How To Refinish Old Kitchen Cabinets With Valspar Cabinet Paint
We recently gave our 70s kitchen a complete makeover. It needed work on everything: cabinets, floors, walls, molding. I also built an island and made a passthrough/breakfast bar. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it! We are very happy with the outcome.
Today I'm showing step-by-step how I painted the kitchen cabinets. (I'll also be posting on the DIY island and breakfast bar that we added.)
I am including the video if you'd rather watch that.
Here is our before...
Step 1:
After removing the cabinet doors, we wiped them down with a product called Krud Kutter to degrease them. We also degreased the cabinets.
Step 2:
Next, using 180 grit sandpaper, I sanded the cabinets and then took a damp cloth and wiped the dust off.
Step 3:
Then, using 180 grit sandpaper on my orbital sander, I roughed up the cabinet doors to make the paint adhere better. I wiped the dust off with a damp cloth and then a dry cloth.
Step 4:
With an angled brush, I applied the first thin coat of paint to the cabinets.
Step 5:
Next, I painted the cabinet doors with a roller. I started with the back of the doors first.
I laid the cabinet doors out on plastic and let them dry. Once they all dried, I applied a second coat to the backs of the doors.
Step 6:
Once the backs of the doors had dried thoroughly, we flipped them over and painted the fronts. We used the paint brush for the grooves and then finished with the roller. We ended up putting 3 coats on the front of the cabinet doors and the cabinets. (Only did 2 coats on the back of the doors)
Step 7:
Next, after degreasing the hardware using Krud Kutter, I laid them out and spray painted them with Rustoleum Universal Metallic Paint.
Step 8:
After everything dried, we put the doors back on the cabinets and installed the hardware.
We love the brighter look of the kitchen now!
Hope you enjoyed this, and happy home improvement!
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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Once again, amazing what a little paint can do. It's like magic. And so much cheaper than replacing cabinets! nicely done. Looks like a different kitchen or like you turned the lights on.
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What a lovely transformation!
If you are inspired, you might remove or trim off the wavy design on the frame above the sink to give the room a more modern look. (That's just me.) You did an amazing job!
Frequently asked questions
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So much better. Are you doing anything with the backsplash ?
I painted the hardware on my kitchen cabinets and the paint is wearing off. I cleaned and sanded them before painting with Rustoleum metalic spraypaint, should I have used a primer first?
Fantastic job. I just have a couple of questions: (1) Do you always have sand the cabinets before you paint them & (2) I’ve noticed that steam f/my pots sometimes leave a white residue on my cabinets, if I paint them will the paint start to peel f/so much steam?