Painted Kitchen Cabinets. And Tips on Doing it Yourself.

By tiffbrooks on February 6, 2014 • ( 10 Comments )

I have been shopping costs to give my icky oak paneled cabinets in my kitchen a face lift. I am going to  paint them!

^^^LOVE THIS ^^^

And finally…

This is the exact look I want for my kitchen. Star and all! (floors will be painted white with a black boarder as well!) And dont even get me started on the mirrored backsplash.

So I have received estimates anywhere from $1000 – Too low, to $6000 – To high… I am going with the man in the middle with a great rep. A word: Never pick the low guy, you are taking a risk of someone being unreliable and inexperienced.

In a fleeting moment I decided to investigate the process (Basically I briefly thought I could do it myself). I learned that there are 5 steps to painting the kitchen cabinets…

1. Clean

2. Sand

3. De-gloss

4. Prime

5. Paint

The entire process usually takes anywhere from 4-8 days for an average sized kitchen, since the paint and primer has to be completely dry to move on to the next coat/step. – Umm no, I am using a pro.

However, I do have some tips for smaller jobs, or if you are hellbent on doing it yourself.

Other tips:

• You must know what you are painting: Metal, Laminate, Wood, etc. Yes there are other materials besides wood…. Take off a door and take it to the hardware store to make for sure you know what material you are painting.
• Rustoleum has done this before. That company has products to paint just about anything! I would give them a call to get advice on needed products before you give it a go.
• Number the cabinets to remember placement. With this tip I would take it a bit further. I would sketch it on graph paper number the doors on the plan and correspond the numbers with a number on the actual door. This helps for putting your kitchen back together again.
• Do the Above with handles and hinges. Keep the hinges and handles in ziplock bags that correspond with the numbers on your plan. You must make sure everything fits back into its original place when you are done.
• Use a test dummy. Take off a door, paint it and make sure you like the color. Its a big job and you would be bummed if you applied the wrong shade of red.
• Most important, consult a pro. You never know, it may be worth paying the stacks to have it done professionally instead of being a weekend warrior.

Happy painting!

Your Interior Designer/HGTV Host

Categories: Color Schemes, color tips, DIY, How To:, Kitchen and Laundry Rooms, Kitchens, Paint

Tagged as: DIY Kitchen Ideas, how to paint your kitchen cabinets, kitchen changes, kitchen facelift, kitchens and baths, painted cabinets, painting kitchen, tiffany brooks