Kitchen cabinets - anyone painted theirs?

[minnie1928]

We bought our home in May and the kitchen needs work. We've replaced the appliances with stainless ones to help lighten up the kitchen. I plan on replacing the bright brass cabinet knobs with something to coordinate with the appliances. The countertops are Corian (it's dark blue with flecks of gray and green tones) and the cabinets are light maple color. I think that I could keep the countertops if I painted the cabinets white/cream. Basically I want to update the look of the kitchen without draining my wallet.

So, has anyone painted cabinets before? Any tips/tricks that I need to know? How long did the project take? How much do you think it cost to do it?

Thanks!

 

[angeleigh]

My dh painted my kitchen cupboards white as a surprise for me and I really didn't like them at first but they have come to grow on me. The problem he had with ours is that the paint ran. Make sure that you buy cabinet paint and let the dry completely before rehanging the doors. Oh and if you have children do not let them help you paint them or you will have paint everywhere.

 

[roxy83]

If the cabinets that you have now have a shiny finish to them you can prime them with a product called Anchor Bond. It helps to even out the finish. We painted ours about 10 years ago and they are just now needing some more TLC. We will probably replace them this time around as they are really outdated.

The project took about a week (on and off) and wasn't terribly expensive (if I were to guess I would say about 100 for everything).

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

If you don't have shiny cabinets and don't need Anchor Bond, you will need to wash them well and give them a light sanding and wipe down for dust before painting.

I agree with making sure you use a cabinet paint too.

Mine were painted white when we first moved in and now 9 years later need a new coat of paint so I've been researching it.

 

[scout68]

I own a small paint company and fill requests to paint cabinets (now more than ever due to cost of replacement). If you follow these steps you should be ok.

1. spend the money on good tools.
2. use a high quality bonding/stainkill primer.
3. if at all possible use an oil base paint (yes it smells bad and takes a long time to dry but the difference compared to a latex paint is immeasurable!
4. apply paint in controlled THIN coats. (may take three)
5. sand lightly between coats with a high grit sand paper (180, 200)
6. patience will pay in spades.

 

[StephMK]

I have painted 2 sets of cabinets & had a similar situation. Knobs & appliances help make a big difference to start. We had old dark walnut stained oak that made the workspace part of the kitchen feel like a cave. Painting them is more time consuming than expensive. Paint, primer, brushes, sandpaper. I use regular semi-gloss paint so it depends how fancy you want to get.

I am lazy & don't like to sand but I did clean them & used liquid sandpaper and 2 coats of primer, 2-3 of paint. The paint is going on a year & has stuck very well so far. It has held up to 3 kids & 2 dogs that are constantly brushing by & slamming doors.

I am planning to touch up a few areas & poly them for added protection. The trash cabinet has chipped just a little along the edge. Good sponge rollers avoid the paint lines. My best advice is take your time & carefully examine each time you paint to avoid streaks, drips, etc.

I like Lowes paint because it is the easiest consistency for me to work with. Pick a shade a little darker than you think you need because it looks lighter when they're all painted. I used a french ivory & love it but it looked really yellowish on the strip. It's actually a nice soft light ivory on the cabinets.

Some recommend high quality enamel, etc. hgtv.com has a kitchen forum & tons of advice & pics there if you want another set of opinions. Good luck, it makes a huge difference to the look of the kitchen!

 

[minnie1928]

Thanks for all the replies! They've been great!

One more question, did you paint the inside of the cabinets and the shelves? I'm assuming you would...

 

[SalandJeff]

You will need to clean/sand/prime. And follow Scout68's advice and use oil paint. It will last for a very long time. I only needed to do one coat.

I did paint the inside of the doors, but not inside the cabinets. I just covered all the shelves and inside the drawers with contact paper.

 

[tripplanner2]

We painted ours and definately follows Scouts advice. It took a long time because you have to wait for each layer of paint to dry. Ours came out great but patience is key. We spent about $200 on all supplies.

 

[MN_Gal]

We are currently in the middle of painting ours. DH took off the doors and he stripped and sanded everything. 2 coats of primer on the doors and inside the cupboards and 2 coats of cabinet paint.

Patience is your friend in this process as you need to make sure that each coat dries thoroughly before the next coat.

Total cost for supplies was probably under $200.

 

[piglet50]

and love how it turned out. we did not have a shiny finish so they were just lightly sanded and the dust removed. used a good oil based primer. we put about three coats of paint on the cabinets. we painted inside the doors but not the shelves or inside of the cabinets themselves. it has held up well. i agree with the poster who said to choose your color carefully. my white is a little too white but it does go well in my kitchen. also, i may put some poly on as a protector, we're a busy, slamming door kind of family. take your time and work carefully with good products. you should like the result.

 

[Ricky's Girl]

No hands on experience but my niece just painted her kitchen cabinets and they look amazing! It totally changed the look of her kitchen. Good luck!

 

[puffkin]

I did mine at our old house. I used Kilz primer and the Valspar paint from Lowes (easiest paint I have found to work with). I used a really good quality roller and it was very easy. I probably should have sanded a little better but other than that a very cheap and easy fix. It did take awhile, but really changed the look of the kitchen.

 

[englishteacha]

A word of advice: Don't ask your sister-in-law to help you paint your cabinets, have her paint all the cabinets, then change your mind and decide to rip them out and replace them anyway. I'm the sister-in-law in this situation, and I was furious. I spent hours on those darn cabinets. Got them painted and they changed their mind!

After that, I no longer help that set of family members with home projects!

 

[pumpkinfish]

Well I painted our's when we bought our house. It really brightened my kitchen

Anyways, I scrubbed them (ugh...so much caked on junk/food...ugh...memories ), took off the doors/hinges, used Kill-Z on everything (doors and inside) and then painted them white. I used regular kitchen/bath white paint (Behr I think). They look great and even though it was a lllllooooonnnnnggggg process I'm proud of myself. The worst part were the hinges that were hung half-a$$ed. But that's another story .
We plan on redoing the kitchen in 2 years so it works for us.

 

[karenos]

OP - we painted our cabinets (think ugly early 80's really dark wood) a light cream/grey. Make sure you wash them well and sand them too! We did use an oil based paint as well. We also replaced the hinges and the knobs. It really did give the kitchen a whole new look without a huge price tag.

GL!
Karen

 

[irish_trip_mom]

We have oak cabinets and I just had someone in yesterday to give me an estimate on painting them. He did my neighbors and hers look fantastic. He paints and glazes them, and then he's going to do some finishing (put inside hinges, crown molding, finishing panels on the sides.) Can't afford to replace them (plus they are perfectly good, just a little dated.) We put new countertops in a year ago and that did a world of good to update the appearance. A little bit at a time! (We also need the hardwood floors refinished....maybe next summer??)

I'd do it myself, even bought a video from Amazon, but my husband was afraid we wouldn't get the look right (glazing, and also redoing the hinges) and he said to hire someone.

 

[minnie1928]

We have oak cabinets and I just had someone in yesterday to give me an estimate on painting them. He did my neighbors and hers look fantastic. He paints and glazes them, and then he's going to do some finishing (put inside hinges, crown molding, finishing panels on the sides.) Can't afford to replace them (plus they are perfectly good, just a little dated.) We put new countertops in a year ago and that did a world of good to update the appearance. A little bit at a time! (We also need the hardwood floors refinished....maybe next summer??)

I'd do it myself, even bought a video from Amazon, but my husband was afraid we wouldn't get the look right (glazing, and also redoing the hinges) and he said to hire someone.

If you don't mind, would you pm me when you get your estimate? I'm just curious to see how much a pro would charge. Also, how many cabinets do you have? I have 34 (total 11 drawers + 23 cabinets).

 

[PatMcDuck]

For the cabinet painters. Did you have any damage to repair first? A small gouge, worn corners, or some wear/damage on the trim attached to the doors? I need to paint mine, maybe this summer. They are WHITE, which is not really practical, but I will use white again. I think I have to use white, as there are panels on the side that show that are formica-ish.

 

[minnie1928]

For the cabinet painters. Did you have any damage to repair first? A small gouge, worn corners, or some wear/damage on the trim attached to the doors? I need to paint mine, maybe this summer. They are WHITE, which is not really practical, but I will use white again. I think I have to use white, as there are panels on the side that show that are formica-ish.

I also have sides that are "formica-ish", mine are around my island. I assumed I could lightly sand them and paint them like the cabinets, am I wrong about this?