Refinish Kitchen Cabinets

Totally transform your kitchen cabinets with only a few tools and a fresh coat of paint! If you’re on a budget and the idea of completely replacing your kitchen cabinets sounds like a headache, I hear you. Updating your kitchen cabinets with some fresh paint is an inexpensive way to change the way your kitchen looks and feels! For this project, I decided to refinish the kitchen cabinets in my rental property. These cabinets are super old and I contemplated trashing them. But, I saved a lot of money by salvaging them and returning them to their former glory with a fresh coat of white paint!

TOOLS

Painters Tape

Drop Cloth

Screw Driver

Sanding Block (Fine Grit)

Paint Tray

Paint Brush

Mini Paint Roller

Paint & Primer

Multi Surface Cleaner

Sponge

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STEP 1: PREP

Remove anything from your countertops or cabinets that will get in the way.

STEP 2: NUMBER CABINETS

Number each cabinet door and drawer with the corresponding locations as you remove them. This will help to ensure you’re putting the right doors and drawers back in the right place! You can transfer the labels to the inside of the doors and drawers while cleaning/sanding/painting.

STEP 3: REMOVE CABINET DOORS & DRAWERS

Remove the cabinet doors by the hinges using a screw driver. Remove the drawers as well.

STEP 4: REMOVE HARDWARE

Remove the hardware from the doors and drawers with a screw driver. If you plan to keep your hardware, keep it in the location that you removed it from so they don’t get mixed up.

STEP 5: CLEAN & SAND DOORS / DRAWERS

Clean all the surfaces that you plan to repaint. For this step, I used a multi surface cleaner and sponge. Make sure the surfaces are completely dry before moving onto next step. Take a sanding block and sand down every area that you plan to paint. No need to sand down to bare wood. If there are any holes or gouges, fill these in with wood filler and sand over until smooth. Sand down any rough spots and sand the whole surface so that your paint will adhere properly.

STEP 6: PREP FOR PAINT

Take your painters tape and apply where necessary around your cabinets. Vacuum all the dust from sanding. And prepare a painting station for your doors and drawers. Use the plastic drop cloth to cover large areas.

STEP 7: PAINT

Prime/Paint your cabinet frames, doors, and drawers. It is up to you if you want to paint the whole interior of your cabinets or just the exterior frame. I used a paint/primer in one and ended up having to do 3 coats. I used a small roller for the majority of surfaces, and the paint brush in smaller spaces.

***See paint can for dry times

STEP 8: UPDATE HARDWARE

Find new hardware that fits, keep your existing hardware, or give your existing hardware a facelift with some spray paint. If you decide to keep your hardware, clean it in soap and hot water and scrub if necessary to get off all the grime.