How do I refinish kitchen cabinets?

Shirley
by Shirley

Dark kitchen cabinets and would like to update them. How do I do it and what supplies are needed? Thank you

  5 answers
  • K. Rupp K. Rupp on Feb 19, 2019

    Yes you could strip it first. Or if you are just going to paint again, you could sand it smooth and primer it. Then I would steel wool or lightly sand again before you add your paint coats. I have done this method before and it wasn't too expensive or hard: I bought spray paint and cans both in the same color. This way in some of the areas that would definitely show brush strokes, I spray painted those areas. Flat areas I used a foam brush and painted. I steel wooled in between coats to get a really smooth finish. You can finish it off with a general finishes topcoat. This is an economical easy way. The easiest way would be to spray paint everything but to do that, its very expensive because you would be so surprised how fast those spray paints go for a lot of kitchen cabinets. More expensive way....Benjamin Moore ADVANCE!! $50 per gallon but it's so worth it. That paint is an excellent cabinet paint and you don't need a topcoat. I seriously just wipe it down when it gets dirty. Anyway, hope this helps.


    WHAT YOU NEED:

    stripper

    sand paper

    steel wool

    foam brushes

    regular brushes

    primer paint like Kilz

    cabinet paint like Benjamin Moore advance

    topcoat like general finishes topcoat

  • Pamela Pamela on Feb 19, 2019

    Hi , I did this 2 years ago ! I narrowed it down to , two different ways . I looked for an easy way, that needed no sanding !!!! The first way was with chalk paint , it goes on easy and goes a long way , then finish it with a sealing wax , that come in clear or antique , this goes on like stain , paint it on & wipe off, this dries to a hard finish , not waxy . I chose my second choice.. Advance paint from Benjamin Moore. This is a self leveling paint ( brush marks even out ) hybrid paint , it washes of paint brushes & hands with soap and water , but dries to a hard surface like an enamel .

    It is about $40 a can , I only used a third of the can !

    Before painting , you need to but Krud Kutter surface cleaner , and also their de glossed . I found both at home depot for $6 each . Both are spray on & wipe off.

    Use the clear first , then the de glosser. No primer is needed !😄 or sanding !😀

    Mark all your doors and their hardware , when taking them off !!!! It might seem like extra work , but it saves you so much time when putting them back up !

    I used 2 coats of paint , let them dry , and put them back up . I did a tutorial on this site , it shows it step by step , look up " kitchen re do from ugly 1970's to vintage cottage . Good luck with your project !!!!!

  • William William on Feb 19, 2019

    Paint.


    How to Paint Cabinets


    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 200 grit sandpaper or a green Scotch Brite pad.. Use a tack cloth or damp rag to remove dust after sanding. Prime with a stain blocking primer like KILZ. Acrylic or water base paints are low-fume and clean up easily with water. Alkyd or oil-based 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.

  • Katie Sara Creates Katie Sara Creates on Feb 19, 2019

    For our oak cabinets, I started by removing all of the drawers and doors, and as I did that, I labelled them so I knew which piece belonged with which part of the built-in units.


    I then prepped all of the wood with Krud Krutter (not just the stuff meant for cleaning - they have product that specifically meant for paint prep). This product should remove the shiny topcoat from your cabinets.


    After it dried, I filled in the wood grain with putty and sanded it smooth (you really only have to do this if you have oak cabinets because the grain is so deep. You also don't have to do this if you don't mind the grain showing through the new paint).


    Next, I used a paint sprayer to cover everything with a solid layer of primer (Behr has product designed specifically for cabinets). After drying, I used the sprayer to add a couple coats of my final paint colour (we went with a light grey colour). Again, Behr has awesome, enamel-based product for this type of project.


    Once again, I let everything dry and then put each piece back in its original place.


    I also cleaned and spray painted the original hardware to give it a fresh, modern look, which helped us save money (brand new hardware can be expensive depending on the size of you kitchen)!


    I hope this helps.

  • Jenni Ingram Jenni Ingram on Feb 23, 2019

    I used this method to update my kitchen cabinets: https://rootsandwingsfurniture.com/blog/kitchencabinetmakeover/ worked great and has held up well!