Given the high cost of new appliances, countertops, and cabinets, it’s no surprise that kitchen renovations rank among the most expensive remodeling projects. While updating an old refrigerator or worn-out granite can be challenging, refreshing your kitchen by painting the cabinets, which dominate the room’s visual space, is completely achievable. However, the process involves more than just picking up a gallon of your favorite paint color. Cabinet painting can dramatically transform the look of any room.
What Is the Cost of kitchen Cabinet Painting?
Renovating a kitchen is among the most expensive remodeling projects you can undertake, with cabinet replacements accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total cost. Refresh your kitchen with professional cabinet painting techniques that bring new life to your space.
Cabinets for a 10-by-12-foot kitchen can easily exceed $5,000, and the new cabinets might be of lower quality than the ones you’re replacing. In contrast, applying a few fresh coats of paint can significantly transform your existing cabinets for a fraction of the cost. Painting your cabinets should cost no more than about $200 and a weekend or two of your time. Cabinet painting can significantly enhance the look of your kitchen.
Is it advisable to paint my cabinets?
Before you make a trip to the paint store, assess your cabinets to determine if they are salvageable. Even the best paint job won’t rejuvenate low-quality cabinets that have deteriorated over time. Thin veneers may peel or separate, particleboard bottoms or shelves might sag or crack, and hanging rails could become loose. If these issues are present, replacing your kitchen cabinets may actually be a more effective solution.
If everything remains in excellent condition and is functioning well, let’s explore some of the questions you’ll need to consider before beginning the process of repainting your kitchen cabinets.
What Kind of Paint Should I Use for Cabinets?
Oil-based or latex?
Latex paints have seen consistent improvements, prompting some professionals to abandon oil-based paints altogether. Latex paints dry quickly and can be cleaned up with water, making them more convenient to use compared to oil-based paints. However, many experts still prefer oil-based topcoats, citing their ability to create a tougher, more durable paint film and achieve a smoother final surface. Latex paints also take longer (up to three weeks) to fully cure, during which time they remain vulnerable to damage.
Bottom line: Both oil and latex paints will provide a good finish. However, if you choose latex paint, ensure it is a 100 percent acrylic formulation, as this offers greater durability and adhesion than vinyl acrylic paints.
Should You Use a Brush or Spray Paint?
A sprayed-on finish provides the smoothest result, but mastering the technique can be challenging. Additionally, you’ll likely need to rent spray equipment, which increases costs. You’ll also need to meticulously mask off all areas in the kitchen that could accidentally get sprayed, such as countertops, cabinet interiors, and appliances, which can be a time-consuming process.
Therefore, we suggest using high-quality brushes instead. Invest in a good, 3- to 4-inch-wide square brush for efficient coverage of large, flat panels. Additionally, consider an angled brush in the 2½- or 3-inch-wide range to reach corners and moldings effectively. Use synthetic bristle brushes for applying latex paint, as they do not absorb water, and opt for natural-bristle brushes when applying oil-based paint.
Should you paint over cabinets or strip them first?
When dealing with a clear coat as the existing finish, it’s best to strip it down to the bare wood before painting. This ensures optimal adhesion between the old finish and the new paint, avoiding potential issues.
However, while stripping may be preferred by purists, it’s not always practical or absolutely necessary. A thorough cleaning followed by light sanding should suffice to prepare the surface for new paint.
Traditional or faux finish?
If you’re considering updating your kitchen’s appearance, a faux finish can dramatically transform its style into shabby chic, rustic, provincial, or modern. Using crackling glaze, available at paint stores, is a simple way to achieve a weathered look for your cabinets. Apply the glaze over a dry base coat, brushing in one direction (thick for large cracks, thin for fine cracks), and allow it to dry. Finish with a flat topcoat of the base color applied perpendicular to the glaze. As the paint dries, it will naturally crack, which typically takes about an hour.
Another rustic style option is the distressed look, which doesn’t necessitate special paint. This finish involves layering colors and splattering dark paint. Once dry, distress the finish by lightly sanding and using a chain to reveal the underlying colors, focusing on areas of the cabinets that receive the most wear.
Likewise, you can achieve an antiqued, aged look using a paintbrush technique. Dip the tip of a brush into a lighter color than the cabinets, ensuring to dab off excess paint until the brush is almost dry. Lightly apply the paint to the detail trim, corners, and seams to create a subtle antiqued effect.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is a high-gloss finish, ideal for transforming your kitchen into a sleek, modern space. To achieve this polished look, apply a high-gloss clear acrylic varnish over your final coat of paint. This technique enhances color depth and gives your kitchen cabinets a glossy, glass-like sheen. Considering cabinet painting as a cost-effective way to upgrade your kitchen’s appearance.
Steps to Paint Cabinets
1. Prepare the Room
The key to a successful paint job lies in thorough preparation, with the initial steps focused on preparing the room and cabinets for painting.
- Begin by clearing out the cabinets, clearing off the counters, and removing any freestanding appliances.
- Move tables and other furniture to another room.
- Cover countertops and flooring with rosin paper, and to safeguard the rest of the house from dust and fumes, use tape to secure plastic sheeting over the backsplash, windows, fixed appliances, and interior doorways.
- Apply masking tape around the wall adjacent to the cabinets.
- Arrange a dedicated worktable for painting doors, drawers, and shelves.
Tip: Establish a DIY Paint Station
- Make sure to label each drawer front and door with a marker to avoid mixing them up. The ideal placement for this label is behind the hinge location.
- Loosen the hinge screws from the cabinet frame and remove the doors.
- Proceeding from left to right and top to bottom, label each one with a numbered piece of tape.
- Additionally, number the edges of cabinet shelves and the bottoms of drawers.
- Keep the shelf-hanging hardware separate.
- At your worktable, remove the pulls and hinges, and set aside any parts that will be reused.
- Cover it with new tape.
3. Clean all surfaces
Clean the cabinets by spraying them with a degreaser solution and wiping them down with a rag. This eliminates oils and grease that might hinder a flawless finish. If regular cleaners don’t suffice, consider using a stronger option such as trisodium phosphate (TSP), available at hardware and paint stores. Always adhere to the safety guidelines provided on the container.
After cleaning all the cabinet pieces, rinse them thoroughly with water and allow them to dry completely.
4. Prepare the boxes
- Open windows for ventilation and wear safety gear. Scrub all surfaces with an abrasive pad dipped in a liquid deglosser.
- Hold a rag underneath to catch any drips. Quickly wipe away the residue with another clean, deglosser-dampened rag before it evaporates.
- If you plan to relocate the hardware, fill the old screw holes with a two-part polyester wood or auto body filler.
- It sets in about 5 minutes, so mix only small batches at a time. Since the filler tends to shrink, slightly overfill the holes.
- Once it sets, remove any excess using a sharp paint scraper. If it fully hardens, sand it smooth.
- Use a foam sanding block to lightly scuff the surfaces of the cabinets, drawers, and doors. This prepares the surface for primer by providing a good adhesion, so avoid sanding down to the bare wood. Use a tack cloth to remove any sanding dust before proceeding.
- Vacuum the cabinets inside and out to ensure no dust particles mar the finish, then use a tack cloth to wipe them down for an extra clean surface.
5. Apply primer to the cabinet boxes
Now it’s time to apply primer. If the cabinets have heavy stains, opt for a stain-blocking primer that dries quickly and seals knots and other surface defects that may bleed through the topcoats. In most cases, however, stain-blocking primers are not necessary, and an oil-based or 100 percent acrylic latex primer will suffice.
- Pour primer into the paint tray and load both the roller and brush. Use the brush for edges and tight spots, and the roller for large, flat surfaces to coat the cabinets, doors, and drawer fronts with a layer of primer.
- Begin at the top of the cabinet and apply the primer with brush strokes across the grain. Then, “tip-off” by lightly passing the brush over the wet finish in the direction of the grain. Always tip-off in a single stroke from one end to the other.
- Ensure to follow the structure of the cabinet or door with the brush. For example, where a rail meets a stile, paint the rail first, slightly overlapping onto the stile. Then, paint the stile before the overlap dries.
- While allowing the primer to dry, clean your brush and roller sleeve. Pour any excess primer back into the can before washing the paint tray.
6. Sand, Caulk, and Fill
Once the primer is dry, sand the flat surfaces with 220-grit sandpaper.
Sand any profiled surfaces using a medium-grit sanding sponge until the wood feels smooth like glass.
Apply a thin line of latex caulk into any cracks or openings. Make sure the opening at the tip of the caulk tube is about the same size as the lead of a sharp pencil for best control.
As you pull the caulking gun steadily, smooth the fresh caulk with a damp finger. Fill any minor dents or scratches with vinyl spackle, then level it with a putty knife for a flawless finish.
Give the spackle an hour to dry. Then, for a final smooth finish, sand with 220-grit sandpaper. Clean the area with a vacuum followed by a tack cloth.
Use a spray can of quick-drying oil-based primer to spot-prime the areas where spackle is applied, as well as any spots where the sandpaper has exposed the underlying primer.
After waiting for an hour, lightly sand the primer with 280-grit paper.
Vacuum all the surfaces, then wipe them down with a tack cloth.
7. Apply paint to the cabinet boxes.
Now it’s time to start painting! If you’re sticking close to the current color, two coats should be sufficient, and one might even be enough. However, if you’re changing from a dark color to a lighter one, expect to apply three coats for thorough coverage. Use a fresh brush for each coat.
Pour the trim and cabinet enamel paint into the paint tray. Load both the brush and roller with paint. Begin by using the brush to carefully paint along the edges, ensuring to push the paint into the corners while avoiding visible brush strokes. Use the roller to apply enamel paint to the larger flat surfaces wherever feasible.
- For the cabinet interior, use a smooth-surface mini roller to apply the paint, creating a textured finish reminiscent of orange peel.
- Wrap the brush and roller with plastic bags to keep them from drying out while you allow the first coat to dry.
- Between coats, lightly sand the surfaces, ensuring to clean up any debris afterwards.
- Apply a second coat to the cabinet to achieve a flawless, uniform finish, ensuring there are no areas where the wood might show through as thin or light patches.
8. Prepare, prime, and paint the doors, drawers, and shelves.
The approach to preparing, priming, and painting doors, drawers, and shelves mirrors that used for cabinets. However, all work is conducted on a table to minimize the risk of drips, runs, and sags.
- Begin painting paneled doors by focusing on the area around the panel first.
- Next, paint the main field of the panel, and conclude by painting the stiles and rails around the edges.
- As you progress, promptly wipe off any paint that accidentally gets on adjacent dry surfaces to prevent the formation of lap marks.
Tip: To accelerate drying time for doors, insert two screw hooks into inconspicuous holes drilled in a door edge (lower edge for bottom cabinets, upper edge for top cabinets). Paint the outside face of the door and allow it to dry flat for an hour. Then, tilt the door up using the hooks and secure it with a drywall screw in an existing hardware hole. Support the tilted door with the screw and paint the back side of the door.
- After finishing painting, lift the door using the screw and one hook, then hang both hooks on a sturdy clothes hanger.
- Hang the door from a shower curtain rod or clothes rod until it dries completely.
9. Reassemble all the pieces.
Once the second coat is dry, reattach the door and drawer fronts. Enjoy the refreshed look of your kitchen cabinets without a significant time or financial investment.
- Peel off the tape covering each door’s number, install the hinges and knob, and hang them back in their original openings.
- Replace the drawer pulls with new ones if desired, and reinstall each drawer.
Conclusion
Transforming your cabinets with a professional finish is within reach when you follow these expert techniques. From meticulous preparation to skillful application of primer and paint, each step plays a crucial role in achieving stunning results. Whether you’re updating your kitchen, bathroom, or any space with cabinets, mastering these methods ensures a fresh, polished look. Embrace the opportunity to elevate your home with a revitalized aesthetic, all accomplished with the satisfaction of a job well done. Cabinet painting can significantly enhance the look of your kitchen without the need for a full renovation.
