Asked on Nov 10, 2014

Paint mobile home cabinets

John
by John
Hello, I'm looking to fix up my mobile home and i was looking for ways to update my cabinets without having to replace them. Is there any kind of paint or stain that i can use on these type of cabinets? They seem to be particle board. Also, would it be possible just replace the doors?
Would the four drawers be able to be replaced as well?
Has any one tried using laminate sheets for the counter tops?
Thank You.
  27 answers
  • Adrianne C Adrianne C on Nov 10, 2014
    With the damage on the bottom, you'd be better off replacing the doors. There are places that you can purchase surplus of them if you have good measurements. I had a busted water line and ended up replacing the entire face fronts and doors. I made them myself with real wood. I guess it depends on how far you want to go with DIY.
  • Paula Hukill Paula Hukill on Nov 10, 2014
    U could brown bags them an stain over that r chalk paint
  • Debbi W Debbi W on Nov 10, 2014
    these are just fine to work with, I redid some in a rental that looked just like these. PRIMER is your best friend,then paint and add some colored wax if you like that look, just have fun and remember if you don't like them just paint again.
  • Katho0614 Katho0614 on Nov 10, 2014
    Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan... no PRIMING or Sanding. However, if they are damaged, unfortunately painting or staining may not help unless you can repair or sand away the damage areas.
  • Matrissia Regnold Matrissia Regnold on Nov 11, 2014
    Depending on your budget, you could purchase Annie Sloan chalk paint $$$ pretty pricey tho, you can make your own chalk paint by adding a little water (about 1/2) & then some baking soda... It works great and MUCH NICER on your wallet!!! I would sand the damage off by hand, (you might find it doesnt sand well & just chunks off, if so, SORRY time to replace) chalk paint so you don't have to primer & add a coat of polyurethane. As for the counter tops there are several things you can do. The paper bag "trick" looks GREAT, also you can sponge paint with several shades to create a marble look.
    • Julie Julie on Nov 19, 2015
      Hi Matrissia...could you tell me what the paper bag "trick" is for counter tops?
  • Carolyn Carolyn on Nov 11, 2014
    I removed mine, sanded them and added beadboard wallpaper on the glass to cover up the dated faux stained glass. I then primed and painted them all. They look great and no problems so far!
  • Wendy Johnson Wendy Johnson on Nov 11, 2014
    I have a modular home, an older one, and the same kind of material. Not sure what to do but I am pretty sure you can not just treat it like regular wood as some are suggesting. .
  • Alexie Alexie on Nov 11, 2014
    'Ive painted mine numerous times. Primer, then paint. Easy peasy!
  • C C on Nov 11, 2014
    I have a mobile home, and I redid my cabinets :) As long as you don't mind the sweat-equity.... it can be done! Patience is of the essence for a good long-term result! Remove all the doors & hardware {be sure to mark the doors so you know which goes where} Use an orbital or mouse sander to sand down any damaged areas/swollen areas, then wash down all the cabinets & doors with a good cleaner. Prime everything with GRIPPER primer. Very good adhesion, thicker than paint so it will fill minor gaps/divets/ect. If you plan to paint a dark color use GRIPPER primer in grey {if they don't carry the grey, have them tint it} **KEY POINT** when painting...... it is FAR better to paint 3 lighter coats of paint than 2 heavy coats!!! Seriously.... can't express that enough!!! Although the paint is dry... I *HIGHLY* recommend letting the cabinet doors sit undisturbed for 7 days before re-installing. Paint takes up to 21 days to FULLY cure {this is important when painting something that gets SO much everyday wear & use! Good luck on your endevours :) Been working on our whole home redo for 3yrs & enjoying the results in each room as we go
    • See 3 previous
    • C C on Nov 20, 2015
      @Julie Thank you so much! The counter tops were the one thing in the kitchen that we did actually replace. If you plan to replace mobile home counters.... lift the existing counter before painting and be very careful about the design/measurements! As we all know.... mobile homes seem to always have a "slight variation". I made the mistake of painting the cabinets before we removed the counters. {I mean, why have more mess than necessary in a kitchen that still has to be used everyday right??} Unfortunately the existing counter had a deeper front edge than regular counters do. We had to order "custom" counters in order to have a wide enough front edge to cover where the paint ended. Lesson learned....LoL
  • Providence Hill Providence Hill on Nov 11, 2014
    It looks as though the damage is only on the edges of your door and drawer faces. You may be able to salvage them by adding a trim around the edge of the door face. This would give the cabinets a more custom look. I would then use chalk paint (no priming or sanding needed) and wax.
  • Barbara Gurtin Barbara Gurtin on Nov 11, 2014
    I had several doors and cabinets in the same state a few years ago, a bit chipped at the edges..what i did and it turned out beautifully was, went to home depot and got matte spray paint.. whatever color you want to go with as a base. and then i used some faux stone spray paint in a complimentary color.. the transformation was amazing.. i sprayed the base of the cabinets and the doors and taped off anything that i didnt want sprayed..all my friends though i replaced the whole cabinet. after the paint was fully cured i then sprayed it with a sealant to protect it.. it looked beautiful for years for about 25 bucks
  • Dee Dee on Nov 11, 2014
    I have sanded and repaired cabinet doors with Elmers wood filler, you could Los use Bondo. If you have a Habitat for Humanity restore near where you live, they sell cabinet doors rely cheap.
  • Glenda D Glenda D on Nov 11, 2014
    Looks wonderful Carri great job. I have been anxiously waiting for some ideas on mobile homes. Thank you for your ideas. Glenda
    • See 4 previous
    • C C on Jan 20, 2015
      Thank you very much @Heather creamer :) I'm hoping to get around to making a couple of posts of my own one of these days LoL
  • Ginger Robinson Ginger Robinson on Nov 12, 2014
    So easy to make such a big difference. I've painted mine, changed the back splash and added new laminate counter tops. My kitchen looks great and does not look like it belongs in a double wide. If you do decide to use chalk paint, make your own with plaster of paris. So cheap and so easy. You can get the directions on the web. Just make sure you use TSP to clean the cabinets to get the grease off. If you have a habitat store in your area, you might be able to find tiles really cheap or use bead board or the fake tins from Lowes for the back splash.
  • C C on Dec 10, 2014
    Thank-you so much @Rhonda Davis ! We are very happy with the way things are coming along :)
  • Bette Bette on Aug 21, 2015
    OMG John we have the identical kitchen counters and cupboards ,same mirrors and all.And I am having the same issues,thank you for your post and pictures.
  • Bette Bette on Aug 21, 2015
    thank you everyone for all the great idea's I finally don't dread doing my kitchen....actually looking forward to it :)
  • Tiffany Tiffany on Oct 13, 2015
    I recently painted the cabinets in my mobile. I used a TSP solution to clean all the cabinets then rinsed with water. I then sanded all of the cabinets, doors, and drawers lightly. I used homemade blue chalk paint (mixed paint with unsanded grout). I sanded paint very lightly to smooth. Then i used an ebony stain. I sealed it with a wipe on poly. They turned out incredible.
    • Julie Julie on Nov 19, 2015
      Hi Tiffany....I was wondering how your paint is holding up on your cabinets. I noticed you painted them in Oct. do they still look great?
  • Dana Tieman Dana Tieman on Oct 18, 2015
    Do u have a pic?
  • Sarah Sarah on Oct 18, 2015
    We sanded ours, then put a coat of kilz on them, before painting them white and we painted all the hardware red ( because it was so expensive to buy all new)....turned out awesome...the mobile home was a 1984...so updated now!! I managed rental property ( a mobile home community of 250 units) for 28 years...you can remodel anything!!
  • Julie Julie on Nov 20, 2015
    Thanks for the advice Carri!
  • Tiffany Tiffany on Nov 27, 2015
    I actually painted them in May. They have held up amazingly. I will try and post a pic so that you can see what they look like now. I didnt take pics during the process. I now wish I would have.
  • Les and Gina Les and Gina on Dec 24, 2015
    I painted my cabinets and counter tops 4 years ago and I still love them. I painted the cabinets black and the counter tops tan with black, white, tan speckles and sealed it all with several coats of polyurethane
  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 24, 2015
    Our first home was a mobile home and I hated the kitchen cabinets in a drab olive green. I sanded them down after removing the hardware, puttied the holes with wood putty and then sanded lightly again. We first put on a base coat of kilz like product and then purchased a top quality paint in a semi-gloss (Benjamin Moore), I chose 'Vanilla Bean'. It was an oil-base paint and we used sponge rollers to avoid brush strokes. While we waited for all 17 doors and about 9 drawers to dry between coats, I spray painted the hardware a rustic blue (can't remember the name - but the Rustoleum paint was formulated for metal at Home Depot). It took about two cans of the spray paint for all the pulls and door knobs, but the kitchen sparkled when we were finished! It brightened up the entire kitchen! We lived there for 15 years and I never had a problem with chipping or paint fade on the cabinetry or the hardware. It helps to number the spaces where each door/drawer goes back before you start so that you don't have 'fit' problems when re-installing the doors/drawers. This was years ago but I don't recall it being terribly expensive and it gave our kitchen a much needed uplift! There are online resources for replacing cabinet doors, but I'm not sure about the drawer fronts
  • Sandy Sandy on Jan 09, 2016
    My mobile home kitchen was a lot like yours mirrors, and laminate. Check out my post under Mobile Home Kitchen Makeover. Sanded, painted and got rid of those awful mirrors. Still LOVE my new kitchen! Good luck!!
  • Sharon Sharon on Jan 23, 2016
    Just get some Kilz and have it tinted to your cabinet color you have chosen and paint. (Walmart sell Kilz). As far as counter tops....laminate sheets are a real pain (just my opinion). Now there are kits that you can use to refinish your current counter. You can see these at Lowe's or Home Depot. Hope this helps.
  • Diana Deiley Diana Deiley on Mar 03, 2016
    Great suggestions for the doors. And I agree with Sharon about laminate sheets, forget it. Rustoleum has a paint specifically formulated for painting laminate counters and it's tintable to the color of your choice! Best of luck with your reno.