The easiest way to paint your kitchen cabinets like a pro

How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets – Easy Guide For Weekend Warriors And DIYers

We always suggest hiring a professional to do the job for you for multiple reasons including experience and the assurance of quality work! But for those who want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets without a professional sprayer, here’s how you can get professional-looking results for less than $200.

How to achieve professional results when painting your kitchen cabinets

I’ve been getting a ton of questions lately about one of our Facebook posts about painting our kitchen walls and cabinets. Most people are curious and want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets and how much does it cost to get them looking like new.

Our house is very old and so are our cabinets. It didn’t bother us at first, but eventually we got tired of seeing that ugly sheet metal look, so we decided it was time for a makeover.

It’s not very difficult to paint over veneer, you just need the right prep work. If you hire a professional, I suggest you try to do as much as you can yourself, such as remove the doors and hardware and perhaps lightly sand them with a 220 grit sanding block. A light scratch will do (imagine you are cleaning a window). That will save you a few bucks. But if you decide to do it on your own, here are some tips on how to paint kitchen cabinets and get amazing and long-lasting results.

Preparation when painting kitchen cabinets

After removing the doors (or just masking the hinges), lightly sand or abrade the surfaces to be painted with a 220 grit sanding block. Use a type of degreaser such as Windex or Zep Citrus Degreaser.

You then have 2 options: you can either use a 220 grit sandpaper and lightly roughen the surfaces or use Krud Kutter-Gloss Off which you can wipe clean and let sit for 10 minutes. Your surfaces will be dull without sanding.

Your next step is to prime the surfaces with the appropriate primer. I used a coat of “INSL-X Stix” which is a urethane acrylic. You can find it online or at your local Benjamin Moore provider. Check with your local hardware store.

Using a good quality paint will help you get the best possible finish. I suggest using Benjamin Moore Advance Alkyd. It is very easy to work with and dries to a hard, durable finish.

Using a 2-inch nylon brush, begin cutting around the hardware (if you didn’t remove the doors) and anywhere your Whiz™ roller won’t reach. Then use your Whiz™ roller to apply your ALKYD polish. Try to paint in the same direction as your grain (if your cabinet has a faux wood pattern). Let it dry overnight and repeat. You can hang the doors now, but keep in mind that even though the glaze will dry overnight, it still takes 30 days to fully cure, so be careful and try to avoid rubbing them off before those 30 days.