Can you paint kitchen cupboards

Bring your kitchen into this decade by painting laminate cabinets, changing out the doors , or entirely replacing the cabinets. Your choice depends on how much you want to spend. Replacing your cabinets is the most expensive option—cabinetry constitutes nearly three-quarters of the price of a new kitchen.

Stock cabinets are the least expensive option if replacing cabinetry. Refacing is another option. Adding a couple of glass doors can dress up your existing laminate cabinets. Check out quality companies in your area to do the work, or save money by doing it yourself. You can spend a bit more on real wood cabinet doors and drawers, or go with premium rigid thermal foil. Prices depend on materials , door style, and construction frame or frameless. The least expensive option is painting laminate cabinets.

Laminate is not an ideal surface to paint, but it can be done. If you consider the paint job a temporary solution until you can invest in new cabinetry, you'll probably be more satisfied with the results. If you don't prop up your cabinets prior to painting, you risk missing edges and corners. It's tempting to skip this step, but consider this: "Your finished kitchen could look amazing then, three weeks or three months later, knots in the wood can start to bleed through your paint," warns Petersik.

Use a stain-blocking primer she likes Kilz Clean Start , and you won't get surprise blotches as the paint cures. Don't just jump right in: You should start by painting the back of the doors instead of the front. Because if you flip the door too soon and the paint smudges, it will at least face the inside of the cabinet.

Of course, there's no right or wrong color for your own kitchen. But for cabinets, it's important you get it right the first time. While it may be a bit more than some other paints on the shelf, it's worth it.

And you likely won't be using more than two gallons of paint, so costs won't be as prohibitive as if you were painting an entire room. Worried about visible brush marks? And a more experienced DIYer might like the finish provided by a spray gun like Jenny at Little Green Notebook uses , but it's a bit more unwieldy than a brush. Yes, it's super annoying to wait days for paint to cure. Opting for a fresh coat of white paint?

These will need a careful coat of paint—or, opt for a different shade on the interiors, for intrigue. If painting by hand sounds tiresome, it is possible to spray-paint your cabinets. Follow all of the same prep steps with care, then take your cabinet fronts and drawers outside or meticulously cover everything else in the room before spraying. Source a professional-quality sprayer and remember this mantra: multiple thin coats, not one thick one. Search for:. Now is the time to deep-clean.

You can come back from black. Use the hard stuff. Any eggshell or interior wood paint will work on wooden and already painted kitchen doors. Take your time, this is not a Sunday afternoon makeover project. Most specialist cupboard paints are suitable for all wooden and acrylic cabinets. The trick is in the preparation. Home DIY and decorating. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Image credit: Sussie Bell. Image credit: Colin Poole. Photo credit: Rust-Oleum. Video Of The Week. Image credit: Lizzie Orme. How to plan a kitchen — step-by-step guide to planning the perfect space.