Kitchen Cabinet Painting

The very first thing you'll want to do when refinishing your kitchen cabinets is to take each door off its hinges and give them a good cleaning. Since there are often food contaminants and oil in kitchens, they're prone to being quite messy. We recommend giving each door a good wipe down with a mixture of water and vinegar to start. Make sure you follow this with a wipe down using just water to remove any last remaining surface contaminants as you don't want cleaning products leaving a residue.

After removing oil and dirt, give each door a light sanding with a fine-grit sanding block. You shouldn't need to sand for very long (about 30 seconds per door should do it) but it will give the paint more to grip onto which will mean better adhesion and durability. Since cabinets are a time consuming project to begin with and you want your work to last, this will be time well spent! 

Don't skip cleaning before you sand your piece or you might end up pushing contaminants further into the wood!

Shake and stir your paint, then pour some off into a cup or jar to avoid contamination of your entire can. Apply paint in one direction to ensure a smooth, even finish with minimal brush strokes. Keep in mind that it's better to do two thin coats than one thick coat.

Make sure you allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next step!

Because kitchen cabinets need to withstand a lot of usage, we recommend finishing them with our Tough Coat. It will give your cabinets a very high-end, durable finish that can stand up to daily wear and tear and will wipe clean beautifully. Two coats is best for optimal protection.
Stop by our Tough Coat application tutorial for tips on how to apply this product.

Keep in mind that it takes about one week for Tough Coat to gain full strength, so be extra careful if you decide to use your cabinets straight away.