Wife on a Dime

DIY Cabinet Painting Project

If you want to paint your cabinets and change your entire kitchen on a budget, keep reading!

Our cabinets are real wood and were stained prior to when we moved in. I was never a fan. I hated them for years because of how dark the kitchen seemed. I started looking on Pinterest for tips on painting cabinets because I’m cheap and since we plan to move, I didn’t want to spend thousands for someone to do it professionally.

Before I painted- September 2019

I came across this paint from Home Depot by Behr that supposedly required no sanding and after reading a few reviews, I ordered it! Worst case scenario for me was that I’d hate it and still be in the same boat I was already in.

Semi-gloss in the color white.

This paint is offered in other color options which I will link below too. I went with white because I wanted them crisp and bright.

Tap this photo for paint color options.

Here’s what I did:

To get started I cleaned my cabinets with a rag and Method brand kitchen degreaser in the spray bottle from Target. You can use any degreaser you’d like. I just sprayed it in the rag and wiped them down to remove any grease that would prevent the paint from bonding to the wood.

I did ZERO sanding and did NOT take the doors off. We have hinges that are inside our cabinets which is why I was able to leave them on with no issues.

I literally only needed half a gallon of paint to do our kitchen. Keep in mind I don’t have a ton of cabinets and didn’t paint the inside because I’m a slacker and I was already tired of painting. 🤣

I also did not use any kind of base before apply the paint because according to the paint and reviews, it’s not necessary.

Tap this photo to shop the paint supplies I used.

I ended up using a small foam brush in the corners and along the edges and a foam roller for the large areas. I also used blue painters tap along the floor and areas I didn’t want painted.

You’ll need to do at least 3 coats of paint. Some areas may need more or less.

I used NO top coat over this paint because I was scared it would yellow and I honestly didn’t need it.

I originally painted the outside of my cabinets last September in 2019. This paint has hardly chipped or budgeted since! Paint applies so smooth and covers so much. There’s literally only two places that chipped a tiny amount in an entire year which I’ve shown below.

Keep in mind these chips happened early on. I’ve read that it takes 30-60 days for this paint to fully cure and harden.

Fast forward to now

I decided to paint the inside of the cabinets that have glass doors. Here’s some before and afters. I’m obsessed. Once again, this paint continues to impress me. Keep in mind, I’m still on my first can of paint!

September 2020- Before
Before
After
After

I’ve never loved my kitchen more than I do now and the cost to do this project was well under $100 for me! Everything I used is linked below and if you have any questions, feel free to comment!

Be sure to subscribe to this blog before you go! 💕

Tap here to shop my supplies