How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets Like a Pro In 9 Easy Steps

Tips you need for sanding, priming, and painting for a smooth, durable finish

Wooden cabinet door surrounded by painting materials

The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 6 - 8 hrs
  • Total Time: 3 - 4 days
  • Yield: Cabinets in a 10-foot by 10-foot kitchen
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Estimated Cost: $200 to $500

Learning to paint kitchen cabinets correctly is the first step to upgrading your kitchen with a beautiful, professional-looking finish. There are other ways to freshen up weary wood kitchen cabinets, such as refacing or replacing them, but both methods are far more expensive than painting. Plus, refacing and replacing usually require you to hire professionals. Either way, painting is cheaper than redoing your kitchen without buying all new cabinets or sourcing recycled cabinets.

Here, learn how to paint kitchen cabinets with steps for beginners to accomplish the professional look through a DIY cabinet makeover project.

How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?

It's considerably cheaper to paint your kitchen cabinets than to have a professional handle the job. Depending on where you live, having a professional paint your cabinets may cost between $400 and $1,400 or higher. Most painters charge between $20 and $50 per hour. If you provide your own labor, the job should cost between $200 and $600, as you'll only need to purchase supplies like paint, primer, cleaners, plastic drop cloths, paint trays, and rollers.

Types of Paint for Kitchen Cabinets

When painting your kitchen cabinets, you can choose paint that is either water-based latex or oil-based. For years, oil-based paint was the logical choice for kitchen cabinets since it sticks well and forms a hard surface, but latex paints have evolved to the point where they work equally well for cabinets—especially regarding alkyd options. With many localities banning oil-based paints except in small quantities, latex paint might be your only choice, but there are plenty of paint brands to select.

Latex Paint
  • Water-soluble

  • Cleans with soap and water

  • Low fumes

  • Available in 1-gallon and larger

Oil-Based Paint
  • Requires paint thinner

  • Cleans with petroleum products

  • Odorous

  • Available in 1-quart sizes or smaller

Before You Begin

Painting wood kitchen cabinets usually means painting visible surfaces when the cabinet doors and drawers are closed, though some backs get painted. It's best to paint using a roller for a smooth finish as much as possible, but some areas require a brush.

Areas that are painted:

  • Cabinet doors: Front and back
  • Drawer fronts: Front and back
  • Cabinet boxes: Sides and bottom

Areas that are not painted:

  • Shelves
  • Inside cabinet boxes
  • Top of cabinet boxes

Optional areas:

Safety Considerations

Protect yourself when cleaning, sanding, priming, and painting your wood kitchen cabinets. Use particulate masks when sanding. If you use oil-based paint instead of the recommended water-based paint, protect yourself against VOCs (volatile organic compounds) with a respirator mask.

Use eye protection. When sanding with the oscillating sander, wear hearing protection.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • 10-inch micro roller handle
  • Cordless drill or screwdriver
  • Cleaning sponge
  • Clean bucket
  • Foam sanding block
  • Shop vacuum
  • Tapered sash brush
  • Paint tray

Materials

  • Water-based latex paint
  • Primer
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Painter's tape
  • TSP (trisodium phosphate) or degreaser
  • 120- and 220-grit sandpaper
  • Sanding sponge
  • 10-inch micro paint roller covers
  • Sealable plastic bags
  • Shop towels
  • Paint tray liners

Instructions

How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

  1. Prepare Work Area and Tools

    Painting your kitchen cabinets usually requires sanding. If you paint without sanding, your paint can peel off or adhere poorly. However, note that cabinets that are already painted may be painted over without sanding if the same type of paint is used. The result may not look as professional, though. 

    • Assess the condition of your current cabinets.
    • Identify and prepare a work area outside the kitchen where you can paint the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Ideally, this would be a garage so that the large door can be open for ventilation and a heating source if you are painting in cooler seasons. Or you may choose a basement or an unused room of your house, as long as either can be ventilated to the exterior.
    • Lay down sheet plastic on the floor and tape the edges.
    • Set a work table or sawhorses on the plastic.
    • Have all your tools nearby, including the sander, sandpaper, brushes, roller and covers, buckets, paint, and primer.
    get the right tools for painting kitchen cabinets
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  2. Remove Cabinet Doors and Hardware

    • Attach a short strip of painter's tape to the face of every cabinet door. It will help to place a short strip of painter's tape inside the cabinet near the doors or on the shelf near where the doors are located, too.
    • With a marker, write a number on each strip of tape to indicate the position of the door. Start at one end of the kitchen and work clockwise or counterclockwise, numbering each cabinet door. Mark the corresponding number on the strip of tape inside the cabinet (or on the shelf, whichever position you placed the tape). These corresponding numbers on the pieces of tape will help you easily replace the doors in the same spots at the end of the project without having to guess where they go.
    • Use a cordless drill to remove the cabinet hinges from the cabinet boxes. Bag each hinge and its screws into a sealable plastic bag and identify the hinge's position by marking the bag. Use one bag per hinge.

    Tip

    When cabinets are first installed, hinges are adjusted for the size and swing of the cabinet doors. Taking the time to bag and mark each hinge at this point will save you a lot of work when it comes time to replace the doors properly.

    • Remove all items inside cabinet boxes, including obstructions such as lights, hood fans, hooks, or wire racks.
    • Remove door dampers by peeling them off with your fingernail or unscrewing them.
    • Unscrew all fixtures (handles and knobs), then bag and identify them.
    Remove doors and hardware
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  3. Remove Drawers and Drawer Fronts

    • As with the cabinet doors, apply strips of painter's tape to the drawer fronts and drawers and mark them with numbers for proper replacement.
    • On the back side of the drawers, use the cordless drill or manual screwdriver to unscrew the drawer pulls and the drawer fronts if they are removable. Most drawer fronts are attached to drawer boxes by four or five screws.
    remove drawer faces
    The Spruce / David Schiff 
  4. Clean Cabinet Boxes

    Leave the cabinet boxes in place in the kitchen, and clean them for painting. Either use a liquid degreaser and thick shop towels or use trisodium phosphate (TSP) and a sponge.

    Using degreaser: If the boxes are not too dirty or greasy, use degreaser and shop towels.

    • Spray down the front and follow by wiping down with the towels.
    • Clean the back sides as well.
    • Pay particular attention to areas near fixtures, as they have more dirt and grease.

    Warning

    TSP is banned in many communities due to phosphates in the solution. If that is the case in your area, substitute TSP with a degreaser.

    Using TSP: Always wear eye protection and waterproof gloves when working with TSP.

    • Mix the dry TSP product in a bucket with warm water to use TSP.
    • Submerge a new sponge in the mixture.
    • Wipe down the cabinets.
    • TSP remains on the surface as a light powder, followed by wiping it down with a sponge soaked in clean, cold water.
    clean surfaces to be painted
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  5. Sand Doors, Drawer Fronts, and Boxes

    When sanding, aim to scuff the surfaces for better primer and paint adhesion, not sand off all the coating.

    • Sand down the doors and drawer fronts in your work area. Use an oscillating sander and 120-grit sandpaper.
    • Use the sander on all flat areas of the doors and drawer fronts: the fronts, backs, and edges.
    • For bevels or other textured areas, switch to a manual sanding sponge.
    • With the cabinet boxes still in the kitchen, cover the kitchen countertops and flooring with sheet plastic and sand the cabinet boxes.
    sand the surfaces to be painted
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  6. Prime Doors and Drawer Fronts

    • Use a damp cloth to remove the dust from the doors and drawer fronts before priming.
    • Pour mixed or shaken primer into a lined paint tray.
    • Dab the trim brush in the primer and paint the detailed areas of the doors and drawer fronts.
    • Follow by priming the flat areas with a 10-inch roller.
    • After thoroughly drying all materials for at least two hours, lightly sand them with 220-grit sandpaper on the oscillating sander.
    • Do not sand down to bare wood. The aim is to smooth down bumps and dried drips in the primer. In doing so, you can paint the kitchen cabinets with minimal brush marks or other imperfections showing once the paint has dried.
    Prime doors and drawer fronts of cabinets
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  7. Prime Cabinets

    • Clean the dust off of the sanded cabinet boxes with a damp sponge.
    • Apply painter's tape on the kitchen walls or backsplash to protect them from paint.
    • Prime the edges of the cabinets with the trim brush.
    • Follow by rolling out the primer with the 10-inch roller.
    • Like the doors and drawer fronts, wait at least two hours, then sand the cabinet boxes with finer 220-grit sandpaper on the oscillating sander.
    Prime Kitchen Cabinets
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  8. Paint Cabinets

    Paint the cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and boxes as you did with the primer coat.

    • Paint the cabinet edges with the brush.
    • Then, paint the large inner areas with the 10-inch roller.
    • Allow for at least two hours between coats.
    paint the kitchen cabinets
    The Spruce / David Schiff
  9. Put Cabinets Back Together

    When everything is fully painted and dried, put your cabinets back together.

    • Replace the drawer fronts on drawer boxes using the cordless drill or manual screwdriver.
    • Reattach hardware on drawers.
    • Slide drawers back into place.
    • Replace the hinges for the cabinet doors and cabinetry.
    • Screw the cabinet doors back onto the cabinet fronts.
    • Reattach the hardware on the cabinet doors.

When to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

The quality of the paint job depends significantly on seasonal conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality. If painting the cabinets in an open-air covered site, such as under a patio awning, wait for warmer temperatures for better paint curing.

Also, ensure the air is clear to prevent particles such as pollen from settling on the wet paint. If painting the doors and drawer fronts in a climate-controlled work area, you can paint any time of year.

When to Call a Professional

Painting wood kitchen cabinets can be more overwhelming than it first appears. If you are a do-it-yourselfer and your kitchen is larger than the standard 10-foot by 10-foot kitchen, you may want to consider having professional painters paint your wood cabinets.

FAQ
  • Can I just paint over my kitchen cabinets?

    You may be tempted to skip the prep. However, sanding and priming cabinets before painting them is the best way to get high-quality results.

  • When preparing cabinets for paint, do you need to use primer?

    Kitchen cabinets should always be primed before painting. Your paint may not adhere properly to the cabinet's surface without primer, leading to peeling, chipping, and imperfections.

  • Can I paint my kitchen cabinets without taking them down?

    It's best to remove the doors from your kitchen cabinets before painting them. The entire cabinets do not need to be removed before painting, but removing the doors and drawers makes sanding easier and helps you avoid paint spots on the pulls, handles, and hardware.

  • Do you paint both sides of kitchen cabinet doors?

    It's common to paint cabinet doors both inside and out. If you do not plan to paint the inside of your cabinet doors, they will not need to be sanded or primed. You can use painter's tape to achieve straight lines along the edges of each door.

  • What kind of paint do you use on wood cabinets?

    The best paint to use depends on if you currently have paint on your cabinets (keep it the same). You can also sand, strip, and start fresh with water-based latex, oil-based, or alkyd options.

  • What happens if I skip sanding and go right to painting my cabinets?

    Sanding gives your cabinets the best surface for paint to adhere to, discourages peeling, and looks more polished. You can skip sanding if you are painting over a cabinet that has already been painted using the same type of paint; this is faster, but remember any imperfections in the prior paint job may show through.

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