Paint kitchen cabinets

A new-looking kitchen without new cabinets. The sanding and the drying take the time.

How many doors and drawer fronts?

doors and drawers

This fits in a car

About 29 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 4 items on the list have no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Work with a window open and a fan pulling air out, and wear a dust mask while sanding. Old cabinets can have lead paint; test first if the house was built before 1978.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Paint

1 gallon of cabinet and trim enamelA cabinet enamel, satin or semi-gloss. Have it tinted and shaken at the paint desk.
1 gallon of bonding primerA bonding primer made for glossy surfaces, so the paint does not peel off the old finish.
1 bottle of degreaser or TSP substitute
1 pack of sanding sponges, fine
1 Foam mini roller kit, 4 in
1 Angled brush, 2 in
1 roll of painter tape
1 Drop cloth

Supplies

1 box of zip-top bags, quart

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Cordless drill· most people have this
1 Screwdriver set· most people have this
1 Sawhorses or painter pyramids· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about two weekends · some experience

Take the doors and drawer fronts off, number each one on a piece of tape, and bag its hinges with the same number.
Scrub every surface with degreaser. Paint will not stick to years of kitchen grease.
Scuff-sand everything until the shine is gone, and wipe the dust off.
Prime, let it dry, then roll two thin coats of enamel, sanding lightly between coats.
Give it several days before rehanging. Enamel feels dry long before it is hard.