Painting or repainting kitchen cabinets is a great way to give your kitchen a face-lift without doing a complete reno. With some simple preparation, a little paint and a free weekend, you can transform the look and feel of your kitchen while staying on budget. Here’s how.
There are 7 steps to completing this project:
When choosing your cabinet paint, pick a colour that feels right for your space and make sure it’s recommended for use on cabinets. Gloss and semi-gloss paints are nice because they provide a harder finish, making your end product more durable. If you choose a latex paint, make sure it is completely acrylic. Alkyd paints are oil-free and are great for durability as well.
Empty your cabinets completely and remove the doors by unscrewing the hinges and pulling the doors away from the cabinets. Wipe the surfaces clean with a damp cloth.
If your cabinets have a glossy finish, you’ll need to sand that away before you start painting. Take a sanding sponge or something with a high grit and sand until you have a matte finish. Once you’ve sanded, wipe the dust away with a damp cloth and allow the cabinet to completely dry.
If you’re going lighter than the current colour or your cabinets are new, you will need to prime them. Apply your primer by edging with a brush first, then rolling the middle for the fastest coverage. Allow them to dry completely.
Cut in the top of the frame and then use a roller to paint the exposed remaining frame parts. The trick is to make sure you’re going with the wood grain. Once your frames are painted you can let them dry and move on to the doors.
Put two 2x4-inch boards on the ground and then lay your doors flat on top of them. This keeps them off the ground while painting. Start painting from the middle of your door and work your way out towards the edges. If you want a more vibrant colour, consider adding a second coat. Let them dry completely. Don’t be worried if there are brush marks, they’ll even out as the paint dries.
Once your paint is dry, reassemble your cabinets by putting the hardware back on the doors if you removed it, then reattaching the doors to the cabinets. Once everything is assembled, you can stand back and take in your brand new kitchen look!
