How Do I Repair My White Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Chances are yous've spotted painted kitchen cabinets on Instagram or Pinterest and thought of recreating the striking look in your own space. However, it'due south easier said than done, since there are a slew of painted kitchen cabinet mistakes to consider earlier y'all even think of grabbing your paint brush. From cleaning the forest thoroughly to sanding surfaces, at that place's no manner around handling the prep work that's needed to ensure a smooth pigment job without any brush marks. Plus, in one case you're finally done painting your cabinets, you need to give them at to the lowest degree a few days to dry to make certain your hard piece of work remains intact. In other words, it'southward an involved process.

In an endeavour to make painting your kitchen cabinets a cakewalk, we checked in with Nicole Gibbons, founder of the paint brand Clare, for her best tips and tricks. For starters, Nicole says it pays to get bold with color rather than simply settling for white. "While white paint can create a clean feeling in a kitchen, there are plenty of opportunities to add more colors that go beyond the basic," she says. "And remember that upper and lower cabinets don't need to lucifer. For a lighter, airier feeling, you can go white or neutral on your uppers and opt for a bolder choice on the lesser."

Ready to learn how to paint your kitchen cabinets? Proceed reading for more top advice from Nicole as well as a few other paint experts. Before you know it, you'll take a new kitchen to bask and show off to family and friends in no time.

Mistake 1: You overlook practicality.

Painted cabinets look lovely, just they aren't going to look totally shine. "If the cabinets have a visible open grain, the grooves are going to bear witness through the paint," warns Don Fahrbach, president of professional person painting company PNP Craftsmen in New York Metropolis.

"Fifty-fifty if it wasn't super obvious when the wood was merely stained, it's going to exist more evident once the paint dries." You can fill the grain with putty, but that can exist fourth dimension-intensive and challenging to get just right.

Fault 2. Y'all don't carve out enough time.

"This isn't a lazy Dominicus project," says Sherry Petersik, who, along with her husband, chronicled kitchen painting projects on her popular blog Young House Love. She says people often think it'due south a weekend chore, but it takes at to the lowest degree four to seven days when you build in the proper prep time (and snack breaks, of course).

Error iii. Y'all don't employ painter's record.

"You'll need to protect and tape off any areas you don't want to paint such as your countertops or the within of your cabinets (if you don't want the inside painted) using painter's record or driblet cloths," Gibbons says. You lot can also use newspaper to protect the insides of your cabinets.

Mistake 4. Yous didn't use the right tools.

"If yous're seasoned and know how to employ an airless paint sprayer, this is the best option for cabinets because you tin get cute, even coverage," Gibbons says. She suggests using a 2-inch angle castor for cut into the inside corners and crevices of your cabinets and a roller for the flat surface areas. Be certain to pick the right pigment roller nap as well, Gibbons advises. "A traditional woven roller volition create too much texturing in your cease, and then opt for a finer textile such as a microfiber option to ensure an ultra-smooth finish," she says. A mini-sized roller that's around iv.5" wide is all-time for a smaller surface surface area similar a cabinet.

Mistake 5: You lot skip cleaning the wood before beginning to pigment.

"No affair how clean you retrieve your kitchen is, y'all need to wipe everything down with a grease remover," says Fahrbach. Otherwise, when you add a water-based paint to an oil-covered door, the paint won't stick. He recommends a paint-prep degreaser called TSP, and a non-scratch fragile scrub sponge for stuck on spots.

Fault 6: You keep the drawers and doors in place.

This is a crucial start step: Accept all the doors off, pull the drawers out and remove the hardware knobs and hinges. Some people endeavor to save time by painting everything — hinges and all — while they're still in place, only Petersik warns that it'due south non a long-term set up.

"Your cabinets and hardware volition offset to chip and evidence signs of clothing within a month — or even immediately." One time the paint on the hinges starts to fissure, all you tin can do is sand everything down and soak the hardware to remove the paint, and then relieve yourself the aggravation.

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Mistake 7: You don't label the position of drawers, doors and hardware.

Because what one time was hung up volition need to go back in the aforementioned place, it'south worth using numbered labels to aid you remember where everything goes. A slice of masking tape stuck to the back of each piece will practice just fine. Y'all should write its exact location (think "higher up sink, left") and then there'll be no guessing where it goes later on. Then stash screws and hinges in a jar for safekeeping.

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Mistake eight: You didn't sand the cabinets.

Even if your hardwood cabinets are in near-perfect condition, you lot still accept to sand them down to the bare woods finish so the pigment sticks, Gibbons says. She recommends sanding them lightly with 120-grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge. "But if your doors are engineered forest or MDF (medium-density fiberboard), you but want to sand lightly enough to rough up the surface for priming," she says.

Mistake nine: Yous left grit on your cabinets while painting.

Vacuum up any debris before you fifty-fifty think of dipping that brush in paint. Merely a few pieces of dust can ruin the wait: "You'll get a gritty terminate and it'll look similar yous painted over sand," says Fahrbach. "To ready it, you'll have to sand it and repaint it all over once again."

Error 10: You didn't bother elevating cabinets earlier painting.

If yous don't prop up your cabinets prior to painting, you run a risk missing edges and corners. Lay doors on painter's pyramids and then you tin can more than easily maneuver a brush around the bottom edges.

Fault 11: You skipped paint primer.

The last thing you want is for knots to bear witness up on your cabinets weeks or months after you've painted them. The best manner to prevent this is with primer. "Priming helps pigment to adhere to surfaces and is a disquisitional step if you're painting cabinets," Gibbons says. Consider Clare's fast-drying, multi-surface paint primer that tin can aid conceal whatever imperfections and fifty-fifty block stains.

Mistake 12: Y'all didn't pigment the surface of your cabinets in the right order.

Don't just spring right in: Gibbons suggests painting the insides of your cabinets first then tackling the doors. Doors typically require a good amount of time, because y'all need to paint both sides and let them fully dry in between coats. You tin begin with the dorsum side of your cabinet doors. Apply one coat, look 24 hours and then motion on to your 2d coat of pigment. After 24 hours, flip the doors over and paint the first glaze on your front-facing side. Wait 24 hours before painting the 2d glaze.

Mistake 13: You chose the wrong paint color.

Of class, at that place's no right or wrong color for your own kitchen. Only for cabinets, it's important you get it right the first time. "This project is easy, but it'southward not the kind of job you're going to want to redo whatsoever time soon if you don't similar the color," says Petersik.

She suggests painting a big poster lath with a tester can in the colour you're considering (you tin can usually become a small one for simply $5). "Hang it up side by side to your backsplash and your appliances and make sure that'southward really the colour you want." If you're stuck on where to start, check out color paint trends for inspiration!

Stride 14: You didn't utilise the best paint brand.

You lot can choose from a slew of pigment brands ranging from Clare to a Good Housekeeping Plant favorite, Benjamin Moore Advance, which has a smooth finish that's kitchen-friendly. While it may be a flake more than than another paints on the shelf, it'due south worth it. Gibbons also likes to apply a satin polyurethane top coat for durability. It helps your paint dry to a very hard, enamel-like end.

And you likely won't be using more than two gallons of paint, and then costs won't be every bit prohibitive equally if you were painting an entire room.

Worried about visible castor marks? Virginia at Live Love DIY follows her brush strokes with a foam roller to shine things out. And a more experienced DIYer might like the cease provided past a spray gun (like Jenny at Little Dark-green Notebook uses), but it'southward a bit more unwieldy than a brush.

Fault 15: Yous put the cabinets back too quickly.

Yeah, information technology'south frustrating to wait days for paint to cure. But if yous accidentally smudge the paint, you take to sand the door and repaint information technology (a hard truth any adult female who's rushed to leave the nail salon surely understands). It's worth the await though. "Painting cabinets can exist tedious, but if you have your time to do it the right way, y'all'll be then happy with the results," Gibbons says.

* Boosted reporting by Lisa Freedman

Monique Valeris Senior Home Editor, Good Housekeeping Monique Valeris is the senior home editor for Expert Housekeeping, where she oversees the make's domicile decorating coverage across impress and digital.

Rachel Rothman, Proficient Housekeeping Institute Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Managing director Rachel is the main technologist & executive technical director at the Skillful Housekeeping Institute, where she oversees testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all labs.