DIY Painted Kitchen Cabinets

A few weeks ago, we decided to embark on the DIY project of the century and paint our kitchen cabinets. We are so happy with the finished product, and we are loving how bright the kitchen is now. This was no small task, but we managed to accomplish it within a week since we dedicated the majority of our time to this project. It takes several hours and a TON of prep work, so plan accordingly if you are going to attempt a project like this.

Below are all of the before and after photos, so take a look to see how drastic the transformation is! Also, I have included a Q&A section below the photos that gives you more of an inside scoop to the project itself.

What paint did we use?

The color we used was Pure White by Sherwin Williams. For the actual paint itself we used Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. We purchased this paint in a semi gloss finish.

What was the strategy?

For the drawers and doors, we used a paint sprayer that we purchased off of Amazon. It is called the critter. It doesn’t look like much, but it worked really well! For the frame we used paint rollers and brushes. We were able to roll most of the frame, but had to use angled brushed for the harder to reach areas.

What prep work did we do?

Before we did any sort of sanding or deglossing, we cleaned the cabinets with mineral spirits. This will remove any sort of dirt and grime that has built up on the cabinets. After you clean the cabinets really well, you can degloss and/or sand. We used a deglosser instead of sanding down all of the cabinets because we found it to be much easier. You can certainly sand the cabinets in addition to deglossing, but it really isn’t necessary.

How many coats did we do?

We did 4 coats of paint. We did extremely light coats, so it definitely required us to do more coats. Also, our cabinets were pretty dark to start with, so that is why it required more paint.

What tools did we use?

• Frog Tape
• Mineral Spirits
• Deglosser
• Angled Paint Brushes
• Paint Rollers
• Critter Paint Sprayer
• Rags
• Newspaper

How much did it cost?

We spent about $200 on all of the materials combined.

Any other tips and tricks?

Be patient! It isn’t an overnight process, so make sure to take your time and take some breaks. My other piece of advice is to have a plan for every part of the process. Make sure you know where things are going to “live” while you are ripping apart your kitchen. Try to organize things as best as possible. Also, label all of your cabinet doors and drawers! You have to put them back in the same spot you found them or else they won’t fit right.

If you have painted cabinets before, what are some tricks you learned along the way? We are by no means “experts” when it comes to this type of project, so I would love to hear from you to see if there are additional tips I should share.

Also, if you have any other questions about the process, please leave a comment below! I would love to help and dive into more the details with you. No question is too big or small!