Recently we decided to do a few home renovations. One project on the list was the kitchen. We knew this would be the most expensive room but we were shocked when we received a $30,000 quote to replace the cabinets or $6,000 to repaint them. Knowing we liked our existing layout and that our cabinets were in great condition, we decide to paint them ourselves! Below you’ll find the before and after pictures and the details of how we did it!
This project took about 4 days and we spent less that $150. Much less than what the contractor quoted us! Yea!
Here is a list of materials we used to start the project:
- 2 gallons of Sherwin Williams ProClassic (Smooth Finish for Trim & Doors) Interior Waterbased Acrylic paint (we used Extra White)
- electric hand sander and 220 grit sand paper
- face mask and safety glasses – to protect me from the sawdust
- painters tape
- small hand roller with sponge roller (buy the one specifically made for cabinets and trim)
- a good quality angled paint brush
- a work area with a table
- 2 inch x 1 inch boards to sit the doors on while painting
- tools to remove the door hinges, knobs and drawer facings
- something to remove sawdust off of the doors and drawers (before painting) – I used a large dry paint brush and a damp cloth
Once we had our work area set up and all of our supplies handy, we got to work!
We took the following steps:
- Removed all of the doors and hardware (hinges and knobs).
- Removed the drawers, drawer facings (from the drawers) and knobs
- Cleaned all of the cabinet casings, drawers and doors with a degreaser (spray cleaner) to remove any dirt and grease
- Lightly sanded (just enough to remove some of the previous finish/stain) all of the cabinet casings by hand
- Lightly sanded the front and back of all the wood doors and drawers with the hand sander
- Wiped all of the sawdust off with a dry paint brush followed by a damp cloth
- Let dry
- Applied 2 coats of paint (see tips below)
- Once the paint was completely dry, we reattached the hardware, knobs, doors and drawers.
Painting tips
- Lay all of your doors and drawer facings on the 2×1 inch pieces of wood. When painting, this will allow easy access to the side of each door or drawer.
- Start by painting the front side of the door and drawer facing and paint one door/drawer facing at a time.
- Use the dry roller method. Meaning, apply your first coat of paint and while it is still damp lightly roll over the paint with a dry roller. This will eliminate any brush marks.
- Using painters tape, tape off the edge of the cabinet shelves, the inside edge of each cabinet, and any glass door inserts. This will prevent the paint from getting where you don’t want it.
- If you have a large area (like the refrigerator casing) used a wet roller only. This saves time as no one will be looking behind the fridge.
Once you’re done, add a few personal touches and enjoy!
