How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

If you want to update your kitchen but don’t want to tear down your current cabinets there is an alternative. Painting your kitchen cabinets is an easy way to bring your kitchen up-to-date without doing a full-blown renovation. I’ll show you how I painted my cabinet bases and new cupboard doors to update my kitchen with a fresh and modern look.

Hey Gnomies,

Today I’m sharing the second part of my Kitchen Makeover series.

I have been working with Fast Cabinet Doors on this makeover project. Check out the first part of the series here where I show you the entire process of replacing your cabinet doors.

This blog post will focus on painting cabinets. Painting is an easy way to update your space without major construction.

I will have a blog post explaining how I installed the glass panels you see in the three cabinets on the right of the sink soon.

I was provided new cabinet doors by Fast Cabinet Doors. They arrived unfinished which gave me the opportunity to paint the new doors as well as the cabinet bases to match.

If you decided to replace the doors like I did with cabinet doors from Fast Cabinet Doors you can choose to have them paint them for you. Check out the finished cabinet doors that they offer here.

Painting unfinished cabinets is not difficult or very different from painting any other kind of surface. The main thing to consider is that you use the appropriate type of paint. You want a paint that is super durable that can be cleaned and scrubbed on a regular basis. It needs to protect the cabinets from the moisture in the kitchen.

Most hardware stores carry a paint that has specifically formulated for cabinets. Peep the video where I show you the exact steps I took to paint all the parts of the cabinets. Oh, and if you’re not subscribed to my channel, make sure you hit that red button and subscribe!

Best Cabinet Paints for Kitchens

Here are some of the most popular paint brands for painting kitchen cabinets:

Valspar Cabinet Enamel Semi-Gloss Latex Interior Paint. (This is the one I used)
Farrow & Ball Full Gloss Paint.
Benjamin Moore Advance Interior Satin Paint.
Fine Paints of Europe Eurolux Acrylic Paint.
Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations System.
Behr Alkyd Semi-Gloss Enamel Paint.
Insl-X Cabinet Coat.

Supplies for Painting Kitchen Cupboards

Cabinet paint
Kitchen Cabinets (These are the ones I have in my kitchen)
Paint sprayer (I used this one with success)
Painters tape
Drop cloths and plastic
Small foam roller
Small paintbrush
Paper cups

Directions for Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Painting the inside of the cabinet:

Remove everything from the inside of the cabinets.
Clean the cabinets with a rag and all purpose cleaner to remove dust or grease.
Cover counters and areas vulnerable to over-spray and splatter with a drop cloth or plastic. I kept the doors attached so that they would help “catch” over spray as seen in the video.
Once the cabinets are fully dry you can use a paint sprayer or roller to paint the inside of the cabinet.
Let dry for 24 hours before replacing the contents of the cupboards.

Directions for painting the outside of cabinet bases.

Remove the cabinet doors
Clean thoroughly with a degreaser
Patch any holes with spackling paste.
Sand down and lumps or bumps with sandpaper.
Use a small roller to apply paint to the outside of the cabinet. Go in the direction of the wood grain.
Let dry 24 hours between coats. Keep the coats thin and do not apply too much paint.
Use fine grit sandpaper to lightly sand between coats.
Apply 2-3 coats of paint and let dry for 24 hours before attaching the cabinet doors.

How to paint cabinet doors

Lay cabinets down on a large flat surface protected by plastic.
Use small cups or cans to prop the cabinets off the ground so that the edges to not touch the floor or surface of whatever you are working on.
Use a paint sprayer or roller to apply the paint in up and down strokes on the cabinet.
Use a small roller to apply paint to the outside edge.
Let dry 24 hours between coats.
Sand lightly with fine grit sandpaper between coats.
Apply 2 or 3 coats of paint to each side of the cabinet.
Once the cabinets have dried for 24 hours you can hang them up on the cabinet bases.

FAQ About Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Do you have to sand the cabinets before you paint?

That depends. If they are wood and you clean them well you should be fine to paint without sanding as long as you use a quality cabinet enamel. I still recommend a light sanding between coats with a fine grit sandpaper just to get rid of bumps.

Do you have to take the cabinet doors off the hinges before painting?

No but you will probably get a more professional result if you do. Taking the cabinets off and putting them back on is a pain but trying to paint around the hinge and manage drips will be easier if the doors are removed and on a flat surface.

Do you need to prime the cabinets?

Not if you use a quality paint made for kitchen cabinets. I didn’t prime mine and they came out beautifully.

Can you paint laminate cabinets?

Yes, just make sure you use the appropriate paint otherwise it won’t stick and will be prone to peeling and scratching off.