How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets (like a pro)

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I wrote this “How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets (like a pro)” tutorial after painting my own kitchen cabinets almost 10 years ago.  I have since quit my corporate job and started a small business painting cabinets and furniture, and have painted hundreds of kitchens, so this tutorial has become somewhat of a living document, based upon loads of research, experience and practice.  I try to keep it updated with new products, tips and techniques, since I am continuously learning as I continue to grow my business and hone my own skills.

If you’re interested in reading about this project in process, you can read about it here and here.  You can see my kitchen reveal here and the full evolution of the kitchen in photos here.

If you’re interested in ONLINE VIDEO TRAINING, and want to take things at your own pace, with a pro at your side through the process, click here. 

If you’re in the Dayton/Cincinnati area, and want a quote for painting your cabinets, contact me.
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Do you want to know how to paint oak cabinets?

More tips and tricks for tackling oak cabinets, including how to hide the grain, and some great go-to paint colors!  Check out my post on how to paint oak cabinets for all of the details!  Here are some of my favorite oak cabinet transformations from my portfolio:

Do you have questions about prep?

Are you concerned about prepping your cabinets?  Are they unfinished or previously painted?  Check out this post on 5 Cabinet Painting Problems Solved.

Are you looking for the right tools to get the job done?

The more projects I do, the more tools and products I find.  Here is my latest list of great tools to get the job done more efficiently and with a great finished look.  Five Favorite Tools for Painting Cabinets and Furniture.

Do you have questions about using a paint sprayer to paint your cabinets? 

Check out this post from my “Painter in Your Pocket” series as your guide.

Spray Painting Kitchen Cabinets

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*This post contains affiliate links*

I apologize in advance on the length of this post, but I wanted to make sure I covered everything in one fell swoop.  That said, I’m sure I forgot something, so feel free to ask any questions you may have.

How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

I have put together a FREE COMPREHENSIVE SUPPLY LIST for you, and you can link to it here, click on the image below, or you can shop here for everything you need.

Free Supply List - How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets

I did a great deal of planning and research before tackling this project, and continue to develop and learn now that I’m painting cabinets for clients, so I hope you’re able to learn from my obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

First things first.  These are some of the most important things to know and consider before taking on a project like this.

1.  Unless you have hired help (or a household that will take on all of your responsibilities while working on this), the rest of your house will suffer during this process.
Ok, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic here, but this was my personal experience.  However, I should preface this by also mentioning that I worked full-time (outside of the home), when I painted my cabinets, and spent just about every non-working moment on this project in order to get it done.  So, for me, this meant that my typical laundry “pile” turned into a laundry “mountain”.  The entire house was a wreck, and the hubby and kids had to fend for themselves for the 2-3 weeks that I spent focused on painting.  My kids may or may not have eaten cereal out of the box for dinner several nights in a row.

2.  Invest in help from the experts.
I had three big questions in researching this project:

  • How do I best prep my cabinets for painting?
  • What kind of primer should I use when painting my cabinets?
  • What kind of paint do I use to paint my cabinets?
  • How do a I choose a paint color?

I ended up finding some cabinet door samples that I liked, and had them color matched for my kitchen.

Here are the samples I used and had color matched for the island and the kitchen cabinets.

What color did you paint your cabinets?

I have gotten a lot of questions about the color that I used on my cabinets.  As I mention above, I had the cabinet samples above color matched for my kitchen paint colors.  Below is the formula for the white I used on a bulk of my cabinets.  This is a formula for Benjamin Moore paint, and I used their Advance paint product for my cabinets. Don’t use this formula for other paint manufacturers.

If you are looking for help choosing a white paint color for your cabinets, check out my favorite white cabinet colors here.

3.  What is the best method to get the job done and make it look professional?
I know there are a lot of opinions and methods out there, but after painting the kitchen island, (using a sprayer for the doors, and hand painting the frame), I knew that painting the cabinets with a brush would not produce the look that I wanted, since I have a lot of raised panels and detail work.

However, if you don’t have a lot of raised panels on your end cabinets, I say paint your frames with a brush/roller.  I still recommend spraying your doors and drawers, but there is some wiggle room with the frames.  Just make sure you use a high quality brush like this one, and mohair rollers.  Using high quality tools will give you a high quality finish and help to minimize brush strokes.

The clincher for me was seeing a video of someone painting kitchen cabinets with an HVLP sprayer.  HVLP = High Volume, Low Pressure.  It is a dream for a project like this since you have so much control over the spray in terms of volume and area.  You can dial it down to a targeted, narrow spray for corners and small areas, or you can open it up to give you a much broader spray as well. 

However, these paint guns can be expensive, since they hook up to a turbine (which I now have and use for client kitchens).  But, I did some (more) research, and found one that I could hook up to our air compressor (ours is a 6 gallon 150psi, which was more than enough power) for a fraction of the cost.  Enter the Wagner HVLP Conversion Gun. This is the gun that I used when I painted my own cabinets, and the results were nothing less than flawless.

If you don’t have an air compressor, you can go with a gun like this Graco TrueCoat Plus II paint sprayer.  Thrifty Decor Chick used this to finish off her cabinets after my house call when I had the opportunity to walk her through the process.  She loved this sprayer, and if you saw her kitchen, you’ll see that it got the job done beautifully.

So, let’s get to the details.  How did I prep my cabinets?  What type of paint did I use?  What finish did I choose?

Paint Prep

Before we dive in too deeply on paint prep, let me first say that this is not a step where you want to take short cuts.  I know a lot of paints claim that they are “no prep”, but if you’re investing the time to do this kind of DIY project, and you want a professional finish, you need to put in the work.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cleaned cabinet doors and then sanded them, only to reveal all sorts of gunk that I never would have noticed otherwise.  Since my cabinets didn’t have a glossy finish on the to begin with, I cleaned them Krud Kutter Gloss-Off, which is a great all-in-one cleaner AND deglosser and then gave them a light sanding.  I have since invested in a nice orbital sander and dust extractor and use it for client jobs, but I will say that my light sanding has held up nicely in my own kitchen.

 

You can see the primer and paint that I used here as well.  Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Start Primer and their fantastic Advance paint.  Again, I’m going on the advice of the experts here (he recommended a different primer for glossy surfaces, but I can’t remember what).  I cannot say enough good things about this Advance paint.  Oh. my. goodness.  The paint store guy/expert said, “It’s revolutionary.”  He said that it’s basically an oil-based paint that acts like a latex (even though it is a latex paint).  You get all of the good points of an oil-based paint, with none of the negative.  It hardens like an oil, wears like an oil, but cleans up like a latex and it doesn’t smell like an oil!  See?  Revolutionary.

For a more detailed breakdown on prep, you can check out this post from my “Painter in Your Pocket” series that is exclusively dedicated to prep work.

All you need to know about paint prep

I have experimented with a multitude of primers over the past few years, and while Fresh Start has held up nicely on my own cabinets, I am also a big fan of SealGrip by Porter Paints.  It’s awesome for oak cabinets too, in that it keeps the oak grain from bleeding through the paint, and it’s water-based, which I love.  Plus, it really holds up when cabinets need to be transported for clients.  But as of lately, I have switched to using Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer.  It sticks to EVERYTHING.

If you’d like to look at other paint options, I shared a comparison of two great products that I love.  They’re both solid products, with pros and cons associated with each.  It all depends upon your priorities and preferences.  

What kind of paint to use on kitchen cabinets

But, before you can get moving with your actual priming/painting, you need to remove your cabinet doors and drawers.  I highly recommend putting together some sort of numbering system so that you don’t lose track of what goes where.  While it all seems to make sense when you’re planning, trust me that you will be glad you did this when your paint-weary brain goes to put the doors and drawers back.

TIP:  I started out my labeling like this, but the best way is to take a piece of painter’s tape and number your cabinet doors and the corresponding frame so that it’s easy to match them up when you reinstall.  Put the hinges in a Ziplock bag, and store them in the corresponding cabinet/drawer space.  Take the time to number your doors and drawers, because things can get ugly really fast when reinstalling your doors/drawers if you don’t.

Below, my cabinet coding translates to – Right of stove, cabinet #28, right bottom (RB).  Believe me, when you’re exhausted and swimming in a Sea of Cabinets that need to be put back in their proper place, you’ll be thankful for this little extra help.

This is especially important if you currently don’t have knobs on your doors, and you’re planning on adding them.  Label the door so that you know whether it’s a right or left sided cabinet so you make sure to drill your holes in the correct spot.  Just trust me on this.

You will also need to tape off the insides of the cabinets, the countertops, floor, even some of the ceiling.  If you’re planning on painting the walls, do it after you paint the cabinets – you’ll save some time and trouble in taping off the walls in addition to everything else.  This was, by far, my least favorite part of this project.  Taping off the insides of cabinet frames is harder than it sounds.  But, I can offer you some advice that I learned along the way.

TIP:  Tape off the bottom, sides and top of the frame first (newspaper works well for this), and then tape off the back of the inside frame.

You can see what I mean here:

Versus here where I was trying to tape off right at the edge of the inside frames.  Don’t ask me why it took me so long to figure this out, but it was a maddening process.  (And don’t mind the water spot on the contractor paper – it’s from the water dispenser in the fridge.  I swear.)

You will need to go all Dexter-like and tape off any open areas in your kitchen to avoid spray particles from floating through your house.

 
UPDATE – July 2015
One smart product I have started using for cabinet paint projects is the Zipwall.  So. much. easier than trying to tape the plastic to the ceiling.  Not to mention that you can pull it together in a matter of minutes.  Love it.  See how great it is here?  Again, a brilliant idea.  Great for for containing paint overspray or drywall dust.  Plus, the metal poles can be used alone to help hold up crown molding when you’re installing it.  Who knew?
 
And really, if you want to paint the frames with a brush, you could do that and save some of the trouble.  But, again, since my frames had a lot of raised panels, I wanted the clean look that the HVLP sprayer provides, and it was worth the extra prep work.
 
You will also need to set up a staging area and a “spray booth” for painting your cabinet doors and drawers.  Again, this is where the Zipwall is worth its weight in gold, and it’s what I’m currently using in my spray area.  If it’s warm enough, you can do this in your garage.  I ended up setting up shop in our basement storage area.  The great part about this space is that there are doors that lead to the outside, so I could open them up for ventilation.  Plus, it gave me room to create my little spray booth and space to let my cabinets dry.  This is pre-Zipwall:
 
You can see that I have a little table set up here, with a piece of MDF (that is actually a large storage shelf).  I nailed five finish nails on this board so that I could easily maneuver around the cabinet door to paint and not worry about the door sticking to anything when I had to move it.  The same holds true for the area outside of my spray booth, where the cabinets were set to dry.  Since I was painting both the front and the back of my cabinets, I wanted to keep the drips to a minimum, as well as the possibility of them sticking to anything while drying, and the nails allowed for this.
 
Another option that I’m currently using are these smart little painting pyramids.
Note: I don’t flip my cabinets and paint the other side without waiting.  I have never been successful in that, and if you are, I’d love to see your technique.  But, these are great to use when spraying your cabinets.
Note:  I obviously removed the hardware before doing this, and also used Elmer’s wood putty in one of the holes since I was going with knobs vs. pulls on the cabinet doors.  Make sure you plan out the placement of your knobs and pulls before you start painting, to avoid wasting time at the end of the process making adjustments that would require more priming and painting.
 

Priming and Painting

Before you begin spraying your cabinets, practice on a large piece of cardboard or an old box so that you can get the hang of the spray gun and figure out how to best adjust the settings.  It’s really very simple to use and I promise you that it doesn’t take long to get the hang of using it.
 
You can easily control the flow of the paint, direction and diameter of the spray and the amount of air pressure as you go along.  It just takes some experimenting to get used to it.  This was my first time using it, and you saw my results!
 
Here are some diagrams from the instruction manual that illustrate what I’m talking about here:
 
Paint spray patterns:
 

 Paint pattern size:

 

Air and paint flow control:

 
TIP:  If you’re going to paint both sides of your cabinet doors, start by painting the inside of the cabinet first.  That way, if you make any mistakes or have problems, you’ll learn early and it will be on an inconspicuous part of the cabinet.  Plus, this way the cabinets will end up drying with the outside of the cabinet facing UP, and you don’t have to worry about any potential scratches or indentations from the nails that are used to balance your cabinets for drying.  You will have a freshly painted cabinet surface when you rehang your doors.
 
Start by priming the outside edge of the door with a narrow spray, making sure that you cover the outside edges of the door.
Best brand of paint for kitchen cabinets

Then, fill in the center area, working side to side, ensuring complete coverage.

Kitchen cabinet paint colors
 
Carefully pick up the door and move it to the drying area.  Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 😉
Spray painting kitchen cabinets
Once you get into a rhythm, you can blow through the doors relatively quickly.  The priming probably took the longest, because I only used one coat of primer and wanted to be sure I covered the doors really well.  I followed the primer with two coats of paint.  Once you get started, it’s a hurry up and wait kind of process.   For the primer, I gave it a good 24 hours to dry for each side.  For the paint, it’s a 16 hour wait time in between coats, which essentially amounts to a whole day for each coat.  For each side.
 
If you do these sorts of projects regularly like I have started to do, you might want to consider investing in an Erecta Rack.  It takes up way less space and allows for your doors and drawer fronts to dry and store away easily if you’re short on space.
 
How to paint your cabinets like a professional
 
TIP:  Clean your HVLP spray gun after you’re done for the day.  It’s really easy, so don’t be intimidated!  All I had to do was empty the paint out of the spray cup, fill it with warm water, and spray it out until the water ran clear.  (Of course, instructions are provided with the spray gun).  Also, you don’t need to clean the needle every time, as indicated in the directions.  That is something that needs to be done more occasionally.
 
So, do the math.  Two sides, one coat of primer, two coats of paint.  You’re talking about at least week of just painting and waiting.  Then you want to let them sit and cure a bit before you rehang them.  I recommend 2-3 days of cure time once you have completed all of the priming and painting.
 
While your doors are curing you can tackle the frames (or at least that’s what I did).  I saved this piece for last, because this is what rendered my kitchen pretty much inoperable since you’re taping EVERYTHING off in order to get a clean spray of just the frames.  The same process holds for the frames also:
  • Clean and degloss the frame surface with Krud Kutter
  • Lightly sand the frames (I used 220 grit sandpaper)
  • Remove excess dust and wipe clean with tack cloth
  • Prime cabinet frames and allow to dry 24 hours
  • Lightly sand and use tack cloth before painting
  • Paint cabinet frames with 2-3 coats of paint, waiting 24 hours in between coats
  • Wait 2-3 days for paint to cure before rehanging doors
TIP:  Since gravity is working against you on the cabinet frames, I recommend using a fine spray so that you avoid drips as much as possible.  If you do get drips, the paint experts told me to avoid sanding too much in between because the paint can gum up since it’s not cured.  If you have drips, you might want to wait until it’s fully cured and then sand, as it will be more “sand-friendly”.  You can touch up with a small artist’s brush.
 
The paint experts told me that it takes 30 days for the Advance paint to fully cure.  Don’t panic – it’s not like you’re going to be working with sticky cabinet doors or anything.  Just use a little extra caution in the first month.
 
Once your doors and frames have cured enough to reassemble your kitchen, the fun part of putting your kitchen back together begins!  From here, you can install new hardware if you have it, reinstall your hinges (or replace your old ones with new), and then rehang your doors and drawers.
 
TIP:  When you rehang your doors and drawers, go with felt bumpers like these rather than the clear kind.  I’ve noticed that the clear ones have a certain amount of sticky to them that can pull the paint off the frames over time.
 
If you’re installing new hardware and need help on where to place it, pick up one of these handy little tools to save you some time and headache:

Now, sit back and enjoy your new kitchen!
Painting kitchen cabinets white

 

How to paint your cabinets white

 

How to paint your kitchen cabinets
 
How to paint kitchen cabinets
Painted Kitchen Cabinets Before and After
 

I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and most importantly, I hope you’ll begin to see that you can do this project!

Interested in cabinet paint colors that aren’t white?  Check out this post on my Favorite Non-White Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors.

My Favorite Non-White Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors

In case you missed it – here is my post with tips and tricks on painting oak cabinets.

How to Paint Oak Cabinets

In April 2014, I gave Behlen’s Grain Filler a test drive to get rid of the oak grain on a cabinet project.

How to paint kitchen cabinets white

Here is a post showing an oak kitchen transformed (by me) for a client.

Before:

Painted kitchen cabinets before and after

After:

How to paint kitchen cabinets white

Here are some links to some other resources that might be useful:

Melissa at 320 Sycamore
Traci at Beneath my Heart
Sherry and John at Young House Love
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed
Traditional Painter Hand Painted Kitchens and Furniture – a treasure trove of information from seasoned pros, on materials, supplies, prep and technique, along with loads of photos of kitchen transformations.  One of my favorite resources!

 

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August 1, 2018 By
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About

I’m Jenny, a wife of 28 years, mother of three, and a corporate drop-out. I’m a creative minded blogger, business owner and DIYer, and love transforming furniture, cabinets and rooms in my home. I’m a card carrying paint geek, and am always amazed at the power of paint in making budget-friendly updates to your home. I’m a serial house-stalker, and never tire of a great home tour or a before and after renovation. I’m a firm believer in restyling, refreshing and renewing things in your home to make it your own - without breaking the budget. I’ll show you how!

264 Comments

  • Reply
    Crystal (theweekendhomemaker.com)
    January 11, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    Wow! That was a big job to tackle on your own. Good Job! Looks totally professional. Thanks for the great tutorial as I am thinking about painting my kitchen sometime soon.

  • Reply
    Old Road Primitives
    January 11, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    Wow, your cabinets turned out beautiful! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful tutorial with all of us! Kim

  • Reply
    Maury
    January 11, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Awesome tutorial! I did this last year and wish I'd been able to read this before I started!

  • Reply
    Vicki V @ blestnest.blogspot.com
    January 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    Very thorough tutorial! You are a brave woman! I'm especially impressed because you also have a full-time job. I liked your very first point. Home improvement can disrupt the household a lot but the results are certainly worth it!

  • Reply
    Jan@southernjunkin'
    January 11, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    Awesome! I know this was a VERY BIG job but the results are awesome!!

  • Reply
    Kristal @ Engineering Life and Style
    January 12, 2012 at 5:04 am

    Jenny-
    Wow!! Your kitchen looks great!! And the tutorial is excellent….I'm going to have to save this post back in case I ever get the "itch" to paint my cabinets!!

    I'm curious about the sprayer you used…cost, etc….I can see how it would be necessary for this major project!!

    Kristal

  • Reply
    Kids Resources
    January 12, 2012 at 11:12 am

    Lovely decor and awesome tutorial!!!

  • Reply
    Kristel
    January 12, 2012 at 10:10 pm

    I wish I had the guts to paint my kitchen cabinets, and I have a lot less than you! I think I will have to hire someone, because I would be afraid of how they might turn out if I do it myself. You are truly an inspiration, your cabinets turned out great!

  • Reply
    Laura S. Wijkowski
    January 15, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    I didn't do mine like this, but I have been very happy with my results and it's been 5 years now!…BUT, I wanted to post for who ever might happen to read this, that I was unable to replace my handles and hinges because of sizing and I certainly didn't like the antique brass that my 70's kitchen came with…so after a hot bath in Dawn dish soap I pushed EVERY little screw (and there were at least 100 of them) into some old styrofoam and set up a workspace for the handles and hinges and use pewter colored AUTOMOTIVE SPRAY PAINT. Again, I'm happy to report that 5 years later the automotive spray paint has held up to the wear and tear and cleaning that kitchen drawer and cabinet pulls and hinges receive on a daily basis. I figured if the paint was suppose to work on a vehicle that is subject to "life in the out-of-doors", it ought to work on in my kitchen, and it did!

  • Reply
    melissa * 320 Sycamore
    January 16, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    what a fantastic tutorial! they look amazing 🙂

  • Reply
    Kat
    January 17, 2012 at 2:30 am

    What If any do you think is the benefit of Rustoleums ins cabinet kit. I looks the same as what you did only with a brush and glaze for a wood look on top?

  • Reply
    KELLY
    January 17, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    Good photography and desingn

    which wood do you use for kitchen cabinet ?

  • Reply
    Deb
    January 17, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Wow, what a difference and your space looks great! Excellent, thorough directions-you included details that will really make a difference in time and quality-thanks!

  • Reply
    Candace
    January 18, 2012 at 12:57 am

    You may have addressed this and Inmissed it, but how far away do you hold the sprayer from the cabinets?

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 29, 2012 at 2:57 am

      This really depends on the volume and pressure settings you're using. If you have the paint very fine and focused, you can get pretty close. With higher pressure and spray, you take it out a bit further. Once you get used to the spray gun, you figure it out pretty quickly.

  • Reply
    Heather
    January 18, 2012 at 2:31 am

    I love how your cabinets turned out; they're beautiful.

    I'm curious about the sprayer–I've read some reviews on other sprayers before and people complain about the overspray. Did you find that to be the case with this one? I would like to set up shop in our basement like you did, but although it's unfinished, I would still be a little nervous to get paint everywhere. Were you able to keep that to a minimum?

    You've breathed new life into my motivation to get going on our kitchen, and have pretty much convinced me to buy that sprayer!!

  • Reply
    Heather
    January 18, 2012 at 2:33 am

    I'm also interested in knowing how many gallons of primer and paint you used for your kitchen? Our kitchen is not nearly as large as yours, but we're trying to estimate supplies/expenses and it would be helpful to have an idea of how much paint you went through!

  • Reply
    Lori Craig
    January 18, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    Gorgeous.

  • Reply
    Bonnie
    January 19, 2012 at 12:53 am

    Great job. I admire all your hard work. Just the work posting makes me tired and you were great to share all your knowledge. Truly looks professional.

  • Reply
    Victoria Fane
    January 19, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    Great tutorial and great results! I can't wait to try this Advance paint…and sprayer! Did you thin your paint before spraying it?

  • Reply
    Jenny
    January 19, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    I tried straining the paint a couple of times, but found that it didn't make a difference. The paint store experts told me that thinning wasn't necessary either. I cannot say enough good things about the Advance paint either – AMAZING.

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 20, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    Wow! I am so impressed! Awesome job! I painted my kitchen cabinets last summer, did all the research online, and have regrets of not using a spray gun! Instead I used a foam roller for facings of cabinets, and a foam roller & a paint brush for doors. I have streaks from brush, runs,and rippling orange peel effect marks from roller. Also regrets of using Latex 100% acrylic paint. It's chipping!After 5 weekends of work! I felt like you! It consumed me, and the house was a disaster, and we ate taco bell every night!lol. Now I am going to attempt to redo it in May! Your tutorial has encouraged me! Your cabinets looks so professional and brand new! I will also be purchasing my paint from Benjamin Moore! Thanks so much!

  • Reply
    Vanessa
    January 21, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Very detailed tutorial. i'm very impressed with all your information. the kitchen looks great. i'm luck to be a good friend and have seen the cabinets in person. they look like they have always been white. you would NEVER know she painted them. They are amazing. Great Job, Jen! vanessa

  • Reply
    Kim @ Savvy Southern Style
    January 22, 2012 at 1:28 am

    I can't believe you did these yourself. They look fantastic and that is a great tutorial. I know you are so proud of the outcome. Thanks for sharing at Wow.

  • Reply
    Jenny
    January 22, 2012 at 2:47 am

    You did an awesome job! We had ours done and it was the best $1500 we've spent! So worth it. I just don't have the patience to DIY.

  • Reply
    AZ Karen
    January 23, 2012 at 3:40 am

    this is a great tutorial. I have been wanting to do this for years! Thanks for taking the time to give us the step by step. Can I ask what color paint you used in your kitchen? I LOVE it!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 29, 2012 at 2:55 am

      I had the paint color custom mixed based upon the cabinet sample that I got from a building supply store. I couldn't be happier with it.

  • Reply
    frugal-interior-design
    January 23, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    Thanks for compiling this time consuming tutorial . . . albeit less time consuming than refacing the cabinets. They look great and I especially love the contrasting island. Great colors!

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 24, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    I used the Rustoleum cabinet transformation kit. Talked to the guy at Home Depot about it – we wondered if it was just a convenient packaging of the components and from what you did it seems like yes. They have lots of colors and it turned out great. It didn't call for a sanding stage – and I should have in some areas because the cabinets had been painted prior to my foray and there were drips. If you are going over cabinets that have original finish (like when I did the bathroom cabinets) the results are AMAZING. Colors on the chart are very true to color. I dabbled with the spray gun – think I used more paint because of it. I liked the smooth finish I got with a super smooth roller – the mini ones worked great. I did have to watch on the final top coat and rinse the roller often or I got slightly foamy bubbles for some reason. Been up for close to a year and holding up well! Definitely a project but saved a boatload of money.

  • Reply
    Carrie
    January 24, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    These look great! My problem is that I have metal cabinets. Even Rustoleum seems to chip and peel. Anyone have any ideas?

    • Reply
      Hope Grace
      February 5, 2012 at 12:02 am

      I would try Automotive Spray Paint. It's meant for metal.

    • Reply
      Anonymous
      May 28, 2012 at 8:41 pm

      Some of the newer metal spray paints hold up well. I used the hammered silver on a GOLD vanity light & it looks awesome. I had several people ask where I bought my light lol. Of course it doesn't get the "handling" that cabinet doors do but the variation of color with it may hide some blemishes if you have any on your metal cabinets. Maybe also do a design (like frame it out in the hammered and spray center will a flatter color)…oh well, I could rant on lol.

  • Reply
    Martha
    January 25, 2012 at 2:47 am

    oh I do so wish I were on this side of things! I have the paint, just can't quite get myself to take the plunge! You did a fantastic job!!

  • Reply
    Karie
    January 26, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Please Help!! What is the name of the paint color by Benjamin Moore that you used on the cabinets?? It's the perfect white!! I'm overwhelmed by looking at white paint color samples.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 29, 2012 at 2:59 am

      The color was color matched based upon the cabinet sample that I had. A great way to get the look that you want, and I'm really happy with the results.

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 27, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    Thank-you for posting this! It looks amazing! We are in the process of starting this and there are so mnay different opinions and options it was nice to see what you did. I love that you took the time with details it paid off! I love your "dexter" reference I laughed out loud! My husband definitly likes the spray idea as he was worried about brush marks too. Thank-you again for letting us see a job well done! It's beautiful!! -Stacy

  • Reply
    Andrea
    January 28, 2012 at 3:07 am

    Thanks so much for sharing. What a AWESOME job! Love the cabinets but what I would really like to know is what brand/color on your walls? LOVE IT!! Just before starting major project of my own. Thanks

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 29, 2012 at 2:53 am

      The wall color is Benjamin Moore's Mountain Laurel. Great color – I love it. 🙂

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 29, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    Best, detailed instructions I've come across! I have a question…did you seal with polyurethane at end? I painted my cabinets a few years ago..white..and didn't seal them and every little spot shows up. Would like to stay white if I knew they would stay clean?! Thanks

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 29, 2012 at 10:06 pm

      Didn't need to seal with poly at the end – the Benjamin Moore Advance paint holds up excellently all on its own.

  • Reply
    Vera
    January 29, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    We did our cabinets with new doors! We wanted the antique look and couldn't find anyone willing to take on the job. They couldn't spray in the home and that was how they would do the new doors. Your tip to talk to the paint store was exactly right! They were a wonderful resource! We brushed the paint on and it was very successful! We used a glaze to get the antique look and denatured alcohol if we made a mistake or didn't like the look. It looks so professional, people can't believe we did it ourselves! So don't be afraid of a brush if you are not confident with a sprayer! Your tutorial is wonderful!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 30, 2012 at 4:48 am

      Talking to a true expert is so key in this process, because they really help to answer the tough questions (and the most important questions!) in this whole process. Key to success if you ask me.

  • Reply
    MomBrose
    January 30, 2012 at 3:37 am

    That looks amazing! I know it's only been a couple weeks, but how are they holding up? We did ours three years ago and I have to do "touch ups" all the time. It's annoying. They don't feel like a factory finish. They look roller painted. Wish I had that revolutionary paint back then! 🙂

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 30, 2012 at 4:46 am

      I finished the cabinets back in November (the tutorial was almost as time consuming to complete as the cabinet painting!) and they're holding up beautifully. I can scrub them down and they aren't any worse for the wear. I am over the top thrilled with them, I have to tell you! I should be a Benjamin Moore poster child for their Advance paint, I love it so much. 🙂

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 30, 2012 at 11:04 am

    Ha ha! I like the "you will have to go Dexter"! It looks good. I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

  • Reply
    Amy Oh!
    January 30, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    holy crap, girl! now come over asap and paint mine! You're a PRO! Job well done! : )

  • Reply
    samantha
    January 30, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous! I have been begging my husband to do this. Now that I've found your tutorial, I can prove that we can do it ourselves! My one question, what about the inside of the cabinets. I know that no one sees them from the outside but I don't want my ugly cabinet color to be seen when I open them. Can I spray the inside with the spray gun? Would that work or be too much? Thanks for sharing!! You are my inspiration!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 30, 2012 at 4:34 pm

      Thanks so much Samantha. You CAN do it yourself – it's not difficult, just time-consuming. As for the insides of the cabinets, you could paint those as well, but I would check to see if the inside of your cabinets is a different material than the outside of your cabinet. If there is any sort of laminate or non-wood surface on the insides, you'll have to prime and prep it accordingly, but you can definitely use the spray gun do do them. But, it would certainly save on the time and effort involved in taping them off like I did!! That was probably my least favorite part of the whole project.

  • Reply
    Monica P.
    January 31, 2012 at 2:31 am

    I've been a professional painter for years and use Benjamin Moore exclusively. I've been reluctant to try my kitchen cabinets because they are sure to be labor intensive. Thanks for your excellent tips. I will definatly be tackling this project very soon!

  • Reply
    WhirlyGirls
    January 31, 2012 at 11:41 am

    This kitchen cabinet painting tutorial is awesome! I have a question though. My cabinets are only wood fronts and I would be concerned about painting the sides where the "paper" is peeling. Any tips?

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