# Painting wood cabinets



## Ray D (Jan 2, 2021)

My wife has been wanting to redo our kitchen/ breakfast nook cabinets. We currently have builder grade maple cabinets in the kitchen and big box store cabinets in the breakfast nook with Formica counter tops throughout. We have decided to “reface” the kitchen cabinets with new doors and drawer faces in white with the low reveal look.....apparently that’s popular. Lol. Some type of solid surface counter tops will also be added. Here’s the question....the cabinet company of our choosing charges $45 per door to paint them...two primer coats and two finish coats. Has anyone had any real experience in painting cabinet doors? Im definitely going to be spraying them but need recommendations on paint type and techniques. Thanks in advance......Ray

Reactions: Like 1 | Sincere 1


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## Wildthings (Jan 2, 2021)

My son and I have used the Rustoleum Cabinet kits on 2 different occasions and they have come out very nice

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 1


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## Ray D (Jan 2, 2021)

Thanks Barry. I will definitely look into this product.


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## wyowoodwrker (Jan 2, 2021)

I agree with Barry's recommendation. I've used that product quite a bit when I was in building maintenance. Refinished a bunch of kitchens using it. Was always satisfied with the results, as long as you do the prep work as recommended.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Arn213 (Jan 2, 2021)

We have done it several times for clients through cabinet makers that we have work it. There are a lot of different “white” paint variations, so you have to be aware of that. What I mean by that is some whites have a slight tint of color and that is an advantage. Say you have yellows in the room- there are whites with a slight tint of yellow available. Those tints are very subtle and it helps bring the room together. You don’t want to get say just white without a tint because the cabinet will have a strong contrast and will look sterile.

You also have to figure out if you want oil base paint (alkyd) or water base. Yes, there is a price difference among other things. The oils base is my personal preference if you are doing a “period room”. It also yellows over time and there is a “slight glow of warmth” added as the paint ages over time. It does dry at a slower rate, but personally I like the leveling aspects of it. We have used oil based paint on architectural doors and widows- what I personally I like about it is that it would clean up much easier if you get a smudge on it. The water based paint is much more inexpensive, dries faster and looks better for contemporary and modern settings (it tends to look fresher/newer over time).

We used Benjamin Moore paint- they have a vast amount of colors available and they have historical colors available (period era colors).

But, the paint job will be meaningless if you don’t do the necessary prep job. Painting white is the worst if you don’t do a good enough prep. job as it will show all the surface irregularities- more obvious on flat panel doors versus paneled doors.

*Addendum 1: I forgot to mention “luster.” You have to figure out what finish you want on the paint: high gloss, semi-gloss, satin, egg-shell or flat/matte. High gloss will show irregularities on the prep work, defects on the cabinet or the pores of the surface, while egg-shell which is lower luster will conceal it a bit more. Matte if you use color, it will show fingerprints.

You should not need a pore filler because maple is not porous. If this was oak, it is very porous and you will need a pore filler so the surface is smooth with excellent prep work- if this is not done properly you will have “finish sinks” after the paint work or will develop over time as the paint settles.

**Addendum 2: this is very, very important. I know you want to repaint the doors and drawers only. One really big detail that is overlooked is the “face frame” of the cabinet carcass. Visualize this. You have repainted the cabinet doors and drawers white now. If you have an “inset door and drawer”- the face frame will be exposed. So being maple face frame, it has to be painted white to match the doors and drawers. If this is a flush overlay, the face frame being maple, it will be visible when the white doors and drawers are put over them due to the reveals of 1/8” plus through out (expansion and contraction) or when the doors and drawers are pulled out. So you have to spray paint the face frames white so they match the white paint of the doors and drawers. Don’t forget to do the same thing with the toe kick, the filler panels, trims and moldings if they exist. You basically have to paint any exposed maple that is visible into white to match the white painted doors and drawers.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 4


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## Ray D (Jan 3, 2021)

Arn213 said:


> We have done it several times for clients through cabinet makers that we have work it. There are a lot of different “white” paint variations, so you have to be aware of that. What I mean by that is some whites have a slight tint of color and that is an advantage. Say you have yellows in the room- there are whites with a slight tint of yellow available. Those tints are very subtle and it helps bring the room together. You don’t want to get say just white without a tint because the cabinet will have a strong contrast and will look sterile.
> 
> You also have to figure out if you want oil base paint (alkyd) or water base. Yes, there is a price difference among other things. The oils base is my personal preference if you are doing a “period room”. It also yellows over time and there is a “slight glow of warmth” added as the paint ages over time. It does dry at a slower rate, but personally I like the leveling aspects of it. We have used oil based paint on architectural doors and widows- what I personally I like about it is that it would clean up much easier if you get a smudge on it. The water based paint is much more inexpensive, dries faster and looks better for contemporary and modern settings (it tends to look fresher/newer over time).
> 
> ...


Great information . Thank you for the detailed explanation. We will definitely be repainting the face frame of the existing maple cabinet. The doors and drawer fronts will all be new.


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## Maverick (Jan 3, 2021)

I repainted my cabinets a couple of years ago. They were the classic oak with arched panels. I did not have a sprayer, so everything was painted with brush and rollers. As others have said, prep work is the key. I lightly sanded them and put a bead of silicone around the inside of the panel. One coat of sealer and then three coats of paint. I used the Benjamin Moore Advance which is a water based alkyd paint. Loved the way it laid down. Granted it took quite a while to do them as I had 28 doors and 14 drawer fronts, and of course the face frames and cabinet ends. But I had a lot more time than money.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Ray D (Jan 3, 2021)

Maverick said:


> I repainted my cabinets a couple of years ago. They were the classic oak with arched panels. I did not have a sprayer, so everything was painted with brush and rollers. As others have said, prep work is the key. I lightly sanded them and put a bead of silicone around the inside of the panel. One coat of sealer and then three coats of paint. I used the Benjamin Moore Advance which is a water based alkyd paint. Loved the way it laid down. Granted it took quite a while to do them as I had 28 doors and 14 drawer fronts, and of course the face frames and cabinet ends. But I had a lot more time than money.


Thanks for the information. That same paint was recommended by someone else.


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## FLQuacker (Jan 3, 2021)

My wife did it Ray....painting is the easy part!

Reactions: Funny 1


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