How to Paint Kitchen Cabinents

Does your kitchen need a face-lift? Even beginners can get excellent results from painting worn or outdated cabinets. The keys to success are thorough preparation and high-quality primer and paint. Oil-based paint is recommended, as it leaves a beautiful, easy-to-clean finish that will endure years of use.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Household cleaner or trisodium phosphate to clean and degrease surfaces
• Wood putty
• Sandpaper, ranging in coarseness from 150 to 180 or higher
• Dust mask
• Pencil to mark cabinets
• Natural-bristle paint brush
• Primer
• Oil paint in the color and sheen of your choice
• Turpentine or other clean-up product for brush

1. Remove hardware from cabinet doors. Store in a safe place.

2. Remove doors and drawers. To make replacement easier, key cabinets to doors and drawers by numbering or lettering them. Store hinges in a safe place.

3. Clean cabinets, doors and drawers well using a degreasing household cleaner. Avoid ammonia, as it reacts with some paints to cause yellowing. Allow the surfaces to dry completely.

4. Fill in dents and dings with wood putty. Allow the putty to dry and harden.

5. Put on the dust mask and sand all cabinet and door and drawer surfaces. Begin with a coarser paper and work your way up to a fine one. Sanding should leave all surfaces to be painted smooth, with no shine.

6. Prime cabinets and doors and drawers. If you're going from a dark color to a light one, two coats of primer may be needed. Allow the primer to dry thoroughly.

7. Apply the first coat of paint with a natural brush. Use long, smooth strokes. Oil-based paint is self-leveling, so brush marks should disappear. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Sand cabinets, doors and drawers with the finest-grit sandpaper (at least 180) to remove all shine.

9. Put on a second coat of paint and allow to it dry thoroughly.

10. Allow paint to cure for 12-24 hours until it's hard. Test on a hidden area by pressing a fingernail into the surface.

11. Replace hardware and reinstall doors and drawers.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your home improvement center's paint professionals for paint and primer recommendations. Choose a finish with a sheen to make cleaning easy. Avoid high-gloss finishes that emphasize fingerprints and surface imperfections

• Carefully follow products' safety instructions.

References

• Painting Kitchen Cabinets