Renovation guides

How to paint kitchen cabinets

Short answer

To paint kitchen cabinets: take the doors, drawer fronts and hardware off and label everything, degrease every surface, scuff the finish (do not strip it), fill old hardware holes, prime with a bonding primer, apply two thin coats of cabinet enamel after the recoat time, and let it cure fully before anything goes back on. Difficulty 3 of 5; for a first-timer, plan on 2 weekends. Stop if the home is from before 1978 and you would sand or scrape old cabinet paint without a negative lead test — do not dry-sand, power-sand, or heat-strip it; scuff by hand with a damp sponge or hire an RRP-certified painter.

Draft guide written from standard practice, not yet reviewed by a licensed pro. Follow product labels where they differ.

Difficulty 3 of 5 · 2 weekends · you can do this

When to stopStop if the home is from before 1978 and you would sand or scrape old cabinet paint without a negative lead test — do not dry-sand, power-sand, or heat-strip it; scuff by hand with a damp sponge or hire an RRP-certified painter. Stop and ask a pro if the doors are peeling thermofoil or veneer: paint does not hold on a loose face.
See it in your own room — free

Photo of your room, the look you pick, then this guide with the materials counted for your room.

What you need

  • Cabinet enamel (both coats)
  • Bonding primer
  • Degreaser (TSP substitute or the cleaner the primer label names)
  • Sanding sponge, 220 grit
  • Wood filler for dents and old hardware holes
  • Tack cloths
  • Painter's tape 1.5"
  • Zip bags and labels for the hinges and screws

Tools

  • Drill or screwdriver with the bits your hinges take
  • 2–2.5" angled brush
  • 4" foam or microfiber mini roller
  • Sawhorses or painter's pyramids
  • Shop vacuum

Step by step

  1. Step 1 of 10

    Empty the cabinets and cover the counters and floor

    Take everything out of the cabinets you will paint. Cover the counters, the floor, and the appliances near them. Open a window: primer and enamel need air.

  2. Step 2 of 10

    Take off the doors, drawer fronts, and hardware — label everything

    Number each door and its spot with tape inside the frame, and bag its hinges and screws with the same number. Remove the pulls and knobs. Doors painted flat on stands drip far less than doors painted on the hinges.

  3. Step 3 of 10

    Degrease every surface

    Wash the doors, the drawer fronts, and the frames with the degreaser, mixed per the label, then rinse with clean water and let everything dry fully. Pay extra attention around the range and the handles.

  4. Step 4 of 10

    Scuff the finish, do not strip it

    Scuff every surface you will paint with the sanding sponge until the shine is dull — you are giving the primer something to grip, not taking the old finish off. Vacuum, then wipe with a tack cloth.

    Before you sand old cabinets

    • Home built in 1978 or later, OR a lead test (EPA-recognized kit) on the old cabinet finish is negative, OR you will only scuff by hand with a damp fine sanding sponge — no dry power-sanding, scraping, or heat-stripping

  5. Step 5 of 10

    Fill the dents and the old hardware holes

    If the new pulls use a different hole spacing, fill the old holes now. Let the filler dry per its label, sand it flush, and dust again.

  6. Step 6 of 10

    Prime with a bonding primer

    One even coat of bonding primer on the backs of the doors first, then the fronts, the drawer fronts, and the frames. Let it dry for the time on the can.

  7. Step 7 of 10

    First coat of cabinet enamel, thin

    Brush the recessed panels and edges, then roll the flat areas with the mini roller and tip off lightly with the brush. Backs of the doors first; flip them only when the can says they are dry enough to handle.

  8. Step 8 of 10

    Second coat after the recoat time

    Wait the recoat time on the can. Sand lightly between coats only if the label says to, dust, then apply the second thin coat the same way.

  9. Step 9 of 10

    Let it cure before anything goes back on

    Enamel is dry to the touch long before it is hard. Keep the doors flat and apart for the cure time on the label before you rehang them or stack them.

  10. Step 10 of 10

    Rehang, adjust, and mount the hardware

    Rehang each door in its numbered spot, adjust the hinges so the gaps are even, add bumpers, and mount the pulls by hand — the last turn by hand so the screw does not crush the paint.

    Quality check

    • Every door and drawer back in its numbered spot, gaps even
    • No drips, runs, or bare spots seen in raking light
    • Doors do not stick to the frames when opened
    • Pulls and knobs tight, no cracked paint around them

Common mistakes

  • Painting over grease. The paint looks fine for a week, then peels where hands touch it. Degrease every surface and rinse, even the ones that look clean.
  • Skipping the bonding primer. Ordinary primer or paint straight on a glossy factory finish scratches off with a fingernail. Scuff, then use a bonding primer.
  • Thick coats. Drips on the door edges and a finish that stays soft. Thin coats, the backs first, and the full recoat time on the can.
  • Rehanging before it cures. Dry to the touch is not cured: doors stick to the frames and the bumpers print into the paint. Wait out the cure time on the label.
Get this job planned for your room

Questions

How do you paint kitchen cabinets so the paint doesn't peel?

Degrease every surface and rinse, even ones that look clean; paint over grease looks fine for a week, then peels where hands touch it. Scuff the finish with a sanding sponge until the shine is dull, then use a bonding primer: ordinary primer or paint straight on a glossy factory finish scratches off with a fingernail.

How many coats of paint do kitchen cabinets need?

One coat of bonding primer, then two thin coats of cabinet enamel, waiting the recoat time on the can between coats. Thick coats cause drips on the door edges and a finish that stays soft. Paint the backs of the doors first, and keep doors flat on stands while they dry.

How long before I can rehang painted cabinet doors?

Wait out the cure time on the can's label. Dry to the touch is not cured: doors stick to the frames and the bumpers print into the paint. Keep the doors flat and apart for the cure time, then rehang each door in its numbered spot, adjust the hinges for even gaps, and mount the pulls by hand.

When should I stop and call a pro?

Stop if the home is from before 1978 and you would sand or scrape old cabinet paint without a negative lead test — do not dry-sand, power-sand, or heat-strip it; scuff by hand with a damp sponge or hire an RRP-certified painter. Stop and ask a pro if the doors are peeling thermofoil or veneer: paint does not hold on a loose face.

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