I'm planning to paint my kitchen cabinets, which are currently just stained wood. I'm going to sand them really well, but I'm hoping to get advice from anyone who's done this before. What are your tips and tricks to help the finish last? Specifically, I'm curious about the best degreasers, primers, paints, and tools to use. How many layers of primer and paint did you apply? Did you use a brush or roller? How long should I let the paint cure? And most importantly, how have your cabinets held up over time?
5 Answers
I just took on a cabinet repainting project, and here's what I did: I cleaned everything with Simple Green and did some light sanding. I used Aqua Coat grain filler for the grainy sections and then sprayed everything with my Graco sprayer. My primer was Richards Holztite, which initially went on a bit thick, but after some cleanup, two coats smoothed it out. The top coat was Benjamin Moore Advance Urethane – it's held up nicely for about five years, though it has a long drying time of roughly 24 hours.
Honestly, if you want your cabinets to look great and last long, I'd suggest hiring a pro. DIY projects with retail products often don't cut it, and some people will tell you otherwise, but it's a risky bet.
My go-to degreaser is Dawn with a bit of ammonia. I sanded the surface smooth, wiped off the dust, and used Zinsser BIN primer. Just one thin coat for me, then a light sand, followed by another thin coat of paint. If you're going oil-based for the primer, keep in mind that oil paint can give a great finish. I found a hybrid cabinet paint at Lowe’s that worked wonderfully!
If you're looking for a solid cabinet paint, I highly recommend Benjamin Moore. We had ours painted 15 years ago, and they still look great! This time, we tackled it ourselves for a fresh color using a standard orange cleaner, a mix of a random orbit sander and good old hand sanding. We mostly rolled the paint on and used a brush for corners and trims. It's a bit pricier than regular Home Depot brands, but trust me, it's worth every penny for a durable finish!
For my cabinets, I used Krud Kutter as my degreaser and applied a single layer of Killz primer. For paint, I went with Valspar semi-gloss, applying two coats while lightly sanding in between. I rolled the doors but used a Purdy brush for the edges and carcass. After letting the paint cure for a week, I waxed them with paste wax. It's been six years, and even with regular cleaning, they still look great!