Paint cabinets that are now varnished knotty pine

Question

I want to paint them white, my flooring is basically gray. What do I need to know before starting the project? I may only have a few days to work on it.

Christine · Answer

Here's a great post about painting knotty pine white. http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/no-more-knotty-pine-1332652

Country Design Home · Answer

Hi Cheryl- before we completely gutted our kitchen and started over, my cabinets were varnished knotty pine. When I decided to paint them, I simply cleaned them thoroughly. Then I primed with Kilz to make sure the knots were all sealed in. Then painted with two coats of Benjamin Moore Latex Semi-gloss. They held up beautifully for a long time until we ripped them all out. Good luck!

Diane Blank · Answer

I agree with Sue, I would lightly sand the surface before priming. I did this to oak cabinets with spectacular results ( after two 1/2 years of heavy use not even a chip can be seen) but I used a paint the was especially formulated for wood cabinets (I found it at Lowes) and it had the primer in it already. Still had to do two coats. Good luck!

Sharon Duke · Answer

You need to kilz the cabinets first then go abed a d paint white.  Usually cabinets look best sprayed but you can brush them if your good without to many brush marks.

Sharon Duke · Answer

First kilz the cabinets...this is to seal them. Then go ahead and paint them white. Brush or spray...spraying is best for smooth finish...the kilz does come in spray also.

John · Answer

You need to sand the cabinets first to get through the varnish so your 'Kilz' primer will contact the wood and seal it. Then use a top grade (meaning quality) paint to cover the cabinets. If you're able to spray the cabinets, do it as it will give a deep shine and smooth surface to the cabinets. Then apply two coats of a polyurethane to seal and protect the paint. This is a project that will standout in the kitchen, so don't skimp on quality, as it will show. We painted over our oak cabinets, and had a professional painter that specialized in painting cabinets. We are really pleased as we had him do an antique white. Remember the paint will take a while to dry and cure so be careful of the newly painted wood. Enjoy your project. I'll try to add some pictures of our finished cabinets. I can give the name of the paint color my wife picked out if you want. The ceiling paint was the same as the walls, just added a bit of white to lighten it up a bit.

Moxie · Answer

they will be very long days, bag your hardware so nothing gets misplaces or rolls away ....clean them with tsp/water to avoid problems before you prime (I like zinsser); then for a cleaner look..put latex calk in the joints between cabinets and at the door trim joints if any (these will show up more with white paint than they do now) before you put on the final coat (just put on thin bead on the joint, rub over it (squish in it the joint) with a wet finger and then gently rub off the extra with a damp paper towel...fix holes and nicks the same way. Give them good dry time between coats and get new bumpers for the door as you will need to scrap the old ones off to paint. It worked best for me to paint the back first, front and edges second so any missed drips end up on the back. If you have a smoker in the house; don't poly them it will yellow. Hope my past mistakes help you avoid them and save you time : )

Paint cabinets that are now varnished knotty pine

No more knotty pine

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Paint cabinets that are now varnished knotty pine

No more knotty pine

Suggested Project Book