How To Paint Your Cabinets [like a boss]

So it finally happened. I talked Josh into painting our kitchen cabinets! And we actually did it!! Yayy!!!!

LOOK how good it turned out... Ahh I'm just so obsessed with this room now!

The process is very time consuming, tedious and messy, but it is not hard. I repeat it is not hard. In all seriousness, I probably wouldn't make this your first home improvement project, but you can definitely do it!!!

I'm going to give you step-by-step instructions on how we did it. But let me start off by saying I am no DIY expert. In fact, my dad (and my better judgement) told me not to do this. Hahahah!! There are a million tutorials online, all with a different process and materials. This is how WE did it. 

And also keep in mind that we have a toddler to wrangle care for, so most of the work was done during naptime and after he went to bed. 

From start to finish, this took us 14 days. 6 of which were drying days during which I did nothing. Sooo...I'm no math major, but I think that's 8 days of actual work (right??)...not bad for a remodel that will seriously turn your kitchen (or bathroom) from drab to fab!

In terms of budget, we spent around $150 total for all the supplies and paint. Again, a total score! Considering buying new cabinets or having someone else do them would cost a pretty penny $$.

Alright- what you've all been waiting for. The tutorial...

Step 1

Gather all your supplies. 
Here's a list of what we used:
Wood filler (Elmer's Wood Filler Max)
Mouse sander (Black & Decker)
80 grit sandpaper
Deglosser (Klean Strip Sander Deglosser)
Paintable white caulk
Primer (Zinsser 1-2-3)
2" angled paintbrush
Foam roller
Paint (Benjamin Moore Advance Paint in "cloud cover" in satin finish)
Various screwdrivers
Painters tape
Drop cloths
Putty knife

Step 2

Remove doors/drawers and all the hardware. Make sure you mark each cabinet opening and corresponding door/drawer and all the hardware, so you can install it correctly when you're done! We put tiny pieces of masking tape in each cabinet and then wrote the corresponding number under each door in the garage. And just piled all the hardware next to the number. 

Step 3

If you're replacing the hardware or if you have any nicks/holes in your cabinets, you'll need to fill the holes with wood filler and use a putty knife to scrape the excess off. Then let it dry.

Step 4

Sand, sand, sand. We used 80 grit sandpaper with a mouse sander and spent about 20 minutes on each door. Get in all the grooves and edges. You don't have to get every last bit of varnish off, but you want to rough it up real good. Sawdust will get everywhere. Plan accordingly. We sanded all the doors/drawers outside in the grass. When we sanded the cabinet boxes inside, I shut the door to the kitchen and put a towel under it, and used a big plastic drop cloth to close up the huge opening to the family room. Thankfully the weather was gorgeous that day, so I was able to turn off the ac/heater while sanding and Jacob spent most of the day outside. It was a MESS! But after lots of sweeping and vacuuming, it was cleaned up pretty quickly. Honestly. I suggest doing this part when the weather is nice and you can be outside. This is the messiest part.



 

Step 5

Degloss. I used a TON of old rags, squeezed a good amount on the rag, and wiped down the cabinets thoroughly after they were sanded. I wore gloves and replaced them a couple times throughout the process. You want to clean off all the sawdust and make a nice even surface for the primer to adhere to. We were able to sand and degloss all the doors, drawers and cabinet boxes in 1 day. I was shocked by that!

Step 6

Caulk. We had some separation between the cabinets and the walls, so we used a hefty amount of caulk to seal the gaps. P.S. Read the instructions to find out how long you should wait before painting. The stuff we got dried in 15 minutes!

 

Step 7

Prime. We started with the back of the doors, thinking that if when we turn them over to do the front and it scuffs a bit, it'll be the BACK not the front. ¿Comprende? Then when we were done with the backs and drawers, we moved to the cabinet boxes. When you're priming, you want to start with the angled paintbrush and get primer in all the groves and spread the primer around. Then take the foam roller and roll over the entire surface. You want to make an even surface. 

Step 8

Painting! Once your primer is dry (we waited at least 24 hours) you can start painting!! We did two coats, using the same technique as we did with primer. After painting the second coat on the back side, we let the doors sit for a full day before flipping them. After painting the second coat on the front side, when the doors and drawers were completely done, we let everything sit for 5 full days. You need to read your paint to see how long you should wait. This is so important- you really don't want to ruin all your hard work!

Step 9

After 5  l o n g  days of waiting, we re-installed all the hardware and put all the doors back on. This was an OMG moment, for sure!!!

I really wish I had better before pictures. I thought I had some from when we first moved in, but I can't find them?!?!

Anyways- I hope this post includes enough details and tips/tricks. If you have any questions, just post them in the comment section and I'll answer them as best I can!!!

Now that our cabinets are all re-installed, the doors/drawers do stick a little bit. I've heard that it could take up to 9 months before everything is seriously hardened. We'll see! I'll try to update this post in the future, once I feel like its done.

Good luck!!!!

Linking up with: Cherished Handmade Treasures, Not Just a Housewife, Hope Studios, Remodelaholic, House of Rose, Living Well Spending Less, The Dedicated House, A Savory Feast, Lewis Lane Designs