinets for painting is the most important step for achieving a smooth, professional finish. Properly prepping ensures better paint adhesion and a long-lasting result.

Cleaning the Kitchen Cabinets

Thoroughly clean cabinet surfaces with a degreasing agent to remove all grease, grime, and residue. Pay special attention to areas around pulls and knobs. Consider using a liquid deglosser if cabinets have a slick topcoat finish. After cleaning, wash all surfaces with a microfiber cloth, mild soap and water solution, then let dry completely.

Removing Doors and Hardware

Remove all doors, shelves, and hardware (handles, knobs pulls, hinges) before starting the painting process. Removing everything allows for easier access to paint cabinet boxes and frame edges. Number cabinet doors and shelves to keep everything organized for reinstallation.

Sanding the Kitchen Cabinets

Sand cabinet surfaces lightly with 220-grit then 320-grit sandpaper to scuff up the finish. This helps the paint better adhere. Focus on sanding seams, edges and detailed areas on door frames. Be sure to wipe away all sanding dust with a dry tack cloth when finished.

Filling Holes and Imperfections

Inspect cabinet surfaces and fill any holes, cracks or flaws with wood filler, let dry completely, then sand smooth. This prep step helps achieve the smoothest possible finish for painted kitchen cabinets.

Painting

With your prep work complete, it's time to choose your paints and colors for your kitchen cabinets. Carefully applying primer and paint will lead to a durable, quality finish.

Choosing the Right Paint

When selecting cabinet paint, consider finish sheen and durability for your lifestyle and intended use. Satin or semi-gloss enamels provide a sleek yet subtle sheen, with higher durability and scrubbability. For a unique, artsy style, dry quickly and allow for distressing.

Paint Types

• Latex paints allow for easy soap-and-water cleanup.
• Oil-based paints create an ultra-smooth finish.
• Acrylic paints provide excellent adhesion and durability.
• Chalk paint can create a matte, distressed aesthetic.

Tinting the Paint

Opt for tinting your paint over using it straight from the can. Tinting allows for better coverage and truer color representation once painted on the cabinets. Be sure to stir and mix the paint thoroughly before starting.

Priming the Kitchen Cabinets

No matter what paint you choose, apply 1-2 coats of high quality primer formulated especially for painting kitchen cabinets and woodwork for the most durable finish possible. Oil-based primer or shellac-based primer provide excellent adhesion and block stains.

Applying the Topcoats

Using a high-quality angled sash brush and small foam roller, apply 2-3 thin, even coats of cabinet paint in your chosen sheen, allowing proper drying time between coats. Work methodically to maintain a "wet edge" and prevent lap marks by painting a full section at a time.

Allowing Proper Dry Time

Let painted cabinets dry for at least 24 hours between coats, and 72 hours after final coat before reinstalling doors and hardware. These dry times allow for complete curing.

Finishing Touches

Once painted cabinets have fully cured, completing the final details truly brings the transformed space together.

Replacing the Doors and Hardware

Carefully realign all cabinets, doors, shelves drawer fronts, and reinstall hardware in reverse order from removal. Ensure doors open and close properly. Check that drawers slide smoothly after reinstallation.

Sealing with Polyurethane

Adding 1-2 protective coats of water-based satin polyurethane seals painted finishes to help minimize scratches and marks. Let dry then reinstall hardware.

Cleaning Up the Workspace

A final thorough cleaning of floors, countertops and surfaces removes all painting debris, drips, and dust from the DIY painting project.

Maintaining DIY Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Caring for freshly painted cabinets helps them look beautiful for years to come. Follow these maintenance tips make your transformed kitchen last.

Caring for the New Paint

Use mild soap and water to gently clean painted cabinet surfaces, avoiding harsh cleaners. For degreasing very soiled areas, use an all-purpose cleaner safe for use on painted kitchen cabinets.

Touching Up Nicks and Scratches

Inspect cabinet surfaces periodically and touch up any nicks in the paint using a small artist's brush. Touch ups help prevent exposing raw wood underneath the paint.

When to Repaint

Expect to repaint painted kitchen cabinets every 5-7 years. Signs to look for when repainting is needed include visible wear, peeling/cracking paint, dulled finish or color change when compared to unpainted cabinet interiors.

DIY Painting Tips and Tricks

Follow these helpful tips for achieving painting success on your kitchen cabinet makeover.

Proper Ventilation

Maintain airflow in your work area through open windows, exhaust fans, or portable ventilation systems. Proper airflow is essential when using solvent paints and primers.

Necessary Tools

• Paint sprayer, angled sash brush, small foam roller
• 220 & 320 grit sandpaper
• Tack cloths
• Drop cloths
• Painter's tape

Full Overlay vs. Inset Cabinets

The construction of cabinet doors impacts painting techniques. Full overlay cabinets completely cover the cabinet frame and are simpler to paint. Inset cabinet doors sit back in the frame exposing more edges to paint.

Brushing vs. Spraying

While brush painting allows control and works for smaller DIY projects, paint spraying provides increased efficiency and a smooth factory finish on larger kitchens. Ensure proper sprayer nozzle setup and back-brushing technique to prevent drips and runs.

Mistakes to Avoid

Be mindful of these common missteps during your kitchen cabinet painting project:

• Inadequate cleaning and sanding leading to peeling or chipping paint
• Choosing poor quality paints not formulated for kitchen cabinet use
• Applying paint too thickly or thinning too much causing drips
• Not allowing proper dry times between coats
• Skipping polyurethane topcoat to protect paint

DIY Paint Ideas and Inspiration

The design options are endless when painting kitchen cabinets yourself. Consider one of these trendy looks for your DIY project:

Solid Colors

Classic white or soft gray painted cabinets create a timeless and clean aesthetic. Navy blue makes a sophisticated style statement. Paint your cabinets black for a striking, modern look.

Antiquing

Try an antiqued painted finish with subtle rub-through to exposed wood grain for added dimension and a distressed vibe. Work in layers applying darker paint colors first.

Stains

For a natural wood look, opt to apply gel stains in espresso shades or soft whitewashed finishes. Combining stained and painted cabinets is also an option.

Chalk Paint

Achieve a matte, velvety look using chalk paint. The ultra-matte finish camouflages imperfections beautifully. Chalk paint distressed techniques create a chic, worn-in style.

Two-Tone Look

Paint upper and lower cabinets in contrasting colors, or use one hue on frames and another on cabinet door fronts to define elements. Contrasting islands in a bold color make a striking statement.

Contrasting Colors

Make your kitchen pop with contrasting bright paint colors on base cabinets, walls and islands. Try pairing navy blue cabinets with brass fixtures and butcher block.

The possibilities are endless when tackling a kitchen cabinet painting project yourself. With the right information, preparation and painting approach, you can achieve magazine-worthy results and a kitchen transformation like none other. From cleaning cabinets to carefully applying paint using the ideal tips and tricks, properly painting your existing cabinets allows for complete customization in both color and finish while saving the cost of new cabinetry. We hope these essential steps give you the confidence take on painting your outdated kitchen cabinets yourself, and enjoy your fresh, vibrant new space for years to come.