The easiest way to paint your kitchen cabinets like a pro

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How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets – Easy Guide For Weekend Warriors And DIY Hobbyists

We always suggest hiring a professional to do the work for you for multiple reasons including experience and the assurance of quality work! But for those who want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets without a professional sprayer, here’s how you can get professional-looking results for under $200.

How to Achieve Professional Results When Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about one of our Facebook posts where I painted the walls and cabinets in our kitchen. Most people are curious and want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets and how much it costs to make them look like new.

Our house is very old and so are our closets. It didn’t bother us at first, but eventually we got tired of seeing that ugly veneer look, so we decided it was time for a makeover.

It’s not very difficult to paint over veneer, it just needs the right prep work. If you do hire a professional, I suggest trying to do as much as you can yourself, such as removing the doors and hardware and perhaps lightly sanding them with a 220 grit sanding block. A light scratch will suffice (imagine you are cleaning a window). That will save you a few bucks. But if you decide to do it on your own, here are some tips on how to paint kitchen cabinets and get amazing and long-lasting results.

Preparation when painting kitchen cabinets

After removing the doors (or just masking off the hinges), lightly sand or roughen the surfaces to be painted with a 220-grit sanding block. Use a type of degreaser such as Windex or Zep Citrus Degreaser.

You then have 2 options: you can either use 220 grit sandpaper and lightly roughen the surfaces or use Krud Kutter-Gloss Off, which you can wipe clean and let sit for 10 minutes. Your surfaces will be tarnished without sanding.

Your next step is to prime the surfaces with the appropriate primer. I used one coat of “INSL-X Stix” which is an acrylic urethane. You can find it online or at your local Benjamin Moore dealer. Check with your local hardware store.

Using a good quality paint will help you get the best possible finish. I suggest using Benjamin Moore Advance Alkyd. It is very easy to work with and dries to a hard, durable finish.

Using a 2-inch nylon brush, start cutting around the hardware (if you didn’t remove the doors) and anywhere your Whizz™ Roller won’t reach. Next, use your Whizz™ roller to apply your ALKYD glaze. Try to paint in the same direction as your grain (if your cabinet has a faux wood pattern). Let it dry overnight and repeat. You can hang the doors now, but keep in mind that although the polish will dry overnight, it still takes 30 days to fully cure, so be careful and try to avoid rubbing before that 30 days.

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