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Is your kitchen still sporting the pumpkin orange or olive green kitchen cabinets of yester-year? Fully replacing your cabinetry is one of the most expensive cosmetic home improvements you could possible undertake. But with a little effort, you can refinish your kitchen cabinets with paint for a fresh new look that will bring you kitchen up to par with today's stylish trends.

1. The first step in painting your kitchen cabinets is to choose your paint color. Current trends have kitchen cabinets going darker, into hues of deep chocolate browns or even black. On the other hand, white or bright beige are timeless paint choices that will allow your kitchen decor maximum diversity in decor options. But if you're of a bold turn of mind, you could make your kitchen fun and funky by using a bright, loud paint that will make the room alive with color! The choice is entirely yours. Just make sure that you choose a paint color that will blend nicely with your countertops and kitchen flooring.

2. So you've bought your paint. Now let's get to work! Remove all the kitchen cabinet doors by unscrewing the hinges. For each door you remove, put all the screws and hardware into a plastic baggie and leave it inside that cabinet space. Also, place a small piece of numbered tape on the back of each cabinet door, and a corresponding number on the cabinet interior from which the door was removed. These simple practices will avoid any confusion when replacing the doors later on.

3. Wash the cabinet doors with a solution of dishwashing liquid and water, scrubbing with a soft sponge. Wipe dry. Go over the doors with a very low grain sand paper (this will make the surface rough and assure the adhesion of the paint). Repeat the washing and drying of the doors.

4. To prep the bases of the cabinets (the areas surrounding the cabinet door openings), simply repeat step number 3 on the cabinet base areas.

5. Using a fine grain brush, paint the cabinet doors with long, vertical strokes. Apply at least two coats of paint, allowing sufficient drying time in between coats. You can apply up to three coats, if necessary, to achieve the color tone you desire.

6. To paint the cabinet bases, simply repeat step number 6 on the area surrounding the cabinet door openings.

8. Replace doors by screwing in the hinges (first to the doors, then to the cabinet bases). Make sure you have someone helping you hold the door steady as you re-attach it, as it is easy to screw in a cabinet door slightly off-angle, which will prevent it from shutting correctly.

Using these easy steps, you can give your kitchen cabinets a face lift that will change the look of your entire kitchen for very little money. Good luck and happy designing!

Learn more about this author, Kay Fair.
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