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Tips for Painting Old Kitchen Cabinets

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Wanting to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets? Don’t go out and buy paint until you read these tips for painting cabinets the right way!

There is no question that painting kitchen cabinets is a big project, and it’s tempting to just slap some paint on them and be done.  But if you want a paint job that will look great with a finish that will last, it’s best to take the time to do it the right way. I have done many, many furniture painting tutorials and troubleshot lots of paint projects for clients, so this is THE guide and the process for getting a finish that is long lasting and professional looking!

How to paint kitchen cabinets to create a durable smooth finish - kitchen cabinet painting tips including deglosser, spraying, prep, and clear coat. How to prevent yellowing and chipping of paint.

How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets

Supply List with Links

This is just a handy list to refer to. Many of these are your preference based on your specific situation, but I will explain in the steps below.

Some of these may be available at your local Home Depot or Lowes, but you can also order online for easy in-store pickup.

Kitchen Cabinets Before

*This post may contain affiliate links.

 These are pretty standard old oak kitchen cabinets.  Oak has a very distinctive grain, and if you are looking to smooth that out, check out my post on removing wood grain in oak cabinets. Today, I am sharing our tried and true painting techniques for painting kitchen cabinets.

Cabinet Hardware

REMOVE HARDWARE AND HOW TO CLEAN

First, remove all the hardware and use this cleaner for getting any and all grime and dirt off of them. Kitchen cabinets are one of the dirtiest furniture surfaces, so I recommend using a trisodium phosphate cleaner, which you can purchase at most hardware stores. We made our space in the basement with a huge tarp and a large piece of the nasty carpet we replaced when we moved in.

Pro Tip: Number the doors when you remove them so that you know where each one goes when your putting the kitchen back together.

Painting Kitchen Base Cabinets Setup

These particular cabinets are a solid wood front with sides that are laminate covering fiber board (aka very common style kitchen cabinets).

Sanding Kitchen Cabinets and Deglazing

SANDING, SANDING, SANDING (aka my least favorite thing ever!)

There are two ways of removing the varnish/sheen that kitchen cabinets: sanding and deglossing.

The first way is to sand it off with a palm sander or a mouse sander (we use a multi-tool for corners, which is one of our best ever purchases and the sandpaper is easy to find at local stores.). You don’t necessarily need to get every bit of varnish off. In fact, that may not be the best idea because certain stains can seap into paint. I give a general rule of sand it a just bit more when you there is not gloss left. Sanding is going to give the best bond, particularly for old kitchen cabinets where the top coat is degraded. For us, we sanded the cabinet fronts because they were flat and it was only a small area.  We lightly sanded the laminate sides as well. We did not bother sanding the interiors.

However, there is a second method that doesn’t require sanding. You can use a deglossing product, sometimes called liquid sander. Deglosser only works on wood and varnished veneers. It generally won’t work well on laminate or paper covered surfaces, like the sides of our cabinets in the picture above. Simply spray on the deglosser and it puts a coating on the cabinets that paint can bond to.  Spray it on and after 15-20 minutes, and then test your surface. It should look etched, but not gummy or glossy. If it is, the surface may need to be cleaned again or sanded. For other surfaces that you can’t sand, you can also use a bonding agent like this one. It’s not available at many hardware stores, but you can buy it online.

Painting Furniture

PRIMING AND STAIN BLOCKER

Wipe down and remove all dust. I recommend vacuuming with a brush ->very lightly damp cloth (denatured alcohol is best but not absolutely necessary)-> dry microfiber cloth method, making sure to get in the crevices.

Now, the cabinets are ready for priming. Even if you use a paint that does not require priming, I still recommend priming in 2 situations:

  1. Painting over dark cabinets with a light or white color (less coats = saves money)
  2. Painting used kitchen cabinets (generally because stains may have seaped into the pores)

Two coats of primer (with a sprayer, only one if brushing) will give good coverage on painted kitchen cabinets. With old cabinets and really any furniture, I recommend a stain sealer. Because these are used kitchen cabinets, they have been exposed to all kinds of kitchen oils and cooking products. At first, I used Bullseye primer and the door fronts yellowed. What happens is that the natural and kitchen oils to which they were subjected were bleeding out into the paint. Therefore, I added one layer of stain blocker and voila, no more yellow streaks! You can also use a shellac based primer if you have knotty pine cabinets, and that works well.

Remember: use the same base for all layers. For example, if you are using a water-based paint (like latex enamel), you would need a water based primer, sealer, clear coat, etc.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets with a Sprayer

BEST PAINTS FOR KITCHEN CABINETS

This is one of the biggest decisions to make, honestly. There are a few paints that I recommend for painting kitchen cabinets, depending on your style, budget and availability. Spending the extra money on a quality paint will save you so much heartache in the long run. I would say that at least 1/3 of my clients have me fix bad paint jobs on cabinets and the number 1 problem is using the wrong paint.

If you want a satin finish, I generally recommend Benjamin Moore’s Advance Alkyd Paint. I have used it on several projects, including a staircase Bannister that is used every day. It is extremely durable, does not require priming, and very easy to wipe down. It also does not require a protective top coat. There is also a flat finish, but I have not personally used it. If this is not available in your area, I also have heard great things about this Cabinet Paint Kit which comes in several colors.

For a matte finish, I recommend either Fusion Mineral or Rust-Oleum Ultra Matte Chalked Paint. Fusion Mineral, in this case, is probably going to be very pricey. We painted our kitchen island with Fusion Mineral, and it’s awesome. However, both paints will require a protective top coat.

PAINTING CABINETS WITH A SPRAYER

Here is another tip that saved me a TON of time on painting kitchen cabinets: get a sprayer! I have used a few paint sprayers now, and I recommend this paint sprayer which is great for small and large projects including furniture, walls, and decor. Even better, do like we did and go halfsies with someone on it. Each coat took about 10-15 minutes to spray for all 4 cabinets!

There is a learning curve however with the sprayer and I suggest playing with it and testing before each coat. Getting the correct pressure and paint flow is essential to a smooth finish. Also, remember to thin out the paint and it will go on much smoother. I got orange peel all over 2 of the doors and that was a nightmare to sand out. If that happens, WIPE IT DOWN BEFORE IT DRIES and start over with that coat. I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

We sprayed 4 coats of white paint on these. Because these coats are much lighter than a brush coat, I lightly sanded between every other coat with 220 grit sand paper.

Pulling out the cabinets certainly makes this easier. However, the process isn’t impossible if that is not feasible. Personally, I would roll the cabinet fronts with a dense foam roller or microfiber roller but still spray the doors and drawer fronts.

Benjamin Moore Satin Stays Clear

ADDING A PROTECTIVE CLEAR COAT

After we let the paint dry for a few weeks, I really wanted to protect my cabinets from my loveable Tasmanian devil (ahem, my son who has already banged many a chair against the drawers). I spent hours researching clear coats and I see a lot of recommendations for Minwax from bloggers. However, in my search, I came across more than one forum post of a poor, frustrated DIYer saying that the Minwax turned yellow when used over white. Oh, bleep no! I love DIY bloggers and I have gotten so much great information from them. However, I am also careful about the advice I take. I have written a great guide to The Best Protective Top Coats for Furniture and Cabinets if you want more information.

For this project, I used Benwood Stays Clear Acrylic Polyurethane. First, it comes in 3 different sheens – flat, low-lustre, and high gloss. I chose the low-lustre finish. Second, it’s made for painted floors, so I know it is durable. And third, the name says it all – STAYS CLEAR.

This product is absolutely meant to be applied with a sprayer. You can brush it on with a bristled brush but for a project like this, I would recommend thinning it out about 5-10% to prevent any air bubbles in the surface. If you do use a brush, definitely use a high-quality finishing brush such as a Purdy or Corona China Bristle. You can also use a microfiber roller but it will put on a heavier, shinier coat. Do not use a foam roller. I did 2 very light coats 2 hours apart and let dry overnight before installing the doors back on.

DRY TIME VS CURE TIME

After installing the doors and drawers back on the cabinets, I left them open to allow the paint/poly to cure. It took about two and a half weeks for mine to fully cure inside, but it can take up to 60 days to fully cure in high humidity. What do I mean by curing? Paint can be dry to the touch and not actually be fully dry. If I were to close all my drawers so that there was paint to paint contact, and then opened them a day or so later, I risk the paint sticking together and (horror) pulling some of the paint off.

Whole office

I know today’s tutorial was kind of in-depth and chocked full of information, but if you ever go about painting kitchen cabinets, you will love this!

UPDATE: HERE IS HOW OUR CABINETS ARE HOLDING UP 2 YEARS LATER. 

If you liked this, here are more furniture painting tutorials

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Comments

  1. We have a vacation home that has ok cabinets. We hired a “painter” to paint them. He said he sanded them a little and used Sherwin Williams Latx satin paint. This is less than a week now and they are chipping. He came back and touched them up but am afraid they will chip again. Should we put a Polyacrylic on top and will that help?

    Reply

    • A polyacrylic will definitely help, and you can see my recommendations on polyacrylics here. and I am guessing he used regular satin wall paint, which should not have been the case. I just finished painting a set of cabinets in Sherwin Williams’s Emerald Line of paint. It’s quite pricey, but it has a beautiful sheen and supposedly very durable like Benjamin Moore Advance. However, it’s only been a week, and I know that paint takes a month or so to become fully hardened, so I tell my clients to be gentle for the first few weeks and to leave all the doors and drawers ajar to prevent sticking/pulling of the paint. Good luck with your project!

      Reply

    • For my cabinets, I think I used Lowes Furniture Paint. However, it isn’t a paint I highly recommend, especially without a strong top coat. I have another chair with it and even though the chair is not used much, it is already showing wear. There was no top coat like with the cabinets. The brands that I generally recommend are Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams Alkyld or Acrylic Paints for cabinets. Do not use latex. I have other paints that I love if you are looking for a specific sheen or process.

      Reply

  3. We just painted our cabinets with a semi gloss layex dark blue paint. They are pretty shiny so could I use a satin topcoat to reduce that or should I continue using the semi gloss topcoat? Thanks and great tutorial!

    Reply

    • Great questions! I generally don’t recommend latex paint on furniture or cabinets as it isn’t that durable. However, I can’t speak for all brands and an additional topcoat would make it more durable. You can read my preferences on top coats here: https://www.cravingsomecreativity.com/protect-painted-furniture-polyurethane-polyacrylic-top-coat/ While you can’t bring the sheen down just by adding a top coat, you could lightly sand the final paint coat or previous top coat with 220-300 sandpaper just enough to knock the sheen down a bit and then add a final top coat. It would be even more work and cabinets are already a big job, so I definitely understand if you want to see if you could live with the shine. I am actually making over a bathroom in vanity in Navy so I bet your dark blue cabinets are beautiful!

      Reply

  4. Thank you so much for your information and tutorial! I have wanted to tackle the kitchen cabinets for a while now and mine look and sound very similar to yours! I do wish there was a quicker fix. Lol but I know there isn’t if you want it done correctly. 🙁 I do have a couple of questions .. 1. How long did you have to wait before putting things in the cabinets? I’m going to have to paint ours without taking them down unfortunately so I’m curious as to how long I will need to wait before my kitchen can get back in order and 2. I’m debating between painting and staining.. any thoughts? Would the process be similar?
    Again thank you for posting and your clear simple directions!!
    Misty

    Reply

    • Hi Misty! Your right that it is quite a job but it’s worth it. I didn’t paint the insides of my cabinets, so I put things in them pretty much immediately. However, I did leave the doors cracked for about a 6 weeks, I think, because we painted in high humidity in July. That was to prevent paint sticking to itself and tearing. For other furniture pieces I have done, the curing time has varied from a few days to 2 months. You can test the curing time by placing something on the painted surface and removing it. If you hear or feel a sticking sound, it isn’t ready. (My kitchen window sill was painted in latex paint it still sticks, especially in the heat! One day I will fix that.) Gradually increase the contact time up to 48 hours and if it doesn’t stick, the paint/top coat is cured. In terms of the process, staining and painting have a similar-ish process. Staining will take more time prepping the wood. You will have to get all the old the old finish off down to the raw wood, not just rough it up. However, the rest is much faster as you obviously don’t have to prime and you don’t have to wait as long between coats. You might want to look at gel stains and see if that interests you.

      Reply

  5. Rachel,
    This post has been so helpful! I feel much more confident taking on my cabinet update. I just have one question: Was the Kilz primer/stainblocker that you used oil-based?
    I have only been able to find oil-based so I was just curious. Thank you!

    Reply

  6. Have you tried the behr alkyd paint? If so did it hold up well and were you able to spray it. The dirrections say not to thin but I am not sure if it’s going to mess up my cabinets if I do.

    Reply

  7. Thank you so much Rachel for your wonderful tutorials on painting cabinets and filling wood grain! You are so detail oriented and very well spoken…much appreciated as a new DIYr. My question is that can your painting cabinets technique be used on laminate? I just discovered my 80’s gross cabinets at the cabin are laminate faces and oak base. Any recommendations? Or should I just give in and purchase new cabinets? Thank you again for all of your wonderful advice!

    Reply

    • Hi Emily! Thank you so much for your reading and I hope your project turns out great. Yes, painting can definitely work on laminate. The biggest thing to consider is what is under the laminate layer. Sometimes manufacturers use plywood or another substrate and then put a very thin layer of real wood over the top to give the piece a uniform look. And then sometimes, particularly with particle board or MDF (the stuff that looks like ground up wood chips glued together), they lay a printed sheet over it. A lot of office furniture and the sides of the white cabinets (pictured in the post) I painted have this laminate look. Since the laminate should already be smooth, you only need to sand enough to take any shine off. You will probably sand some of the print off and that is fine. Our cabinets had water damage so getting them completely smooth required more sanding than I usually do. Now, especially if the substrate is MDF or particle board, lay the primer in very thin coats at first to build a barrier. MDF and particle board are more prone to taking in moisture and expanding, which could leave you with bumps or ridges. It shouldn’t be a problem unless your slopping on thick layers of paint, but it is something to be aware of. I hope that helps!

      Reply

    • I have used the Benjamin Moore Advance paint to paint the banisters in my house. It has only been a month since I did that but it seems very durable and I like the satin sheen. I would say that the Advance would be adequate alone for most uses. However, with my son’s furniture and these cabinets I did, I needed them to be able to take some abuse – kicking, banging, finger paints, etc. That is where I recommend the added protection of the Stays Clear. It has been over a year since we painted those cabinets and I am very impressed that there is not a single stain or scratch. I also use the stays clear with other types of paint such as chalk paint or when I’m distressing a piece. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • how are your cabinets and banister holding up? I need to update my banister but I am worried that with painting it will chip.

      • Both are in near perfect condition. I actually have a post coming up soon that will show how well they have held up. The banister has a small chip but that was from us stupidly metal hanging clothes hangers (and clothes) off of it that needed to go upstairs from the laundry.

    • On this particular project, I sprayed the primer on. I have done all three ways however with other furniture projects. I definitely prefer spraying but it isn’t always possible with some furniture or cabinet pieces.

      Reply

  10. Thanks for all of the great info! One question…did you clean with the TSP before or after you used the deglosser and wood grain filler?

    Reply

  12. Awesome tutorial. I am hoping to do this in the summer! How did you thin your paint out? Did you use a ratio?

    Reply

    • Both the paint and the clear coat that I used are water-based, so I thinned them with water. I used a bit at a time until I got the consistency I wanted. I would say that usually I thin the paint 5-10%. So for example, a gallon was thinned with about 1-2 cups of water. I started with one and added a 1/3 cup at a time and stirred. Depending on what paint and paint type I use, it can be thicker so there isn’t an absolute set amount.

      Reply

    • Both the paint and the clear coat that I used are water-based, so I thinned them with water. I used a bit at a time until I got the consistency I wanted.

      Reply

  14. Love your cabinets. They look fabulous. This is exactly what I have been searching about how to do. What brand of paint did you use and what color?

    Reply

    • I ended up using a Behr brand paint in addition to the Benjamin Moore Stays Clear Coat. Of course, the Benjamin Moore dealer recommended that I use their paint instead of using the clear coat. However, they did not understand the damage my six-year old can bring which is why I chose to do it this way. Also, here in Virginia, the Benjamin Moore Advance paint was nearly $40 more a gallon. I will say that I have been so far impressed with the durability. In my son’s art area, he constantly swings and bangs his metal chair and there isn’t a single mark from it!

      Reply

  15. I thank you too for going into such detail. I have painted my cabinets before and they were ok. Better than the original. But they didn’t hold up very well and I am constantly cleaning. Thanks again.

    Reply

  16. What a great tutorial! I am wanting to paint our kitchen cabinets but had no idea what to do. Perfect timing! I do however have a question! We have a lip on our cabinet doors and I was wondering if having all those paint layers will keep them from closing?
    Thank you. Your cabinets are wonderful by the way!!

    Reply

    • I would say that it depends on the gap between the lip and the frame.Normally doors of that nature have a decent gap to prevent any sticking should the wood expand or contract. However, the gaps must be uniform and if they do rub in any area, I would consider sanding a bit extra. As for the paint thickness, the layers should be thin and even (especially if using a sprayer) so I would guess that they would be about millimeter thick total. We did sand between the layers so that thins out each layer individually. If that is still a concern, you could skip the clear coat on that area. I don’t want to mislead you so you can also send me a picture at Rachel@cravingsomecreativity.com if you like. I can judge the way the casing is attached.

      Reply

      • Thank you Rachel, I appreciate it!! These are homemade cabinets! I will send a picture soon! Again, thank you so much, I sure love yours!

    • Thanks! The curing wasn’t so bad. In my project, I put them fully together and put everything in them. I just left the door and drawers slightly ajar so that there was no paint to paint contact.

      Reply

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