How-to: Painting Cabinets

Question: I see people on DIY shows painting cabinets and cabinet doors instead of replacing them. It looks like it’s a huge money saver. Does it really work? Or does it just look good on TV?

Answer: Yes and no. Like adding floors and counters instead of replacing the entire kitchen, if you follow the right steps, have the right painting skills and tools (or painter,) and put in the time  painting cabinets can be an outstanding and extremely affordable kitchen upgrade. Add new pulls and people will think you got new cabinets. Heck, you’ll think you got new cabinets. If you skimp, however—use cheap-o brushes, rush, skip steps—you’ll never be able to un-see the poor job. It is not a risk-free trade-off for saving money on new cabinets—not by any stretch.

First step is to clean the cabinets thoroughly. First you need to de-grease them—every nook and cranny inside and out. Then you need to clean the dirt. Use a degreasing detergent for the former like Simple Green or Pine Sol. Use Murphy’s Oil Soap for the latter. You have to clean them twice then allow to dry.

Next, the cabinets need to be sanded thoroughly with a fine grit sandpaper or sanding sponge. This scuffs the existing finish such that coatings will stick. After that, they need to be primed and sanded again, then painted. Use tack cloth to clean between coats.

The best case scenario is a conscientious painter with a shop or access to s spray booth and HVLP sprayer. He can remove your doors and drawers and bring the doors and drawers there to be sprayed. He can then spray the face frames in place. Otherwise, set up somewhere with very little dust and get to work with a high quality brush, sander and tack cloth. Be patient. Expect to apply three coats of high quality paint or check out Rust-O-Leum’s Cabinet Transformations. The sweat equity can save you thousands of dollars.

Tip: stealing an idea from our friends Tom Bury and Taniya Nyak on Restaurant Impossible, you may also be able to take your doors and drawers to an auto body shop and have them sprayed there. You still have the carcasses to deal with at home.