Has anyone ever painted Kitchen cabinets themselves? I have never done this but am considering doing so. The cabinets are in good shape but are just drab. Any advise or suggestions, or is this a job that is better to sub out?
I’ve painted plenty of cabinets that have turned out great. My method is to lightly sand the shine off, wipe down with a damp towel, put a coat of primer on them, and then roll them with a semi gloss paint. I have also spray painted the handles and hingles if they are in good enough shape. Good luck!
We paint cabinets all the time in our rentals. We don’t go to quite the extent that Jared does (although he is doing it the right way), but they always look great.
Mike
I paint them too, I usually use two colors (drawers and base) it makes them stand out and look nice.
We do, if the cabinets are in good shape. Sand, prime and then paint. I would suggest using a mini roller with low knap to get a smooth, glossy finish.
I have also, I sand them lightly, then I caulk the connections and mitered corners and then I use my airless sparyer.
I bet they look great done with a sprayer. Good idea too about using two colors (doors and base). I did one with white base and a soft greet color for the doors with silver hardware. Turned out pretty nice.
I also have/do paint cabinets… I recommend using a Kilz OIL BASED primer after you sand them. Alot of those other primers will still peel after a good cleaning/scrubbing. Using a sprayer is great but I’ve found that it doesn’t go on as thick as using a low nap roller and a good quality brush. Also the over spray sucks too… Just my 2 cents!!!
John
Even though I’d be more inclined to use the sledge hammer method on ugly cabinets, sanding and staining will have a much better look than paint. The high end modern trends today don’t include painted cabinets unless there is an alternate theme. As long as you venture outside the boring and cheap looking oak stain, you can get a high end look that’s very inexpensive. You can dress them up with an assortment of different moldings also. Slightly more laborious than paint but worth the results IMO, even if it’s not a high end project.
Danny,
I have to disagree. Painted cabinets are hardly far from high end. My parents just bought a 400K house with granite everything that sits on painted cabinets. My Aunts house on the coutry club in Jacksonville has painted cabinets. In fact, I can’t think of one member of my family that has stained cabinets and they all live in higher end houses.
Well sanded and painted with nice hardware and tops and painted looks great…Just be sure you have nice looking cabinet doors.
Just my two cents…
The current kitchen trend for higher end houses consist of; stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, stained cabinets (close to cherry), and travertine or some type of stone floor. That’s not to say painted cabinets aren’t high end or modern, but they aren’t as trendy. Since most people follow the trends (which is why it’s a trend), so do I when I’m trying to appeal to them. MANY high end houses have painted cabinets that look great and appeal to everyone. But by bringing in a current high end trend to an otherwise low end house, prospective buyers feel like they’re in a (former) Saddam Hussein Palace.
If you put crown molding in a few rooms of a middle range house, you’ll score points with the buyers. Crown molding is about the stupid thing I’ve ever seen and have never understood the craze, yet it follows the high end trend which gets houses sold.
I didn’t have anything to do yesterday so I personally gave a newly married couple a tour of a finished rehab nearby. The house was very trendy. Since it had all the crap of a higher end home, the husbands ego was stroked because he realized he could afford a home with all the high end trendy junk. So much so that he started to walk with his chest puffed out a lot more than when I first shook his hand. :rolleyes The wife liked it because it was like the pictures in her decorating magazines and fit her idea of what a high end home was supposed to look like. We could of done that rehab in a number of different styles, but none would give the feeling of “high end” without a high price, like the trends do.
Your $.02 will be refunded immediately!
TA Realty,
I was in the same situation you were in. I moved in to my place and the cabinets were an ugly 80’s dark brown. My wife and I hated the way they looked but there were still in very good shape. We did similar to what Jared did, lightly sanded, primed and painted a basic white. I was fortunate enough to have access to someone who professionally spray painted for free. We used a small sponge type roller from Home Depot on the frame and the whole job turned out really well. It transformed the way the kitchen looked. The white paint really made it stand out. When you’re rehanging the doors I recommend using the hidden hinges. the external ones are a little tougher to put in, in my experience. Let us know how it went.
-Joe
Most important thing. Don’t scrimp on paint. Buy the high end stuff, it will pay off. You don’t want it peeling in a year.