by Dorothy Sander

Created on: May 05, 2009

Painting your kitchen cabinets is an excellent, inexpensive way of giving your kitchen a face lift. Particularly, if your home was built when cabinets were stained in a dark color or are color you don't like. A coat of white paint will bring them back to life. Add new hardware and you will feel like you've installed all new cabinets and raise the value of your home in the process.

Painting kitchen cabinets is not a difficult process, but there are a few things you must do to create a quality looking finish and one that will last. Kitchen cabinets receive a lot of wear and tear so it is important to use the right materials when painting them to prevent chipping and peeling in the future.

Step 1: Remove all of the cabinet doors and lay them flat on saw horses or a table. Remove all hardware, including doorknobs, hinges, latches, etc. Do not paint over existing hardware. It not only looks messy and unprofessional, but it will cause a problem when installing new hardware. The new hardware will most likely be a different size and the unpainted surface will be visible.

Step 2: Clean the surface area of the wood with a mild soap and water solution. If there is a heavy build up of grease, Krud Kutter is a product that works very well to remove grease and grime and will not damage the wood. Krud Kutter can be purchase at Lowes, Home Depot or other similar stores. Rinse thoroughly and allow the wood to dry completely.

Step 3: Lightly sand the exposed cabinet surfaces with 220 grit sandpaper. Sanding the surface will help the paint adhere properly. Smooth out any rough areas or imperfections.

Step 4: Apply a coat of oil based primer to all exposed surfaces. Oil based products are the best option when painting kitchen cabinets as they produce a harder finish and hold up better. Latex paint products are improving in this respect but oil still produces the most durable finish at this time.

Step 5: When the primer is dry, sand the cabinet surfaces lightly once again. Some kitchen cabinets may not be easy to sand the first time without damaging the surface. If this is the case, prime first and then sand.

Step 6: Apply a high quality oil paint finish coat to all of your kitchen cabinet surfaces. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are among your best options. Select a finish that suits your taste and dcor. Choose between a satin finish which has a slight gloss, a semi-gloss which has a little more gloss and a gloss finish which has the most shine. Use a top quality interior paint brush, such as a Wooster or Purdy, to paint all surfaces with the first coat of paint. These paint brushes can be purchased at Lowe's, Home Depot or your local paint store. Follow the instructions on the can for drying times between coats.

Step 7: Apply a second coat of paint to your kitchen cabinet surfaces. For a smooth, cabinet finish look, paint the last coat with a small whiz roller using a foam roller cover, particularly on the cabinet door faces. This will give you a smooth and beautiful look.

Step 8: When the cabinet doors are completely dry, reinstall them using new hardware. Add knobs for a finished complete makeover of your outdated kitchen cabinets.

Learning how to paint kitchen cabinets is not a difficult process. Just be sure to use a quality paint product and allow enough time for proper drying. Oil base paints take longer to dry than latex paints, but once oil paint is completely dried and cured it will resist scratching, nicking or peeling much better than latex paint.

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