How to Paint Old Kitchen Cabinets Yourself?

How to quickly refresh your kitchen interior without extra costs? Albert Ridge and his team at Ridge Painting, some of the best painters in New York, confidently answer: repaint the cabinet fronts.

Which cabinets can be repainted?
It's easiest to repaint cabinets made of natural wood and MDF. But according to Albert, paint will adhere to any smooth surface if it's prepped properly.

Where to start?
Remove all contents from the cabinets, then clean the cabinet front surfaces from dirt and degrease them (easiest with alcohol). Remove handles and drawers (and don't forget to label them so you know what goes where).

Seal the hinges, countertop, and any other parts you won't paint. Then sand the cabinet front surfaces until they're perfectly smooth.

To fix minor imperfections, use sandpaper with 220 grit. If the cabinets were previously painted and you need to remove excess old dried paint, choose 120 grit. If there's too much paint, it must be removed using special chemical agents.

Preparing the Surface for Painting
Now the surface needs to be primed. Experts don't recommend using universal materials for all surfaces. Oil-based paints and primers work best on wooden cabinets, but they are unsafe due to high vapor emissions.

The ideal option is water-based paint. However, there's one downside – it dries quickly. To avoid this and help the paint spread evenly across the surface, experts use a special conditioner (added to the paint as a reducer).

Design: Jillian Schwarz
If you want to repaint dark cabinets in a lighter color, start with primer. Consider what color will help cover the dark tone. For the first coat, a thick, opaque primer works well.

You can color the primer in a store. Albert recommends matching the primer shade to the final paint color about 75% (so the primer is slightly lighter).

After applying each layer of primer, sand the surface again carefully, but not as thoroughly as the first time.

Painting the Cabinets
"We always use quality paint to achieve the desired result," says Albert. According to experts, matte paint isn't suitable for kitchen cabinets – glossy is better.

Cabinets should be painted in two coats. For the best effect, use a brush with fine bristles together with a roller. After painting, apply a clear lacquer to the surface and leave the cabinet fronts to dry (the paint packaging usually indicates how long it takes to dry).

Whatever safe paint you use, don't forget to ventilate the room. Prepare masks in advance and, if possible, use a fan to push harmful vapors out of the room through an open window.

How to Apply Paint Evenly?
Don't put too much paint on the brush or it will drip and ruin the result. At the same time, don't use too little paint – otherwise, you'll have to exert extra effort and your hand will tire quickly.

Apply paint with straight strokes and don't forget to carefully go over already painted areas.

5 Pro Tips for Working with Paint
We share how to paint walls quickly and neatly, and extend the life of rollers.