How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?
Updated: Aug 22
In my last blog, I talked about the way color personalizes a home, and I listed five ways to successfully add color. One suggestion was to paint kitchen cabinets, updating their appearance at a lower cost than a full replacement.
Your main contribution to the painting job, as with any painting project, is time and patience. The following items highlight some of the more important considerations in painting kitchen cabinets.
While the cabinet doors, shelves and drawers can be removed, the cabinets themselves must stay in place, so kitchen cabinets must be completely emptied and all surfaces covered before painting begins.
Make sure you know what type of cabinet materials and finishes you are working with as different surfaces may need different types of cleaning and different types of primer or paint. You might want to take a door with you to your paint retailer for advice on the best products for preparing and covering the surface.
Because kitchen cabinets are exposed to food and oil splatter, smoke and constant handling, the surfaces require careful preparation with a degreaser or the paint simply will not stick.
You will want good ventilation while you work—cleaning, sanding, priming, sanding again and painting produce grit and fumes. You will also want to caulk any open seams and spackle any dents or scratches. Fill in the original mounting holes for doors and shelves to make sure they are remounted securely at the end.
Cabinet doors, drawers and shelves can be primed and painted with spray-on products but you may want to use a brush on the cabinets themselves for more control over splatter. Be sure to allow enough drying time, especially before you turn doors and shelves over to prime and paint the other side.
Once all the paint is dry, remount the doors and shelves and add brand new door pulls to complete the look. There are lots of steps to painting kitchen cabinets, but the results are worth it. If you don’t have the time and patience to do it yourself, contact WORKS. We’re happy to discuss that project and any others you may have on your to-do list. And we have the patience, time and expertise to complete them on schedule and on budget.