Painting the Cabinets

Here are the details of how we painted the cabinets.

Step 1: We removed the doors, hinges, and knobs.


Step 2: We filled any holes or dings with wood putty.


Step 3: Once the putty dried, I lightly sanded all the cabinet doors and cabinets. I know there are some primers that are okay to use with glossy surfaces but because this is such a high traffic area, I really wanted that paint to stick. 


Step 4: I wiped everything down. Then I used a deglosser to take off any leftover sawdust or oil. Twice. That may be overkill, but I really wanted this to work. At this point the wood was dull, clean and ready to paint.

Once I got to this point I couldn't get this picture out of my mind. Kevin and Layla over at The Lettered Cottage added extended molding.

Image source: TheLetteredCottage.net

Isn't it beautiful?! I also love the two different colors they used. I saw this picture a long time ago and loved the idea of extending the tops of our cabinets. However, the thought of just painting the cabinets overwhelmed me, so I wasn't planning on messing with it. Although once I got everything prepped I knew I would be frustrated later on if I didn't just do it while I was in the middle of the mess. 

I first checked to see how easy it would be to take off the existing molding from the top of our cabinets. I was very careful because I wanted to reuse the molding in order to save some time and money. Fortunately, they came off pretty easily and in one piece.

Next I ran to Home Depot and bought two 1 x 6 inch pre-primed MDF boards and two thin pieces of trim.

I don't have a nail gun (yet), so I just used Gorilla wood glue and a few clamps to attach the 1 x 6 to the tops of the cabinets. Once that dried, I glued on the thin strip of trim and then reattached the molding. I planned on adding a few nails but it is surprisingly strong. That said, when we get a nail gun I may add a few nails just for good measure.

I didn't miter cut the 1 x 6 boards for the corners but you do have to miter the edges of the trim. I then caulked in between the trim, cabinets, and the 1 x 6 to make it all look seamless. The pictures below are a close up after they were painted.

Once we got all of that done we were back on track to paint.

Step 5:  We painted one coat with Zinsser BULLS EYE 1-2-3® WATER-BASE PRIMER. I know there are other products that work just as well but we had this on hand from when we painted our trim. I was still a little concerned about it working so when I picked up our paint from Sherwin-Williams I mentioned it to a salesman. He suggested testing the primer by painting a small area on the cabinet, then when dried, lightly cut a small square with a box cutter. Next you cover it with a piece of tape and rub the tape really hard. If any of the primer comes off when you remove the tape, then you need a different primer.


Step 6: We painted our cabinets with Sherwin-Williams ProClassic paint in Alabaster. We decided to go with oil-base in Satin. It has a little more sheen than water-base satin but a little less than water-base semi-gloss. I've done a lot of projects with paint, but I was really nervous about using this paint since I read the reviews online, and there were some who really loved it and others that really hated it. When I brought that up to the sales associate at SW, he assured me it was operator error. That of course made me worry about being one of those misguided operators! So I dug up some tutorials online in order to be as prepared as possible.

Here is a great video that shows how to not only paint but prep for painting:

I totally trust John and Sherry from YoungHouseLove.com. They are pros!

I applied the paint as shown on the video and didn't have any problems. Well, except for my brush. I have a favorite brush that I use for basically everything. It cuts really well eliminating the need for taping (in most projects), and it rarely loses bristles. Anyway, I was told I needed a nice non-synthetic brush for the oil base paint so I forked over the money. This was probably "operator error" but the brush shed like crazy. I was contantly having to wipe off little bristles. Any tips?? I decided to switch back to my trusty brush, and it worked great. I use Premium XL Polyester Tight Spots with a short handle. I love it not only for performance reasons but price as well. It's only $4.99 at Sherwin-Williams.

I also got a great tip a long time ago from a painting pro, Catherine, who happens to be one of my best friends. Instead of cleaning out your brush in between every coat you can wrap your brush up in saran wrap and stick it in the refridgerator until you're ready for the next coat. Brilliant!!

It took three coats of the oil-base paint. We was hoping for only two, but we painted each coat really thin to make sure we didn't get any drips.

Step 7:  Waiting. I was actually glad there was a 24-hour waiting time between each coat so I had and excuse to take a break. Once the last coat was on we then let it sit for 72 hours to let it "cure".


Step 8: Then I got to put my kitchen back together which was by far my favorite part! I love the extended molding more than I thought I would. Not only for looks but because I  now have hidden storage up there for items I don't use as often. My cabinets feel so much roomier now.