When we first got our house, painting the cabinets were one of the primary projects I had in mind.I knew that it would cost a lot to hire out a contractor to do the job, so I quickly decided to take on the project myself. I spent some time researching and asking around for best tips, and then jumped in and started figuring it out!
I’m here to report back how to make your cabinets turn out GREAT – all while saving yourself a ton of money!
My video is super detailed on all these items, but here is a physical list of what you’ll need.
-Kilz Primer (You can use whatever base you’d like, but I recommend doing the oil based since it’s more durable)
-Medium grit and fine grit sandpaper
-Trisodium phosphate to clean and prep your cabinets
-Tack cloth to clean off the sanding dust
-Painting supplies – high quality angled brush (I love Purdy brushes), plus a roller with a good pile on it. The one I used required it to be wet first to really smooth on the paint.
-Optional (or maybe not?!) – Paint sprayer. I bought one for $50 on Amazon and it saved me TONS of time and effort. Highly recommend.
-Painters tape and marker – label the back of each cabinet with exactly where that cabinet belongs in your space! When you’re re-hanging them, you don’t want them to get mixed up – it can be a pain if everything’s not fitting back on properly
And most importantly – the holy grail paint – Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Paint. It applies and behaves like an oil-based paint, but without the fumes or the complicated cleanup. It’s truly a DREAM. It’s so durable when finished, too. You won’t find it chipping or peeling!
My tip for success: make little one-inch blocks of wood with a nail sticking out to rest your painted cabinets on. Watch the video to learn more! It makes painting a breeze.
The Process:
Start by doing a super detailed clean with Trisodium Phosphate (TSP). Make sure it’s super detailed so that your paint will adhere well.
Remove all the cabinet doors and move them into a workspace.
Using the medium grit sandpaper, rough up the surfaces of all of your cabinets. You’re just trying to give the primer something to hold onto.
Use tack cloth to remove all the sandpaper bits.
Apply generous coats of primer and let them thoroughly dry in between applications. Make sure you’re not using a super streaky brush – I find that a roller worked best for me. Prime the cabinet boxes affixed to the walls as well.
After the primer has fully cured (give it at least a day), you can start sanding! Use the fine grit (220) sandpaper and sand, sand, sand. You want the surface to be buttery smooth. Run your hand across it and make sure you can’t feel a THING. If you can feel it or see it, it’ll show up when you apply the paint.
Again, run over the whole surface with tack cloth to remove the sandpaper particles.
Now, it’s time to paint! I used the sprayer for these and it made it SO much easier. I used the roller and the angled brush for the interior cabinet boxes that are affixed to the wall.
I laid the cabinet doors out facing downward. I began by painting the backside first, and then flipping them to paint the front side. You can do both sides in one session! The nails will safely hold up the doors so that they don’t have issues while drying.
Do 2-3 coats of paint on the cabinets, giving it plenty of time to dry in between coats!
Check out my video to see it all in action!
Let me know how your next project turns out!
