Materials and the sequence of the job sit together on this page.
I love the difference paint makes on some dated oak cabinets… And am dreaming of the day that I too can paint our current kitchen, for now, I have to be content with admiring other peoples hard work. For example here is Jessica of Running with Scissors new white painted kitchen cabinets! And she outlined how she did it for everyones benefit, here is what she had to say: This was a daunting task for me, but our new house had a dark kitchen. We scored new counters, wood floors, and appliances, but the honey colored cabinets seemed dated to me. So after reading a bunch of info on painting cabinets, it seemed like a project I could tackle. It seemed worth the hassle to transform our kitchen so the cabinets would look modern to match the flooring, counter, white tile back splash and appliances. Another bonus would be to brighten up the space to feel more fresh, clean and airy. Here’s the before, the day we signed the papers. Oh yes, also the bright yellow paint also made it feel old and musty to me. I can’t wait, so I’ll give you the AFTER right away, before the instructions! The only thing that changed was the paint on the cabinets and walls. To me it makes the space look so much newer and up to date. So if you also need to update your kitchen cabinets for a total kitchen change: HOW TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS 1. Remove all hardware from the doors and drawers I put all the knobs in a gallon ziplock bag. Remove all the doors and hinges. All the hinges and screws went in another ziplock bag. 2. Wash all the doors and frames with warm soapy water. I found it easiest to use the sink and really scrub the grime off and rinse the doors well. Allow to totally dry. **May need to fill holes/ sand at this point If you’re replacing your knobs/ hardware with new, you’ll probably have to fill all the old holes with wood filler at this point, unless your new knobs have the same measurements for holes as the old. ALSO If your cabinets have a thick layer of polyurethane and feel clearly glossy, you may want to sand them to remove the sealing finish. My cabinets felt like wood, not plastic, so I didn’t sand. 3. Prime This important according to all my research to use OIL BASED PRIMER! It is thick and stinky, (well you can pay more for odorless but I didn’t) and you can only get it off with mineral spirits/ paint thinner. So it is a pain to work with. But it is more durable and stain blocking to provide the base for your cabinets. So I began by laying all the doors face down on a plastic drop cloth. I started by priming the backs of all the doors, or the “inside” of the cabinet. I used a good quality roller, Purdy brand that is for flat surfaces–3/8″ nap. Don’t forget to also prime the cabinet frames in the actual kitchen.4. Paint After primer has dried according to the instructions on the can, paint your first of two coats latex paint.*In all my painting these last weeks, I actually could tell a big difference in the quality of rollers. We used the low-cost “economy” rollers for the walls, but on the cabinets and doors, used the high end rollers and it made a difference for a smooth, seamless finish. Also, painting walls, I’d wrap the roller in plastic wrap and use the same one again 4 hours later for the second coat. But with cabinets, I broke down and used a brand new roller with each coat. Also with brushes. I actually used a low-cost brush for the primer, but used a nice angled brush for paint on the corners of the cabinet doors.***
Everything I read recommended using semi-gloss paint, so it’s got enough gloss you can clean them, being in the kitchen, but high gloss shows imperfections more.
So I used Behr semi-gloss paint and the color was Popped Corn.
Once again, I used a brand new fancy Purdy brand roller for each coat.
Behr brand paint has you wait 4 hours before repainting, so 4 hours later, paint your second and final coat.
