How To Prep and Paint Kitchen Cabinets

Painting Kitchen Cabinets 

Instead of replacing outdated cabinets i recommend refinishing them . you'll get a brand new looking set of cabinets for half the cost of replacement and installation 

If you are looking to update the look of your kitchen to a more modern look and at the same time being budget friendly ; Then painting your cabinetry would be the way to go . Here i'll  share with you my process on how I go about it . If you decide you'd like to do so as well , this guide will definitely give you a 1 up on the project .

What Tools & Materials Will I Need To Paint My Cabinets?

 When painting  Kitchen Cabinets It is best to know which tools you'll be needing to complete the process .

Tools needed :  Paint brush and mini roller set, shop vacuum, screwdriver and or drill , buckets . If you'd like an optimal finish I prefer using a paint sprayer  with a fine finish tip . see more tools you can use 

Materials needed: Sandpaper, Wood filler or glazing putty i prefer the latter . bonding primer, and last but not least your paint (top coat). I prefer a durable urethane product .

 you can learn more about tools that will speed up this process  here

Prepping The Cabinets ( Hardest & Most Time Consuming of The Project)

I start off by accessing the cabinets current finish, Seeing if there are any dings, gaps and holes to repair prior to starting and making a mental note. 

The next step is getting the cabinets grease,dirt free using a de-greaser preferably tsp , although dawn dish soap works just as good.

Once that step has been done and dry its time to scuff up the current finish  You want to use a 220 grit sandpaper and give it a good once over to take off a layer of finish, usually polyurethane ,laquer ,or varnish has been applied to protect the bare wood. Remove all door and drawer fronts. Label them to match the current place where each belongs . and put away the hardware in a safe place ( some people like to label them and put in a zip lock bag, Me on the other hand just put a little tape around it and place it in the cabinet or drawer it came from.  mask all the floors and mask all the cabinets thoroughly especially if your spraying

Now you can break out your shop vac  to get all the dust and shaving from when you sanded the cabinets . follo up with another once over with a damp rag and tsp . 

Now its time to prime the cabinets , Which is self explanatory . prime the boxes and both sides of the doors, when finish lightly sand all with 320 grit sand paper . Vacuum all the dust and wipe it down again with a damp rag .

Once fully dry according to manufactures specs you can now start your top coat . I reccommend 2 top coats after your prime coat . with sanding in between coats .

After your finish with that you can replace all the doors and hardware and admire your new looking kitchen