DIY: Painting Kitchen Cabinets

I mentioned on my instagram stories that I had painted my kitchen cabinets. Builder grade cabinets are basically the ugliest, so in the midst of fall break I broke out the paint and started.

I finished the upper cabinets in 2 days and now am working on the bottom ones, which will take more time, but should be done quickly. Even just the top ones done it make a world of difference for the kitchen. The kitchen is instantly brighter and it makes me so much happier to be in there. The last time I painted cabinets was 6 years ago: oh my heck, awesome  Has it really been that long!? Crazy.

Okay, lets get to it.

Here are the items I used and some instructions on how I went about it.


Primer:

Brushes: angled brush, foam brushes, and foam roller brush

Paint: Glidden semi-gloss paint (it doesn't make it too shiny, and cleans well) color I used is called White on White

First thing in painting cabinets is to prep. Scrub/clean the cabinets, you can try sanding but if you have builder grade cabinets like myself, it won't do ya much good, but it can't hurt the process if you'd like to. It does help remove tough residue on the cabinets above the microwave.

After you've cleaned the cabinets, remove the cabinet doors. You can paint with them still hung but you'll probably have to take them off to fix mistakes(a lesson learned) so just take them down and save yourself some time. I used food storage cans(#10 cans) underneath the cabinet doors when painting to keep them off the ground and easier to paint all around them. Give better height and stability then regular smaller cans.

Prime prime prime! I do at least 2-3 coats of primer letting each coat dry at least 2 hrs.
I start with the inside then work out.

I use a brush to paint the inside and outside edges and then the foam paint roller to paint the flat surfaces.

While the doors are drying I paint the base cabinets. Using the roller and paint brush to get everything. Same with any drawers. I just set it off the edge of the counters so I have room around all sides to reach.

Again everything needs at least 2-3 coats of primer. If you have any drip lines or drops just lightly sand them out and you'll be good to go on the next coat.

Top coat will probably be another 2 coats, and if you primed well then things should go smoothly. 

Painting cabinets can be intimidating, but it's really simple and what's great is if you mess up just sand and paint over! If you miss a spot when your done (I've found many spots where I missed) just paint it. 

I hope this was helpful! Seriously though just go buy paint and do it!