How do you paint kitchen cabinets from the 70's?

Question

My cabinets are maple, but the outer "shells" are, I think, "fake" wood. They are stained with a light coat of polyurethane. They are in considerably good shape except around the door handles is grime from our hands opening the doors. (NO Cabinet pulls, a finger grip) I would like to do this as a do-it-yourselfer. What is the cheapest, but best way to paint the cabinets? I want it to look like I bought new cabinets with no paint brush strokes or speckles, etc. etc.

Thanks!!!

Answer 1

Take all the doors off (and mark so you know where to put them back!)

Remove all hardware (hinges, pulls, etc). If you are not replacing drawer/cabinet pulls you should fill the holes with wood filler.

Sand cabinet boxes and doors with a medium grit sandpaper, wipe with barely damp cloth. Repeat with a fine grit sandpaper.

Coat boxes and doors with a coat of a good primer, like Kilz. Be careful to avoid overloading your roller/brush to avoid drips. A foam roller produces good results. If you have the cash, a sprayer works very well, but mind the overspray on the boxes themselves into your kitchen! Some people recommend re-sanding after this layer with the fine-grit paper and wiping. I didn't do this and mine turned out fine.

Paint the cabinets, using roller or sprayer, with a high gloss (for cleaning ease) high quality paint. Don't scrimp on the paint quality; you want it to hold up to the scrubbing and abuse it will endure in the kitchen. You will likely need two coats for good and lasting coverage.

When they are dry, reattach cabinet doors and drawers. Another good, easy (and inexpensive) way to freshen them up is to install new hardware in a more modern finish, like brushed nickel or whatever your preference is.

Good luck! It takes a lot of time but is so worth it and will save you loads over purchasing a new set of cabinets.

Answer 2

Thoroughly clean and lightly sand the doors. It is easiest to do all the work outdoors so you have proper ventilation and it gets done a whole lot faster. Use a primer and the final paint coat color needs to be good paint in a high gloss. Use a small roller (or a big one) that is for hard flat surfaces. The roller can be used along the edges as well...there will be on brush strokes because there is no brush. The issue bigger than brush strokes is paint drips so make sure you don't overload and if you have the space to do it paint the surface so they lay flat and not vertical. Depending on how many doors you have you can lay them all out on the yard or back patio or whatever and do them rather quickly, let one side dry and then flip them and do the other side. There are some paints that even in the high gloss will dry in an hour or two. If you get a good quality paint you won't need a lot of coats especially if you prep the wood properly.

Answer 3

Use a primer that is made to stick to anything, like Zinsser. It is available at Lowes. For the doors, I would suggest you remove the doors from the frames (be sure to mark them on the inside so you know where each door goes!) and then paint them with a top quality paint using a paint sprayer (you can buy or rent these from Lowes as well). Using a paint sprayer will eliminate brush strokes. Just practice first until you get the hang of it and then spray the doors. Paint the frames with a small roller and you should be fine. MAke sure they dry completely before re-installing them. Good luck!

Answer 4

Yes most likely a laminate, as the others have stated to do the best job remove the doors and hardware. Clean them extremely well and give a slight sanding just enough to rough up the poly, then use a good primer let dry overnight then a good semi gloss or all gloss paint, you can spray, or use a roller either will give you a good finnish

Answer 5

The most important step is thorough cleaning, use ammonia and warm water and allow to dry. Then prime, I would use a brush, use thin coats of paint and there won't be any brush strokes. I would use semi-gloss and then a coat or two of a good sealer, the lighter the color the less likely to see flaws in the wood. Good Luck!!

Answer 6

I painted my cabinets with a very small roller and they came out looking like i bought them that way. I did not sand i just painted over the old paint and it worked for me. One thing be prepared for a time consuming job.

Answer 7

Try using a foam rubber "brush." I think you can get them at Walmart. They have a handle, and instead of bristles, it's like a foam rubber slab.