How To Repaint and Refinish Kitchen Cabinets

The thought of replacing your kitchen cabinetry begins to come to your mind when you notice that your kitchen cabinet doors and boxes have lost their luster. Or you’ve seen some new ideas online that you want to utilize on your kitchen cabinets. However, when compared to the cost of brand-new cabinetry, repainting or refinishing the cabinet is a far more cost-effective and time-efficient option for updating the look of your kitchen. The most fantastic aspect is that you can perform the cabinet refinishing yourself. So, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can make your kitchen appear new in only one weekend.

Are you ready to take on this do-it-yourself challenge? If yes, read on to learn how you can repaint and refinish your kitchen cabinet.

How To Repaint Kitchen Cabinet

Phase One: Get Your Cabinet Doors Ready

The first phase of the process is to get those cabinet doors ready for their fresh coat of paint. It is essential to properly prepare your cabinet doors before applying any finish (paint, stain, or otherwise) to achieve the best result with our kitchen cabinets. Follow the below steps to do this:

Step 1: Arrange and Label Your Doors

Door organization and labeling should be done first. Rehanging your doors will be much easier once you’ve gone through these steps.

Step 2: Detach all screws and hinges

The knobs and hinges of the cabinets must be taken off next.

Label and store any flexible hinges in the appropriate locations. Doing this will save the needless effort of readjusting them once they have been rehung.

Step 3: Wipe Down the Cabinet Doors

After the screws have been removed, you may clean the area. Achieving a spotless finish on your cabinets requires thoroughly cleaning the cabinet doors.

Step 4: Sand the door frames

Sanding the doors is the next step after cleaning them. It would be best if you used a mask not to inhale any dust or gases present during this procedure. When sanding cabinets, you should strip off the glossy top coat rather than the whole coat of paint or stain.

Step 5: Set Up Your Workstation

Preparing a functional work area is the last step before you can start refinishing your cabinet doors. There should be enough area to spread the doors and for the paint or stain to dry.

Phase 2: Applying Primers

Priming a cabinet before painting ensures a smooth, even finish. Using a primer on freshly sanded doors creates a smooth surface for applying paint like a pro. Apply primer to the door’s wide surface using a tiny roller. When priming multi-panel doors, it is best to use a paintbrush or foam craft brush to reach all crevices and nooks. Use a good amount of primer and spread it out evenly to create a smooth surface.

Next, wait for the appropriate amount of time specified by the manufacturer for the primer to dry.

Phase 3: Painting Cabinet Doors

Okay, let’s get our brushes out!

Now that you’ve given the primer enough time to dry, it’s time to put on your finishing touches! So, grab that can of fresh, striking paint, and we’ll get started.

Stage One:

Use the roller to paint the bottom panels of any doors with a wide surface.

Stage Two:

Use the paintbrush to paint the door’s moldings and joints. You can either stick with the brush or switch to the roller for a more even coating for the upper door panels.

Stage Three:

Now, wait for the paint to dry according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Do not turn the door over until the paint is completely dry if you also want to paint the door’s inside.

Stage Four:

When the first layer of paint has dried completely, apply a second coat carefully. By doing so, you can be sure that the paint’s hue and its evenness of application will be at their highest possible levels.

Stage Five:

After painting your doors, you must wait at least one day for each coat of paint to “dry” correctly before using the doors. Otherwise, the paint on the cabinets may flake if the doors are rehung too soon after they have been stripped.

Phase 4: Painting Cabinets Boxes

The drying period after painting the doors is an ideal opportunity to do the same for cabinet boxes. Painting the cabinet boxes takes far less time than painting the doors, so allowing them to dry while you work on them is a wise and practical time management move.

When everything is dry, you may consider the job done.

Phase 5: Re-hang the Cabinet Doors

The only thing left to do is rehang the doors and admire your brand new, colorful cabinets in the kitchen.

How To Stain Kitchen Cabinet

Staining is another beautiful type of refinishing you can do to your cabinetry if you are using natural wood kitchen cabinets. Staining cabinets made from natural wood is a lovely method to highlight each piece’s texture and unique details. So, get your kitchen’s natural wood cabinets stained by following these procedures:

Phase 1: Get Your Cabinet Door Ready

The steps in getting your doors ready to be painted or stained are the same; the only difference is in the final coat.

Phase 2: Spread a Wood Conditioner

Using a wood conditioner is essential to attaining an evenly stained cabinet. Utilize a brush or a rag to apply the wood conditioner. For around 15 minutes, let the conditioner sit on the cupboards (or as instructed otherwise on the label). Afterward, remove it with a dry towel.

Phase 3: Wash the Paintbrushes

Brushes and rollers used you will use for the stain should be cleaned with paint thinner before use.

Phase 4: Apply the Stain

It’s finally time to stain! Before using, make sure your stain is well-mixed. A lack of proper stirring of the stain may lead to a surface that is not uniformly stained.

A strong stain will need you to start the refinishing procedure over from scratch practically every time. Of course, you won’t want to go through the previous phases of the process. Therefore, applying lighter applications can help avoid creating a strong stain.

To achieve a lighter appearance, start by applying the stain with a cloth or brush in the same direction as the wood texture. It doesn’t matter which way you spread the stain for a deeper color.

It would be best always to wait until the stain has dried before adding additional. Once you’ve achieved the desired color, let the staining dry completely.

Phase 5: Apply a Varnish

Applying a varnish over the stain is the next step in giving your cabinets a beautiful, long-lasting refinish. You may try polyurethane varnish. It has a property that will keep your freshly stained cabinets safe and sturdy for years. In this case, you should choose a brush of the highest quality. Over brushing might lead to a streaky appearance, so apply it gradually. After spreading the first layer, please wait for it to cure as directed on the polyurethane can. After that, carefully spread a second layer.

And just like that, it’s over! You may now relax and take pleasure in your freshly stained cabinetry.

Phase 6: Re-hang the cabinets doors

Rehang the doors, and you can immediately begin to enjoy the stunning new look of your kitchen cabinets.