Picked off "paper" coating on kitchen cabinets, how do I paint them?

NissiNis
by NissiNis
My 13 year old cabinets were peeling so I just picked off all the "paper" and now need to know what is the best way to paint them. Do I need to prime and is there a special type/ finish of paint that would be best?
  16 answers
  • Bev LeDrew-Hood Bev LeDrew-Hood on May 27, 2015
    Hi! You should consider looking into Fusion Mineral Paint for this project! This wonderful paint is primer, acrylic paint and topcoat all in one! They have 24 available colors plus 7 designer colors just recently added! Of course, for kitchen cabinets you would need to use a coat of Ultra Grip first (to really "bind" the Fusion paint to your "substrate", then 2 coats of Fusion Paint, and finally, a coat or 2 of Tough Coat Sealer for a fantastic finish! Take a moment to google Fusion Mineral Paint, as there are retailers in Florida! (the company is in Ontario, Canada) We sell (and paint!) with this line at our store, StreetHope New & Used, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada with great success! Our own personal project will be revamping our kitchen cupboards! Wish you the best of luck! Bev :)
    • NissiNis NissiNis on May 28, 2015
      @Bev LeDrew-Hood sounds great but I'd have to drive 50+ miles or order it online and we are working on it ASAP.... Might order some for other small projects I'm thinking about
  • Thrifty Artsy Girl Thrifty Artsy Girl on May 27, 2015
    You could try rustoleum cabinet transformation. I have used it on not only my stained cabinets but on a dresser, malomine and various other furniture. It works great on a lot of different surfaces. I can't say enough good things about this paint product! Here's my blog post on my kitchen cabinets: http://thriftyartsygirl.blogspot.com/2015/04/white-glazed-cabinet-transformations.html?m=1 and on my dresser: http://thriftyartsygirl.blogspot.com/2015/03/painted-thrift-store-dresser-from.html?m=1 it comes in lots of different colors or you can even make your own, you can also use the provided glaze or not for the look of your choice.
  • Karen Karen on May 29, 2015
    I love this result, actually. Wondering if you could just seal them, and retain the color?
    • NissiNis NissiNis on May 31, 2015
      @Karen it doesn't look good in person. it looks cheap and unfinished. Maybe if you used a cleat coat of some sort....
  • Arlene Fitzpatrick Arlene Fitzpatrick on May 29, 2015
    I LIKE THE RESULT ALSO -- LOOKS GOOD WITH THE WALL COLOR.
    • NissiNis NissiNis on May 31, 2015
      @Arlene Fitzpatrick it doesn't look good in person. it looks cheap and unfinished. Maybe if you used a cleat coat of some sort.... and we changed the wall color to a neutral since we went darker on the cabinets.
  • B. Enne B. Enne on May 29, 2015
    I removed my thermofoil (vinyl shrink wrap). I went quickly over with liquid sandpaper (don't soak the cloth), let it dry, then applied high adhesion primer: this is REALLY important.Seal everything well. Then go over with a good paint. If you want to go darker, you can use gel stain (or paint), but prime first, since this is raw pressboard and it will swell if you don't. I was told by everyone not to do this, but it worked with the primer. If I were going dark, I would have the primer tinted, in order to use less gel stain or paint. Also, it is important to use a HD foam roller and brush, unless you want a streaky look.
  • Victoria D Victoria D on May 29, 2015
    Yeah, I can understand that I am in the same process, though I bought a primer and some good old oil paint @home depot but I have not done it yet I have a lot of remodeling and I don't want to mess them up, mines are MDF what are yours ? I am sure your be done before me, Plz post when done.
  • NissiNis NissiNis on May 31, 2015
    we ended up priming with Zinnser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 and then used a semi-gloss Bher paint. They look beautiful. I'll post afters soon... It has been suggested that I add a top coat so that they stay looking this good for years.... looking into that now but I DON'T want a shiny finish so will have to find just the right stuff.
    • CK CK on May 31, 2015
      @NissiNis Bullseye 1-2-3 is my go-to primer for everything. We painted our cabinets and did not add a sealer. They hold up fine and are easy to clean. Can't wait to see your pics!
  • NissiNis NissiNis on May 31, 2015
    we ended up doing 2 coats of Zinnser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer and then 2 coats of semi-gloss Behr paint. we used the same on the doors (pantry) trim and baseboards, painted a lighter neutral in satin on the walls and the kitchen is gorgeous! it has been suggested that we use a clear coat on the cabinets to keep them looking this good for years to come. so i'm looking into that now but deff DON'T want a shiny wet look so will have to take that into consideration. Pics to come soon.
    • B. Enne B. Enne on May 31, 2015
      @NissiNis I never used a top coat. You can get a low gloss (satin) if you do decide to go that route. You can try and see how it holds up 1st. I had latex (or acrylic--can't remember which, but it wasn't oil ) painted laminate cabinets that held up with only a few of chips for over 12 years, with weather extremes and kids banging them. They were easy enough to touch up. The thermofoil ones haven't been painted as long. It is easy enough to repair if needed. Looking forward to seeing your updated pics.
  • Michelle Webster Michelle Webster on May 31, 2015
    I will be painting my cabinets with milk paint in antique white.
  • Jennifer Berry Jennifer Berry on Jun 02, 2015
    I just did mine and they were laminate with particle board underneath like yours. Most important thing to make sure of is to buy a high quality ADHESION primer.......I learned this the hard way and bought a general purpose primer from Glidden and ended up having to strip the paint, sand everything down again and start over! That is a nightmare! After that I used regular old latex paint which worked great after getting a better primer (KILZ is what we ended up getting) I also have read quite a bit about people using chalk paint to redo their cabinets and it is supposed to work without a primer but IDK since I haven't tried. Good luck! :)
  • NissiNis NissiNis on Jun 02, 2015
    We used grey primer since we were going with Behr Battleship Gray paint
  • NissiNis NissiNis on Jun 02, 2015
    excuse the mess...
  • NissiNis NissiNis on Jun 02, 2015
    By this point we were super excited...
  • NissiNis NissiNis on Jun 02, 2015
    progressing
  • NissiNis NissiNis on Jun 02, 2015
    excuse my mess - we didn't bother cleaning out the kitchen, we just work around and weeded out as we went....
  • Jean Myles Jean Myles on Dec 16, 2015
    Thanks to every one all your comments make making a decision a little easier.. NissiNis for a very detailed explanation .