How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets to Update Your Kitchen

Painting out dated or dark kitchen cabinets can be an inexpensive way to update your kitchen. When you decide to paint your kitchen cabinets remember, that the preparation involved is very important. Kitchen cabinets take a lot of abuse on a daily basis, if not done properly the paint can easily mar or chip. Kitchen cabinets that have been prepped and painted correctly can last for a long time. Follow the steps below and you will be enjoying your newly updated kitchen in no time.

1.Door Removal - It is much easier to paint the cabinet doors as well as the base if the doors are removed first. Remove all of the hindges and put them in a container. Remove the hardware (handles, knobs) place them in a separate container. Place a plastic tarp over a flat work surface, so you will have a place to lay the cabinet doors.

2. Clean the cabinets with warm soapy water or an all purpose cleaner. Be sure to remove all of the grime and oil from the doors, including the small crevices. A tooth brush works really great to clean the small lines and corners of the cabinets. Let the cabinets dry completely.

3. To sand the cabinets use a piece of fine grit sandpaper (150 or finer), sand over the flat surfaces of the doors as well as the cabinet base.The lightly sanded surface will allow the primer to adhere to the cabinets which will greatly increase longevity of the paint job. Take a soft cloth and dust over the sanded surfaces to remove any dust or particles.

4. Priming the kitchen cabinets are very necessary to prepare them for paint. To prime the cabinets I recommend using kilz 2 latex primer. This primer is fast drying and a water based multi-purpose primer that can be topcoated with latex or oil-base paint. Also it doesn't give off a strong odor. Do not skip the primer, as this is a very important step to keep the paint from chipping and extend the life of the paint job.

5. Now you are ready to start painting the cabinets. There are two ways you can apply the paint. You can use a high quality paint brush, a 2 1/2" to 3" brush would be ideal. Be sure to apply the paint in very thin coats to avoid brush strokes as well as drips. The second option is to use a foam roller. When using the roller method be sure the roller is covered in paint but not saturated. Roll on a thin even layer, completely covering the surface. Two or three thin coats of paint will be longer lasting and the finished product will look much more professional than applying a thick coat of paint, that will most likely begin to peel in a short period of time. Better to spend a little more time to do it right the first time, than to spend more time and materials later on to correct the mistakes.

6. Add additional coats of paint. Once the first coat has dried throughly, take some 400 grit sandpaper and very lightly sand the flat surfaces again. This is to insure that the next coat of paint has the smoothest possible surface to adhere to. Now you can apply the second coat of paint. Two coats of paint are usually sufficient. Although adding a third coat can sometimes be necessary with woods that are heavily grained.

7. Once the doors are painted and fully dry, they are ready to be rehung. Once the doors have been hung, the hardware is ready to be put back on.

A little bit of know how, some paint , minimal materials and patience were all it took to update your kitchen. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, you deserve it! Now the only thing left to do, is to step back and admire your newly painted kitchen cabinets.