I have cheap cabinets in my manufactured home. How do I paint them?

I want to paint just the inner squares of my cabinets, but do not know what kind of paint won’t make the veneer lift? I want to use an off white color, and they are light “oak-look” finish. Any help with this is certainly appreciated. Thank you.
  8 answers
  • Nan Bonear Nan Bonear on Jun 23, 2018

    Hi!...i'm a renter, and the cabinets here are terrible cheap, they are stained from the last person who lived here..after Very hard scrubbing, they are passable..but i wish to soon repaint them as the landlord is letting me update & spruce up the place, it is such a beautiful old house..so..i was already looking..(i'm trying to imagine them in Unicorn Spit! lol!) ..& i thought you might enjoy these How To Videos too? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtYrlVnVRVw , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2NiZc5L1lA , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqs8G01cUA

  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on Jun 23, 2018

    I've painted cheap mobile home cabinets and they hold up remarkably well. Follow this process: 1) clean (I use TSP) 2) sand any raised spots 3) prime with Kilz 4) paint with latex enamel gloss paint using a fine nap roller or HVLP

  • Lsd33180150 Lsd33180150 on Jun 23, 2018

    Hi, I just re-did my mobilhome cabinets a few months ago, I cleaned them to get all the dirt, grease and grime off them , then taped off what I didn't wanted painted, remove or tape over hardware. I used Kilz Exterior ( It was left-over from when I painted my home, a few months ago). This was also had primer added in. I loved what it looked like when I was done, it brightened up the kitchen so much. I did one last thing to get the look I wanted, I went and antiqued them with another coat on top. The Kilz base coat was Sensuous Grey semi-gloss ( a medium grey- The antiqueing coat was Mesmerized, it had grey/purple tones). With both colors, it came out exactly what I wanted.

  • Beverly Beverly on Jun 23, 2018

    Chalk paint would also work. Seal then with several coats of polyacrylic, or Dixie Belle Gator Hide.

  • Linda kelley Linda kelley on Jun 23, 2018

    Hello, I recently did my manufactured cabinets in a beautiful off white in the kitchen, a grey in the bath, and in the family room. You can follow this tutorial I did...came out gorgeous and easy:


    It's done so easily. Follow any of the above ideas..What takes up the time is the prep...as always. kelleysdiy.com

    • See 2 previous
    • Linda kelley Linda kelley on Sep 03, 2018

      I used the Giani Countertop Paint Kit in the bathroom and in the kitchen. It is so easy to create a marble or stone look. It comes in so many different effects and colors.

      Check out the colors here: https://gianigranite.com/collections/giani-countertop-paint

      The complete kit includes everything, even the rollers and brushes. It's about $79 for the kit. It's the same price everywhere. I purchased mine on Amazon.1 kit to complete all your kitchen counters. If you have 2 bathrooms, 1 kit will do both.

      If you notice, I also painted the sink in bathroom white, with Homax. $25 in your local home improvement stores.


  • Kelly Roxanne Logsdon Kelly Roxanne Logsdon on Jun 23, 2018

    I do appreciate your posting your step by step. I believe I can make this work.

  • William William on Jul 09, 2018

    Make sure they are clean and dry. Remove the doors and hardware. Mark the doors and cabinets with tape where they go. Lightly sand the doors and cabinets to remove any gloss and roughen the surface for paint with 120- to 220-grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth or damp rag to remove dust after sanding. Prime with a stain blocking primer like Zinsser 123, KILZ,or BIN and have it tinted to the color of the top coat. This will prevent dark or stained surfaces from showing through the top coat. Acrylic, or water-base, paints are low-fume and clean up easily with water. Alkyd, or oil-base, paints require good ventilation because the paint contains solvents that can irritate your lungs and make you feel sick. Alkyd options require mineral spirits for cleanup, but they provide a hard, durable paint finish. Whichever you use, buy the best-quality paint you can afford for a lasting kitchen cabinet finish. Seal with at least three coats with a water based polyurethane. Use a small foam roller and foam brush for a smooth finish.