How to Paint Cabinet Doors
#ShutTheFrontDoorDIY couldn’t be complete without addressing the most numerous doors in your house: cabinet doors! Learn how to paint cabinet doors in the best way — the way that means you only have to do it ONCE — from Meredith (and don’t forget to link up your door projects and then make us laugh for a chance to win $25)
How to Paint Cabinet Doors — The Right Way
by Meredith from The Palette Muse
Hi! I’m Meredith from The Palette Muse, where I create Home Decor, DIY, Crafts, and Organizing projects. I love to inspire people with their own projects, and offer encouragement along the way. DIY-ing can be intimidating, but oh-so-fun and rewarding! I specialize in easy tutorials using common, easily-accessible, and safe materials. But every now and then I take on a big project, such as re-tiling my whole living area or repainting my kitchen cabinets!
When I set out to repaint my kitchen cabinets, I knew it was a project I’d only want to do once. Ever. I also knew, from several earlier projects, that the doors would be the trickiest part. I was so pleased with the process I used and its results that I’m thrilled to share it with you here on Remodelaholic today.
The Secret to Painting Drip-free and Brush-Stroke-free Cabinet Doors
Painting cabinets can be intimidating, but with a little patience and planning ahead, you can save hundreds of dollars by doing it yourself. I’ll give you the step-by-step method to repainting cabinet doors, but first I’ll let you in on my little secret. Actually, it’s three secrets in one. To get a truly professional finish on your cabinets, you need:
- Self leveling, slow-drying paint and primer
- A mohair roller, and synthetic brush
- A horizontal surface to lay the doors on during painting and drying time.
I used Benjamin Moore Advance paint and primer, which is specially designed to cut down on brush strokes. You can see the strokes as you apply the paint, but it levels out as it dries. 
In order to have time to level out, the drying process takes a little longer, but it’s so worth the wait! I had fallen in love with a Valspar color, “Totten’s Inlet”, so when I decided on Ben Moore paint, I simply asked them to mix it in this color for me, in a satin finish.
I also used a 4″ mohair roller (which sounds expensive but actually was about the same price as a foam roller) for the flat surfaces of the doors, and a foam craft brush to get into the crevices and molding.
I set up my workspace so that I could lay the doors on a flat surface to work on them. Using sawhorses and two-by-fours, I made long worktables. This way, I could paint a door and leave it to dry while moving on to the next door. The longer you can let your doors lay flat, the better the paint can dry, which cuts down on drips. Drips are caused by gravity working on wet paint, so you can imagine that if you put a bunch of paint on a flat surface, then stand it up vertically, the wet paint will start to slide down the surface, leaving drips. Argh! That’s not what we want. So do yourself a favor, and put some thought into how you’ll keep your doors flat for as long as possible.
So, now that you have a workspace in mind, let’s move on to the process.
How to Paint Perfect Cabinet Doors
- First, label all your doors and cabinets. (Do not remove a single door until it’s labeled! I promise this step is worth the few minutes it takes.) Then remove the hinges and knobs. If you have adjustable hinges, label them and put them inside each cabinet so you don’t have to readjust all of them when you rehang your doors.
- Clean the doors with a good degreaser, such as Krud Kutter.
- Sand thoroughly. You want to remove all the gloss from the previous surface so the primer and paint can adhere well. You do not need to remove all the stain or paint, just the surface layer of gloss.
- Clean well. I used a vacuum cleaner attachment, then a microfiber cloth with rubbing alcohol. Do not use water or it will raise the grain of the wood, which interferes with a smooth finish.
- Roll on primer onto flat surfaces, then use the brush to apply a light coat into all the molding edges. Allow primer to dry completely.A word about priming: Yes, you should do it. Sanding makes the surface easier for the paint to adhere to, and priming makes the paint coverage look more even and prevents stains from showing through. They do not serve the same purpose, and for a really professional looking job, I recommend doing both.
- Caulk any open seams between the panels and the molding. Allow caulk to dry completely. This seems like a small detail, but it really makes a difference in the finished product!
- Sand lightly again with 200 grit sandpaper. Clean well again.
- Now you are ready for a coat of paint, and a little finesse in how you apply it. I found that there is an order that helps eliminate brush strokes and drips. Basically, you want to work from the lowest panel surface to the highest. First, use the roller on the interior panel.
Then use the foam brush to add paint to the molding between the interior and exterior panels.
Then use the roller again on the exterior, or top, panels and around the edges of the doors.
This way, you can smooth out any extra paint left on the edges from the brush.Don’t overload your brush and roller, and attempt to get a nice light, even coat of paint on the door. Too much paint at one time can lead to drips forming. - Once the paint is dry (follow manufacturer directions on the can and don’t rush!), sand and clean again. If you are painting the inside of the cabinet doors, you’ll want to flip them over and use the same process before putting the second coat on the front.
- Finally, apply a final coat repeating step 8.
- Let your painted doors cure well for a couple of days before rehanging them, so they don’t stick to the cabinets. Also, consider adding felt pads to the corners to cut down on banging doors. While your doors are drying, you can use this same process to paint the cabinet frames (which goes a lot faster, due to less surface area and less nooks and crannies!).
I know this may not be the quick and painless way to paint cabinets, but it’s so worth it to come to the end of the project and have a whole kitchen that you can be really proud of, and you know will last a long time. Every time I walk into my kitchen, I love the way it looks, and I love knowing that I did it. For more details and tips, check out my post on Repainting Kitchen Cabinets, and best wishes for your own painting projects!
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Thanks, Meredith! Such a big job, but worth doing right to only do it once!
Remodelaholics, pay Meredith a visit over at The Palette Muse to see her beautiful bedroom makeover, plus check out her tips for identifying your decorating style and this smart decorating tip.
Coming up in #ShutTheFrontDoorDIY:
(be sure to subscribe by RSS or email to get updates for every post of Shut The Front Door DIY week)
Build your own cabinet doors — two different styles!
Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn't stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.
I love how those cabinets turned out! I’m a huge fan of Benjamin Moore paint as well – it goes on so smoothly! Great job on it – it looks fab!
Seng
Thank you Seng! I love Ben Moore too. This was my first project with the brand, and I’m a total convert now!
I really like how the white brightens your kitchen. It is amazing that there aren’t any noticeable brush strokes. I also like the idea of caulking between the cabinets to keep everything blending smoothly together. Nice job!
Thanks Crystal! That extra step of caulking the seams really makes a difference in the overall effect. You might not be able to put your finger on it, but it just feels so much more “finished” that way.
Need these instructions for redoing cabinets. Thanks for your expertise.
I’m so glad to help, Cherie. Best of luck with your project, and let me know if you have any questions along the way!
Did you say “sand” after you put on paint and it’s dried? Sand the paint? and then paint again? Did I read that right?
Just want to be totally clear!! Thanks 🙂
Hi Sheri, great question! Yes, I definitely did say to sand again between coats of paint. You’ll just be sanding lightly with a very fine grit sandpaper, like 200 or so. This is one of those pesky little in-between steps that really gives it a nice smooth finish. It’ll be worth it in the end, I promise!
They look fantastic! I wonder if there is any special instructions for sanding the corners of the cabinets. Nice work and congratulations. It looks like it took some patience!
Thank you Diane! The only thing I would say about sanding the corners is to be gentle. It’s easy to get too much pressure and take off too much paint on the raised areas like corners and edges. But if you use a high grit sandpaper and a light touch, you’ll be fine.
Great tips! Do you label them with painter tape that you move back and forth as you swap sides?
Thanks Beth! Yes, I use blue painters tape and number the doors and boxes. Then, once the hinges are removed, I put the tape inside where the hinge goes so I don’t have to keep moving it around. If your hinges are older (without the recessed hole in the door) you’ll have to keep switching them back and forth as you work on each side.
any tips on painting in between the cabinet panels to avoid drips? The base?
Sure! The same process applies, except of course you can’t lay the bases on a horizontal surface. That means you just need to be careful not to over-load your brush or roller with paint. More frequent, lighter coats will work better than one or two thick coats. Did that answer your question?
Beautiful! I just finished painting my kitchen last week with BM advance paint and primer in linen white! I second the caulking step. White definitely shows those cracks! I had to use 2 coats of primer due to the deep grain in my oak cabinets, and I only sanded between the primer and paint. Great job!
Thanks Tana! Always nice to meet another kitchen tackler. Such a process, but worth it in the end, right?
Thanks for this DIY – my cabinets are practically identical to yours and I’ve been contemplating painting them. Additionally my kitchen is designed very similar as well so this was a very good visual for me to gauge what mine may look like if I chose to paint them.
Thanks!
Hi Jan, thanks for stopping by. I’ve been so happy with mine, and I know you will be too!
They are beautiful! I was,wondering if you painted the inside of the cabinets also? Mime are dark wood and I want to do a cream or off whote4.
Thanks Laurie! No, I chose not to paint the insides because mine are a real light color and are in great shape. If mine had been dark like yours I probably would have wanted to repaint the insides too, just to make it easier to see what’s in there.
Did you paint the insides of your cupboards? I really want to paint ours, but wasn’t sure if I should do the insides. In the future, I don’t want a potential home buyer to come in and see it and think it’s unfinished. Thank you!
That’s a great question, Tanya. I would say it depends on the color and condition of the inside of your cabinets. If they are dark, or seem dingy, then I would say you should paint them. If they are a light color and look almost new on the inside, like mine did (fortunately), then you can leave them alone as long as you tape off and paint very carefully along the edges between the painted side and unpainted side. If you do a great job it won’t look unfinished. I left mine unpainted, which you can see in more detail in my full tutorial that’s referenced in this post.
Any tips on painting 1980’s oak, cathedral arch-style cabinet doors? The centers are raised as well as the outside frame making the cathedral section inset. I am so afraid ut’s going to turn out like a bad arts & crafts project! Also, don’t remember reading anything about a top coat? How do you prevent marks & knicks from around the handle area?
Hi Mary Ellen, you raise some interesting questions! First the easy one – I didn’t use a top coat because with this high quality paint, you don’t need one. It’s super durable with a really hard finish. As I get scuffs and food on it, I simply scrub it off. You have to be careful about using top coats, that they don’t change the color or yellow over time, so that’s why I recommend using a great paint like Ben Moore Advance and no top coat.
As for your oak cabinets, the same principles apply. Namely: prep carefully, use light even coats without loading up with too much paint, and plan on a coat of primer and at least two coats of paint. The thing about oak is that the grain may still show through a little even after all that. One thing you can consider doing if you think that will bother you is to lightly apply a wood filler over the entire face of the cabinet before sanding and priming. This will fill in most of the grain. Just be sure that you sand well after applying the wood filler to give yourself a nice flat surface to work on. It can be done, if you’re not afraid of a little elbow grease!
Hi Meredith, can I use this tutorial on laminate cabinets? Will I need a top coat if I do? Thanks for your help!
Hi Shannon, I’ve heard from several people that you can use this same process on laminate as well, but I haven’t tried it myself. (Maybe you could let us know how it works for you!) You will not need a finishing coat if you properly prepare (sand and primer) before painting. And make sure you wait for the paint to dry well between coats. Best of luck to you on your project!
Would you recommend the self leveling paint to be applied only by brush or can a spray gun be used?
Gigi, you can use either a brush or a spray gun. If you use a gun, just be sure you have a good-quality one that does not require the paint to be thinned. Either way, make sure you leave plenty of time for the paint to dry between coats.
Do you recommend a polyurethane coat or some other type of top coat to protect the paint and make cleaning easier? I’m asking because I wonder if that would make a difference in my bathroom, as the vanity I painted collects a terrible amount of dust.
Hi Dawn, no I do not recommend sealing this paint with anything. Certain polyurethanes can yellow over time, and this paint is such good quality it just doesn’t need anything. I’ve cleaned, scrubbed, and wiped these cabinets so many times, and I can tell you the the dust and grime comes right off. Most of the time, I just use a damp paper towel. Easy peasy!
What paint color is this? It doesn’t look exactly white. I love it!
Hi Tracy, it’s a Valspar color, called Totten’s Inlet. I love it because it’s not exactly white, but it’s a nice neutral off-white.
Great tutorial…thanks! I do have one question, and that is do you paint the undersides and tops of your cabinets? I am planning to paint light oak cabinets white.
Thanks Katie! Yes, I did paint the undersides of the upper cabinets. I didn’t want to see the wood color if I leaned down or was sitting low enough to see underneath them. I’m not sure what you mean when you say the tops, because mine go right up to the ceiling. Even if yours were open on top, I’m not sure it would be necessary to paint them up there, since you’ll probably never see that unless you’re dusting.
Painters pyramids are indispensable for cabinet doors. They hold up the doors from the horizontal surface. They are other little plastic yellow pyramids. Another thing I used was nonskid blocks to hold the cabinets still while I sanded them. They are available commercially but are expensive so I made my own by covering 1/2 inch thick lengths of wood with non-skid plastic shelf liner.
Also, if you are adding knobs or pulls to doors that have never had them, spend the money and buy a template tool–worth every penny.
Tammy I couldn’t agree more with every one of your points! Thanks for chiming in! I love your tip for making your own nonskid blocks. I’m definitely going to try that next time.
Reading through this while getting ready to tackle ours. I will be using a sprayer but am curious if you used latex or oil-based paint (not sure if Advance comes in both)? Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily, Advance is actually what’s called an Alkyd paint, which means it’s oil suspended in a water-soluble base. It’s really the best of both worlds because you get the advantages of oil without the messy cleanup. I was so impressed with this paint and I think it will work great in a sprayer.
Which primer did you use? I see the BM Advance days “paint and primer”, but it sounds like you used a separate primer?
Hi Michelle, I used the BM Advance primer. The Advance paint I used was just paint, without the primer, so I had to do both. Perhaps now they have a combined paint/primer (?), in which case you would only need that.