Painting wood kitchen cabinets

Bonnie
by Bonnie
Our house was built in the 50's and my kitchen cupboards are the old knotty pine. They are in great shape but have the "knots" in them. Would love to paint them probably a light color to update the look. How do I deal with the knots and what do I need to do to get a good finished look?
  9 answers
  • Sheri Ketarkus Sheri Ketarkus on Dec 06, 2014
    Remove old finish (probably has an oil based finish and this needs removing unless u want to use oil based paint. Then just sand lightly. Check with a paint store as they could better advise on this.). I have used milk paint on my kitchen cupboards and finished with a double coat of poly. We are doing a sun room with ship lapped maple and are using latex mixed half water, half paint and doing a wash. Wood has knots and they absorb the color differently but we like rustic so that's ok. Good luck!
  • Jennifer Serrano Jennifer Serrano on Dec 06, 2014
    Bonnie, I would do as suggested above, but I have a couple of tips as well. Be sure you clean your cabinets thoroughly before priming. I use a good strong mixture of TSP and water, and wear gloves. Sand them, then prime with an oil based primer. Oil based primers aren't nearly as smelly as they used to be, and you can even find low-odor ones. If you use an oil based primer, you don't have to worry about whether or not the original finish is an oil base or water base. THEN you can paint/finish with any type of product you want...water based paints/products stick to oil based PRIMER. As for the knots, sometimes you need to cover those with shellac first. Sometimes the color and/or the sap can seep through your light colors. If they are still showing too much texture, you can fill them with some Durham's Wood Putty or something similar, and sand smooth before priming. SO: Clean, sand, shellac knots, (possibly fill knots), prime, and then you can paint. Refinishing kitchen cabinets isn't for the faint of heart! It takes time and patience! Good luck.
  • Debbie Debbie on Dec 06, 2014
    I would use the mixture Bonnie described above to make sure they are good and clean. Sand them. You definitely need a primer to make sure the knot holes don't show through. KILZ makes a less toxic smelling version these days. We used a sprayer so you don't see brush strokes and used 2 coats of paint. Good luck!
  • Becca Becca on Dec 06, 2014
    I would also suggest that if there are any noticeable divots in the knots to use some wood filler in them after cleaning the cabinets. This will prevent a pitted look on your painted cabinets. We painted our solid oak cabinets back in the summer, it was a big job, but so worth it!!!
  • Carole Alden Carole Alden on Dec 06, 2014
    They might have been stained and a shiny finish put over it to protect. Stain goes into the wood. Some parts of the wood, like the knots take the stain differently. If you don't want the knots bleeding threw, you should pretreat those areas. Can you take a picture of them? Don't sand until you take off the finish, the remover won't work the same.
  • Janis Hill Janis Hill on Dec 06, 2014
    Things You'll NeedTSP (trisodiumphosphate)Water#10 grit sandpaperShop vacuumTack clothWood FillerOil based or pigmented shellac primerPaint Brush Instructions1 Wash the knotty pine down with TSP (trisodiumphosphate) mixed with warm water. This will remove the dirt and grease that has accumulated on the wood. After a thorough washing, rinse the wood off with clean water. 2 Sand any rough places with 100-grit sandpaper. Vacuum up the dust, and then wipe the wood down with a tack cloth. 3 Check the wood for cracks and deep knots. Fill them with wood filler. Allow to dry thoroughly, and then sand it level. Remove the dust before you proceed with the next step. 4 Brush oil based or pigmented shellac primer on all the knots in the wood. This will keep them from bleeding through. Either brush primer only on the knots or paint the entire surface with primer. If you have varnished boards, sand them before applying primer. Wait until the primer is thoroughly dry before proceeding to the next step. 5 Stir the can of paint with a stick (or use an attachment that goes on the end of a drill.) 6 Paint the surface with a brush. Use a narrow brush for painting the corners or narrow trim. Leave to dry for the length of time stated on your paint can. Apply a second coat of paint. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Dec 07, 2014
    Very good tutorial by Janis. The results are all in the prep work. Good luck. I hope you send pictures when done.
  • Bonnie Bonnie on Dec 08, 2014
    Thanks for the great tips and responses to my question. Judging by your responses good prep work is the key. Will let you know how this turns out. Enjoy your holiday all.
  • Kathi Congleton Kathi Congleton on Jan 10, 2016
    Rustoleum has a great kit for kitchen cabinets. I did it last year and painted them white.They look great!