Update: We have a much newer cabinet-painting post with more photos, details, and even a video for you here.
If you can paint a wall (and even if you can’t) you can paint your kitchen cabinets. There are just a few tried and true rules when attempting this project, so if you follow the simple steps outlined below it’ll be pretty hard to screw things up. And although you’ve all seen our newly renovated kitchen, we actually painted our previous 50-year-old knotty pine cabinets right after we moved in (to tide us over until we had the funds to replace them altogether). Check out the dark and dingy kitchen that we inherited with the house:
And the refreshing “after” thanks to only a few hours of prepping and painting:
So how did we do it? Easy peasy.
Step 1: Figure out what you want. Bring home paint swatches and select the perfect palette, and if you’re planning to replace your hardware, purchase some before you move on to the next step. Because most old hardware is a different size than newer hardware (the holes are further apart or closer together), it’s important to know if your new door and drawer bling is spaced differently than your current hardware before you begin. Then it’s nice to wash everything down with a little soap and water to cut the grease and the spills that have built up on the doors and drawers over the years. Nothin’ like a little sponge bath to get you in the mood to makeover your kitchen…
Step 2: Take it off, baby. Now it’s time to remove all of your hardware and your hinges (regardless of whether you’ll be reusing it or replacing it- and it helps to store everything in a big ziplock bag so you’re never short a screw). Of course by removing the hinges you’ll be removing all the doors, so finding a place that you can lay out a big fabric or plastic drop cloth (which are about $2 from Home Depot or Lowe’s) is a good idea. Once you have your drop cloth in place, lay out all your cabinet doors and drawers so you can paint them all together in one convenient spot (and have full access to the frames of the cabinets in the kitchen).
Step 3: Fill ‘er up. Then if you’re replacing your hardware with something that won’t fit the existing holes in your doors and drawers, you’ll want to pick up some wood filler (it’s around $6 a tube, which is all ya need) and fill those existing hardware holes in all of the doors and drawers. There are many different colors of wood fill, but since you’re painting your cabinets, matching the tone isn’t really a big deal (although it can’t hurt to grab the one that most closely resembles the color of your current cabinets).
Step 4: Get sandy. The sanding process isn’t always necessary (for example, our cabinets weren’t glossy so we skipped it and went straight to priming) but for some people with super shiny cabinets (aka: lots of polyurethane) it can’t hurt to run an electric sander over everything- or take a bit more time to hand sand things- with fine grit paper to rough everything up for maximum paint stickage. Not sure if yours need to be sanded? If they feel matte like a cutting board (a little absorbent) then they shouldn’t need it, but if they feel shiny like a laminated piece of paper or a glossy credit card then sanding is your best bet. Note: lead paint is a serious health risk when sanding, so if you have an older home with already-painted cabinets that look decades old it’s worth testing for lead with a $6 lead test kit from Home Depot. Safety first!
Step 5: It’s prime time. Due to all the grease and even just the wood stain that often coats kitchen cabinets, it’s über important to get down and dirty with oil-based primer (even if the water-based equivalent claims that it works just as well on cabinet surfaces, we’ve seen stains seep right through that stuff, so oil-based is the better-safe-than-sorry alternative). One coat of primer applied with a decent quality roller should do the trick (then just use a brush to get into those tigher spaces and the grooves in the doors). We prefer wool or polyester rollers (Purdy’s a great brand) over foam ones as we’ve found that they rile up the paint and cause bubbles. Oh and it doesn’t matter if you can still see the wood tone underneath after one coat, the primer’s main job is to make your cabinets sticky and the paint will do the rest. You’ll probably want to snag an extra brush just for priming since they’re usually pretty messed up afterwords (it’s best to toss it or save it for other priming projects and use a pristine new one for painting). And ditto with the roller. We usually don’t even try washing the oil-based paint out of it- and prefer to replace it with a fresh new one before painting for a seamless result (reused rollers and brushes can often compromise the smooth finish that you’re going for when it comes to your cabinets).
Step 6: Get your paint on. You’re in the home stretch, so just two coats of latex paint (in a semi gloss finish for easy wipe-ability) are next on the agenda. You’ll definitely want to wait a few hours after applying primer, but I actually primed and painted my cabinets (two coats!) all in the same day. When it comes to applying the paint, a high quality wool or polyester roller makes for the sleekest application. A mini foam roller can also help since it’s smaller and easy to control. You’ll also probably need to use a brush sparingly, just to get into those little cracks and crevices that your roller can’t reach. Do yourself a favor by buying an angle-tipped brush as opposed to a flat-tipped one- they make staying in the lines a lot easier.
Note: We didn’t prime or paint the inside of the doors, but our approach would be to prime/paint them first and then wait five days and turn them over and prime/paint the outside (that way if anything got a bit imperfect after being flipped face down, it would be on the inside- an therefore less noticeable).
Step 7: Wait for it. After two coats of latex paint you now have to practice patience. Most experts advise waiting at least three days to rehang or begin using your doors and drawers (especially since the rehanging process involves lots of holding and pressing and drilling which can muck up anything that’s not 100% dry). We actually advise waiting five days if ya can (it beats doing the whole thing all over again and guarantees a totally seamless finish even in high humidity).
Step 8: Hang in there. Then all you have to do is rehang your doors (either using your existing hinges or new ones), slip in your drawers, and add your hardware. If the hardware is new, take time to measure twice before you drill to avoid any annoying mistakes that will make you want to putty and repaint, which never looks as good as the flawless finish that you get the first time around. John actually took his sweet time drilling all of our holes for the new hardware (to the tune of about two hours) but it was well worth the assurance that everything was perfectly centered and right where it should be. In this case slow and steady wins the race.
*Oh and it bears noting that if your cabinets are anything but solid wood (laminate, veneered, etc) you should definitely take off a door or a drawer and bring it with you to your local hardware store and ask the paint pro there what they recommend. There are some great oil-based primers and enamel paints out there so it might be possible to get a semi-durable finish (although none as long-lasting as solid wood paint jobs). The key is really roughing up the surface so it’s less glossy and then priming and painting with the best stuff they have (usually oil or enamel based). Oh and don’t forget to let everything dry for a while so things can cure up and get super durable for the long haul.
So that about does it for our cabinet painting and refinishing tutorial. Of course Step 9 is to invite all of your friends over for celebratory margaritas or to do the happy dance every time you walk into your amazing new space. We hope this will help you completely transform your kitch on a dime and in a flash. And just in case you need a few more before & after pictures to convince you, here are two clients of ours that we helped transform their rooms with painted cabinets:
Here’s Kim’s crazy blue kitchen that she inherited with her home:
And here’s her two-tone masterpiece after a quick paint makeover (we suggested slightly different colors for her upper and lower cabinets):
And here’s Carla’s kitchen before she came to us for help:
And here it is after we encouraged her to paint her cabinets a crisp glossy white tone (along with her dining room chairs) while the dining table went black to mimic the backsplash:
Amazing what a little paint can do, eh? And if they can do it you can to! So if you have a spare weekend or even a few week nights you’ll be well on your way to a totally new room. Happy painting…
In need of a furniture painting tutorial? Fret not, we’ve gotcha covered.
Update: We have a much newer cabinet-painting post with more photos, details, and even a video for you here.
Alicia M says
Thanks a bunch!
becky says
Hello,
I am amazed by some of your kitchen renovations! We just got married and are trying to update our kitchen, I wanted to start with painting the cabinets. I am having a heck of a time figuring out what color to paint the cabinets. We have light-blue tiled counter-tops. Also a tile backsplash (with the same tiles above the cabinets, some of the tiles have a colorful floral pattern. However, the tiles are slightly off-white, so I think a crisp white cabinet would make them look dingy. Any ideas? The walls are a deep blue. Thanks so much for any advice!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Becky,
A sandy tan tone or even a medium mocha color would look great for your cabinets, just bring home a bunch of swatches to pick a color with the right undertones to work with both the off-white tiles and the blue tones (probably something a bit cool, so nothing too tawny or wheaty). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Marjorie says
Sherry,
Just stumbled upon your site. Wonderful! I have a 1977 kitchen not unlike the picture of your knotty pine and am debating whether or not to paint the cabinets. The top cabinets are dark but in good condition. The bottom cabinets, however, really show their age. The previous owners had a small dog who scratched at the bottoms and my own 3 kids have done a lot of damage resulting in large patches where the finish is totally gone. I have been reading about painting and it looks like a huge, scary project. After 13 years in this kitchen. I just can’t take it any more but don’t have the $$ for new. So, to paint or to spot stain the bottom cabinets? Any ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Marjorie,
Staining cabinets is always more of a job than painting (which naturally goes on more smoothly and covers evenly without worrying about deeper patches or areas- which certainly might be a problem in those areas that got the most wear in your kitchen). I would definitely recommend painting them because it’s cheaper and easier- you could do the bottom cabinets in an afternoon and just leave them to dry for a few days and be done! With regards to the color, I wouldn’t try to match the stained color of the top cabinets in paint on the bottom (it will look strange since they’ll never really “match”) so I’d go for a complement, perhaps something a bit deeper or even a complementary color so it looks intentional and deliberate and not cobbled together in hopes of a match. Good luck!
xo,
s
Marjorie says
Thanks for the suggestions, Sherry. If it is not the onerous 6 week project I have heard about I might be willing to do both top and bottom so it will not look like a job half done. Also, our kitchen is very dark as we are surrounded by woods. Light cabinets would do a lot to lighten the room. Question: When you paint cabinets, do you paint the interiors and drawer sides as well?
YoungHouseLove says
When it comes to painting the interiors of the cabinets, it’s definitely a great idea with glass fronted ones (in fact we painted the back of our white glass fronted cabinet in the same pale blue wall color as the rest of the kitchen for a nice subtle pop behind the glass). As for whether you have to paint inside the doors when they’re not glass, it’s totally up to you (we only did the fronts of our doors and drawers but if we weren’t planning to replace them down the line we probably would have done the insides and the backs of the doors for resale). You also might want to put down contact paper on the bottoms of the cabinets if you paint the inside of yours since paint can be tacky for a while and prone to chipping (if you’re banging dishes on it and stuff) so that will give a truly finished and durable look. Hope that helps!
xo,
s
Caroline says
I’ve been reading all of the tutorials and comments and am now thoroughly confused. I am painting un-hung, standard, unfinished wood slab doors and have already applied a coat of latex-based primer (Kilz2). From the looks of it, I should have used oil-based primer, no? Can I now go back and use a coat of oil-based primer on the doors before I start in with the latex paint? And what is the best way to cover such an expanse — roller or brush? I used a brush with the Kilz2, but am open to whatever will leave the best finish in the end, whether that is an angled brush or a poly roller. Thanks in advance for your help.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Caroline,
Yes, it’s not too late to go back and apply oil-based primer (just one thin and even coat) to prep your soon-to-be-painted cabinets tfor increased durability and a long-lasting chip-free finish. Then following that with two coats of semi-gloss latex paint should do the trick. Try to use a high quality roller on as many surfaces as possible for an even finish, but of course you’ll have to whip out an angled brush to get into the nooks and crannies and do all the edging and cutting in. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Angie says
Hi Sherry!
I love your blog! Me and my husband just bought a new little townhome and I just pained the kitchen a tuscan/light burgandy reddish hue. The bay in the kitchen is a very pale yellow. I have laminate off white countertops and wood cabinets. I love your ideas about painting the cabinets, I think it would look great in my kitchen. I’m just not sure what color since the counters are laminate and off-white…Should I paint at all?
Thanks so much!
Angie
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angie,
While we love the crisp and updated look of painted cabinets, we never like to convince anyone to do it. You really have to look at your kitchen and decide what will tickle your fancy since you’re living there and not us! Perhaps trolling the web or checking out some decorating magazines will help you to find a few kitchens that you love, and you can analyze whether they have painted cabinets or natural ones. Then you’ll have some direction as to whether you’d like yours better painted. As for a color, since your counters are off-white, you’ll want to go with something in a sandy tan tone or even a mocha color. This will provide a glossy all-one-color look that the wood cabinets don’t, but it’ll still work with your off-white counters (you’ll want to hold swatches up to the counters to find something with a similar undertone that’s just a shade or two darker). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Joelle says
Hi Sherry,
I was wondering if you have heard much about the possibility of painting white thermofoil. Our new house has white thermofoil from the late 90’s and it is chiping and discolored in places, but we don’t want to spring for (or I should say don’t have the $ for!) a total redo at the moment.
Thanks!
Joelle
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Joelle,
Eeks, bad news. I’ve heard that painting thermofoil isn’t usually successful since it’s sort of like painting laminate (there’s no tooth for primer or paint to hold to). Maybe you can remove a door and bring it to the paint professional at Home Depot or Lowe’s and see if they have any suggestions. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katherine says
Hi Sherry,
We’ve just bought our first house, and are planning on painting the kitchen cabinets. I’m wondering if you have any tips for how to paint both sides of the doors without getting smudges. It seems like if we detach the doors, and paint one side, then flip it around to do the other side, it will end up getting mucked up. Hopefully my question makes sense to you. Also, I really love the blue kitchen makeover – can you tell me what colour was used on the upper cabinets?
Thanks!!
Katherine
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katherine,
I wouldn’t have personal experience painting both sides of cabinets since we painted the inside of our new glass fronted cabinets and the outside of our old knotty pine cabinets but never at the same time, but my advice would be to extend your timeline by double so you can let the fronts dry thoroughly before flipping the doors over (they should be laid out on a tarp or something for painting) and painting the other sides. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Cathy says
Do you have recommendations on specific Benjamin Moore white paints? There seems to be a gazillion whites to choose from. Also, what type of paint and finish would you recommend. I was thinking of goinw with BM’s Aura in semi-gloss or satin?
One last question, if you don’t mind. I’m repainting the kitchen cabinet to be white. The trim in the kitchen is white. Do you think the whites need to match (for the cabinets and trim)?
Thanks for your advice!!
Cathy
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cathy,
We like BM’s Decorators White best. It’s not aura but it’s a classic white paint that’s not too stark or too yellow. We like semi-gloss for kitchens and bathrooms as well as trim but flat paint for walls and ceilings. And as for the trim and the cabinets being the same white, I would paint the cabinets and see how it looks. If the difference is obvious I’d paint the trim to match but if not you might get to leave it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Corinne says
Hi Sherry,
My daughter just moved into a darling 1960’s era ranch house with accompanying dark wooden cabinets in her kitchen that made it look very dated. She wanted a fresh white kitchen and painted her dinette and kitchen walls in fresh two toned greens: Behr’s Grass Cloth and a tone darker under the white chair rail trim. We helped her to paint her kitchen cabinets in a white latex semigloss(Valspar paint), after carefully and laboriously sanding the dark wood cabinets, then priming with oil based Kilz as suggested. We were able to begin painting the first coat of paint within a couple hours of priming because it dried so quickly. It looked great after that first coat, but we knew it would look even better with a second coat….so about 4 hours later, we started in on finish coating the cabinetry frames. I was very surprised when within a half an hour, some of the smoothly painted cabinets appeared to show some pretty awful looking puddled drips! How did this happen? We had to wipe off some of the second coat in some areas, and again wait for several hours to redo the second coat. It was disappointing to see the results were not very smooth. We used brushes and were very careful about not applying too thickly the second go round. There are shadows of areas where you can see the edges of the paint that we tried to erase that puddled and dripped! What an agonizing problem after all that hard work! Do you know why this might have happened? Did we paint to soon? Was the coverage too thick? Could humidity have been a problem? It was a very hot humid day…even though we had AC on…still muggy! Could she lightly sand the bad areas now that a week has past in time and redo these areas with a smoother coat? I just found your website and have learned some tricks that I wished I’d known before starting this job. Maybe using rollers instead of brushes may have helped us out. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Corinne,
I would guess that you could have waited longer to apply the second coat and it probably could have been thinner as well. Drips can only mean one thing: too much paint on the brush. And brushstrokes are usually caused by too much paint or going over paint that is semi-dry which results in pulls and mars and strokes instead of the smooth finish that comes with thin even coats (once you apply the second coat resist the urge to go over area with the brush again a few minutes later which always ruins the smooth finish of moving over one area once and leaving it be).
As for moving forward sanding things down and applying another thin and even coat to the whole piece will result in something that should be smoother (touching up certain areas won’t be as seamless and painting a thin and even coat on the whole piece). And I would actually stick to a high quality paint brush over a roller since rollers can cause bubbles and rile up the paint since they move faster than a brush. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Corinne says
Thanks Sherry! I’ll forward this on to my daughter so she can fix it up nicely! Wonderful blog you’ve got here! So glad I found you!
Blessings, Corinne
Kim says
Hi! I have to say I love your site. My husband and I just closed on a house and there will be tons of decorating to come. I get so much inspiration from checking your site every day! On the topic of cabinet painting (our kitchen cabinets are a dark knotty wood in need a makeover), what is the process for cleaning the cabinets before starting with primer? Is it as simple as a damp sponge and giving them a once over? Or is there a special cleaning solution and/or supplies we should buy? And how long after the cleaning process can the primer be applied?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Just some mildly soapy water on a sponge and then a light rinse (going over them again with a damp but soap free sponge) should do the trick. I would wait at least 5 hours or so for them to thoroughly dry (ideally you could do this step the day before so you have a full day of drying time before priming). It’s also easier to wipe down the cabinets while they’re still hanging up (and the drawers are still in) so you might want to do this step before removing them to prep them for painting. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katherine says
Hey Sherry,
Thanks so much for your help! I have one more question: when we went to the paint store, they recommended either melamine paint for the cabinets, or an acrylic paint that is meant for kitchens and bathrooms. I know you recommend semi-gloss latex paint, so I wondered whether you know anything about melamine, and whether that would be a good choice, and also whether acrylic and latex are the same, or if it is something different.
Thank you!!!!
Katherine
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katherine,
We don’t have experience with melamine or acrylic paint for cabinets (we’ve personally used the semi-gloss latex method with success and have also heard from many professional painters who use the same approach) so that’s what we’re inclined to recommend. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katherine says
Thanks again Sherry! Wish me luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Luck!
xo,
s
patti says
i can’t believe i haven’t found your site sooner! i was looking for advice on painting our kitchen cabinets and you two provided such a great step by step process. we are in the middle of a very painstaking kitchen remodel. so far, we have gorgeous new concrete counter tops…and that’s about it! we got them free in trade, so it prompted getting the other work in the kitchen done. our cabinets are polyurethaned birch and super glossy – probably from the 50’s if i had to guess. i’m hoping to get them to a crisp white. thanks to your process here, it doesn’t seem so out of reach! thank you thank you!!
Kim says
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for the cleaning guidelines! Very helpful! One last question…clean first and then sand? Or sand first and then clean? I guess that’s two questions! : ) I would think to sand first and then clean since I would imagine there might be sand or dust particles from the sanding process that should be removed. But your step by step instructions include cleaning as step 1, so I just want to be sure!
Thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Actually, wiping down the cabinets with mildly soapy water is the first step, then sand, then wipe everything down with a slightly damp cloth afterwards (no soap at that point). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Elaine says
Hopefully you will read this, even though this post is a bit older. I am in a new home, constructed in late 2008. I have light brown tiles, a solid surface counter top, stainless steel appliances, and a brownish tile backsplash (same tiles as the floor). The cabinets are solid maple. I guess you could consider them about a reddish color. I am considering painting them black. Most of your comments come from owners of older homes…what are your thoughts on painting cabinets that are brand new? Do you think that would increase my resale value or kill it? Thoughts?
Elaine
PS…I love your site and am basically recreating your house here in my little home in Oklahoma. I’ll send before and after pics, but it might be a few months. :-) I’ve never “met” any couple with taste as similar to my husband and I.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elaine,
We always say that you should love your home and if you try to work with something you don’t love you often spend more money with an unsatisfactory result whereas if you fix what you don’t love you quickly gain a totally new room that floats your boat. Obviously if you’ll be reselling your home soon it’s something to carefully consider since some buyers like natural wood (while other, like you, prefer a painted finish) so think long and hard about how long you’ll be in your home and what you’d like to get from it and hopefully the answer will become clear!
xo,
s
Mara says
Hi Sherry,
I’m planning to paint our kitchen cabinets but I don’t know what color to choose. And I need your help. We have a brick red backsplash that just go all the way to the dining room that I’m planning to paint a light cream color (glidden’s wish) just like the color of the bricks on your den. What do you think is the best color for my kitchen cabinets other than white? By the way, I have a cream countertop. Is it okay if I paint my backsplash a light cream color even if I have a color cream countertop? or can you recommend another color for the backsplash.
Also, can I use the same oil based primer for both the bricks and the cabinets? and what should I paint first, the bricks or the cabinets?
Thank you in advance.
Mara
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mara,
Glidden no longer makes Wishes (the color of the den) but you can ask the guy at Home Depot to look up the formula on the computer and make you a gallon- you just can’t find a swatch anymore. I think Wishes will look lovely with a cream countertop so I say go for it. As for the cabinet color, a sandy tan tone like Cedar Key by Benjamin Moore will look awesome and feel classic enough to be around for a long time without looking dated. As for what to do first, I would prime everything first with a thin and even coat of the same oil-based primer and then paint the backsplash first followed by the cabinets. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Christy says
Just stumbled onto your site, and I love it! We recently moved from a city where we lived in a gorgeous 90 year old home, to a new city, where we now live in a drab, tall, rectangle from the 1970’s. We’ve redone quite a bit, little by little, starting with the inside first. We’ve installed hardwood floors, redone a downstairs bathroom, and now we are ready to tackle the kitchen. We aren’t in a position financially to totally redo it, so painting the cabinets and new hardware will have to tide us over. My dilemma is this. I do not like white kitchen cabinets. We bore children who are genetically predisposed to mucking up anything white. My old, outdated cabinets are like yours, only on their 19th coat of white paint, slathered all over a previous country blue(!?). I like black, but we have white appliances, and can’t really replace all of those at the moment either. What colors would you suggest? We have hardwood in our kitchen as well. The kitchen opens up into the den, which is painted red. Plus, these are some old country looking cabinets with vertical wooden slats on the doors. I’m open to suggestions, anything but country. By the way, your house looks fantastic!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christy,
So glad you found our site! We’d suggest a sandy tan or a rich mocha color for the cabinets which will feel cohesive and timeless with those white appliances. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rhonda says
What a fantastic site you have!! I’m finding the tutorial on the kitchen cabinets to be VERY helpful.
We originally thought of doing a dark (mocha?)wood stain, but have since realized that it is very difficult to get a good, even final product. We have now turned our idea to paint. We are having a hard time deciding on what color to paint our cabinets. Ours are the ‘orangy’ oak just like the kitchen makeover above. I really like the white final product, but wonder how ours would look since we have all white appliances. Would that be too stark? Or would you recommend another color like buttercream? I’d really like to hear what you’d suggest.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rhonda,
With white appliances we routinely suggest white paint for the cabinets as they create a cohesive and consistent look in your kitchen (and may even make the space feel bigger and more expansive). Buttercream is another great option though, so rest assured that either way you’ll end up with something light and lovely. Happy painting!
xo,
s
Marjorie says
Sherry,
I am struggling to pick colors for my kitchen cabinet redo. I love the idea of white cabinets, but our fridge is ivory and the stove is ivory and black. Countertops, formica faux butcher block. Do you have any favorite ivory/cream colors that would work? Also, we have dark trim throughout the house and the windows and doors are also wood. Do you paint the trim in the kitchen when the rest of the house is dark? If so, what do you use with ivory/cream?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Marjorie,
I would definitely suggest something in the taupe/cream/soft mocha family for your cabinets and the best bet is to bring home a lot of swatch cards and hold them up to your appliances/counter to see which ones look lovely with both. Then when it comes to your trim you know we’d paint it white (that should be our middle name) but it’s really your call. It will look light and lovely with the new cream cabinets (the whole room will look so fresh and updated and polished) but if you opt to leave it you’ll still have a totally new looking kitch thanks to the cabinet project. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marta says
Hi Sherry,
I happened to come across your website and it has some amazing ideas!!! We are taking possesion of our new house at the end of August and hoping to do a redo on our kitchen cabinets. They are less than 5 years old – shaker style and oak but the colour is not my favourite (pinky)!
The appliances are white. We will be repainting but I’m torn between painting the cabinets dark brown on the bottom half and lighter on top or 1 solid colour throughout. I really like dark cabinets but not sure if it would look good in paint vs. stain. We are having a hard time deciding on what color to paint our cabinets to go with the white appliances. Would you suggest to stick with white?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh go for a chocolate color on the bottom and a mocha color on top. You can even slide down the paint chip to make sure they’re in the same tone (instead of picking two different paint watches and wondering if their undertones will work together). Hope it helps! Definitely send us before and after pics!
xo,
s
Marta says
Thanks so much for your suggestion. That’s a great idea! I love the idea of chocoate. Wasn’t sure if all chocolate would be too dark. I tried to upload a pic of the before shot. Not sure if it works :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40326621@N07/3723024955/
Will send in the after.
Thanks!
Misty says
Hi! Could you explain to me the reason for oil-based primer? We have a water-based primer that we bought for the trim and had planned to use it on the cabinets as well. The cabinets and trim are both wood and are practically the same color so I assumed it would work fine. Thanks!!!
Misty
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Misty,
It might just work fine but we always recommend oil-based since it’s a much thorough process that blocks stains and oils from coming through the wood and ruining your finish. It’s totally your call, but we just recommend it all the time since it’s always better to be safe than sorry- especially with cabinets (oil-based primer is most often recommended for the job). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mary says
Hello there,
It must have been on another post but I remember you recommending a white paint for cabinets that you said was the BEST. But I can’t find that note. Let me know when you have a moment. We are moving into a 90 year-old house in a couple weeks and I will have some cabinets to paint :)
Thanks!!
Mary
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mary,
One of our favorite white paint colors is Decorators White by Benjamin Moore. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mary says
Well, it was a conversation in response to a reader question asking what white paint you had used on your cabinets. You responded that your cabinets were not painted but a friend of yours just painted their cabinets white and you thought the color they used was the hands-down best white color for painting cabinets. I am sure I could find it if I searched a little longer but your site can be kinda hard to search.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, that’s Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore. Hope it helps!
xp.
s
Kara says
Do you paint the inside of the cabinets?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kara,
When it comes to painting the interiors of the cabinets, it’s definitely a great idea with glass fronted ones (in fact we painted the back of our white glass fronted cabinet in the same pale blue wall color as the rest of the kitchen for a nice subtle pop behind the glass). As for whether you have to paint inside the doors when they’re not glass, it’s totally up to you (we only did the fronts of our doors and drawers but if we weren’t planning to replace them down the line we probably would have done the insides and the backs of the doors for resale). You can also cover the bases of the cabinet interiors (after you paint them) with shelf liner to keep the newly painted bottoms of the shelves from sticking to plates and glasses if they’re still a bit tacky or grippy from the fresh coat of paint. Hope that helps!
danielle says
LOVE your makeovers. We inherited a kitchen with cabinets painted a cream color – but the cream has strong yellow undertones which I don’t love. My dilemma is that the tile floors are also cream strong yellow undertones and right now match the cabinets well. The crown moulding and window franes however are white and clash with the cupboards too. I’d love to repaint but can’t replace the floors…(we have black granite counters/black hardware and stainless steel appliances). Do you have suggestions of a color/shade change that would work for the cabinets taking the cream/yellow tile floors into consideration?? I’m totally stumped. THANK YOU!
YoungHouseLove says
I would go for a soft grey color. Buttery yellows and soft cloud-like grey colors look great and soft grey cabinets will really be timeless and work with your stainless appliances and your countertops too. You might want to try Benjamin Moore’s Nimbus as a starting point. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Linda says
What an amazing site you have! I have been inspired!!! We would like to repaint our kitchen cabinets AGAIN (you don’t want to know how many times I have done it already). We have grey (quite dark) ceramic tile on the floor and the backsplash is beige tile. We plan to replace the counter top (any colour suggestions would be appreciated). We have stainless steel appliances. Any suggestions for cabinet colours/backsplash colours and counter colours would be appreicated!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Linda,
I would do a soft cream color on the cabinets so it ties in with the beige backsplash (perhaps it’s two shades lighter for contrast) and lightens up that dark floor. It will look fresh and bright without being stark white (which might no complement the backsplash as much). As for the counter, you might want to consider a lovely natural butcher block counter (Ikea sells them extremely cheaply and they look even lovelier after a lot of use. You could also go for a granite in the same cream family as the cabinets (perhaps a little darker with swirls of the beige that exists in the backsplash). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tiffany says
Sherry,
Thank you so much for your post on painting kitchen cabinets. At first we were hesitant to paint ours white, but after some online research and checking out amazing before & after photos (including the ones you posted here) we decided to take the leap. We followed the steps you recommended and the results are AMAZING! I didn’t think I disliked the cabinets before, but when I look at the photos now, going white was hands down the right thing to do. We’ve painted the walls to match the rest of the dining/living room and last weekend we were lucky to have some family help install under cabinet lights to further brighten up the space. Now I am struggling with the backsplash. I want to tile it – but am having a hard time picking a color! Any advice?
YoungHouseLove says
So glad you’re loving your new white cabinets. It’s such a classic choice and they’ll brighten the room for years to come! As for backsplash tile, there are so many amazing glass tile mosaics out there along with glass subway tiles which we also adore. They come in subtle colors like sandy tan or soft blue or even pearly green or buttery squash so picking something like that will add lots of lightness and subtle gleaming tones to your space. And of course bringing home a few options and holding them up in the space to make the final choice always helps! Good luck…
xo,
s
g says
I love these before-and-afters! Could you tell me where to find green curtains and a green rug similar to those in Carla’s kitchen? I love that color. And what are they made of–is that velvet or silk (or something else)? Thanks much!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey G,
To see more details about Carla’s kitchen makeover, click here (and don’t forget to check out the comments for more info). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ruth says
Hi! Thanks to your suggestions and pictures we’ve seen on the web, we’re seriously thinking about painting our cabinets white – we also have white appliances. You mention Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore. Can you suggest good white paint colors that I can get at Home Depot (Behr, Glidden) that can go with white appliances? There are so many whites out there!
Gail says
Hi there! We just bought an old house with a kitchen that has maple cabinets, black appliances and hardwood floors. The appliances have got to stay, for at least awhile. I was wondering what color cabinets would you suggest with *black* appliances? The backsplash isn’t so bad: white tile. The countertops are a very green Corian and we’ll likely change them.
P.S. Love your work, love your site!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Gail,
Hmm, that’s a toughie. What about a rich medium brown tone that won’t look too light (which would make dark appliances stick out like a sore thumb). I’d try Benjamin Moore’s Cobalt Trail. Yummy. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Luisa says
Hi! I simply love what you guys have done! All of your work is amazing. I, too, have knotty pine cabinets and am thinking of painting them. They make my kitchen seem so dark and lifeless.Here is the problem- we have a cream/grey/black granite counter and a beige travertine backsplash. I believe that granite is called St Cecilia. What color do you recommend for the cabinets and walls to add brightness to my kitchen? Thanks…you guys rock!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Luisa,
I’d try bringing home Benjamin Moore’s Mocha Cream and Muskoka Trail and holding each swatch up against your counter and backsplash to select the one that looks best with both. They’re each creamy neutrals with beige and a bit of gray in them so they should really look amazing on your cabinets (and lighten things up 10000%!). Oh and definitely send us some before and after photos. The transformation will be unbelievable!
xo,
s
Evelyn says
I love your ideas for painting kitchen cabinets. We have an older home and the kitchen is small so we have tried to keep things light with using white to make the kitchen feel bigger. We currently have white and black tile on the counter and backsplash, the floor has white grey and black tile design. What color would you suggest that we paint our cabinets and walls? Our refrigerator is white and the stove is white and black. We are also going to redo the counter top tiles so any suggestions that you have for that would be greatly appreciated as well.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Evelyn,
I would go with a crisp white tone for the cabinets to really lighten things up and integrate the appliances (Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White) and then add a soft warm gray on the walls to keep things feeling airy and cohesive (Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter). Then when it comes to the counter, picking a deeper shade of the wall color for that will make everything feel tied together and lovely (perhaps bring along a swatch of Benjamin Moore’s Smoke Embers for comparing to countertop options). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Peggy says
I’m doing it!!! I’m going to paint my cabinets. Eeek! My kitchen cabinets are cherry wood and rather orange if you ask me. I like that they’re solid wood but not the colour. I’ve been doing a few slow updates and renos around the house, one being painting all the trim white (instead of unpainted fingerjoint pine) and installing light laminate floors and the way those two things alone have lightened the room (colourwise as well as in terms of feel) is incredible! A bit more construction will enable me to paint my kitchen and living room different colours (it’s an open concept) and those fresh colours are demanding a much lighter colour on the cabinets. And though I’m terrified of those first few brush strokes, who am I to let that demand go unheeded?
It’s all your fault, you know. I spent the weekend reading your new-to-me blog all the way through in reverse chronological order and you’ve given me the motivation and inspiration to just go for it. Thank you!! Hopefully it turns out the way I envision it.
Peggy says
As an aside, any idea on what to do with the kick plates (toe kicks?) I’m hoping to paint them in Almond Cream (MF Paints), a very light, creamy, almost white. The kicks are currently stained the same colour as the cabinets, cherry. I can’t envision black kicks against the light cabinets and light laminate floors but don’t see that white or cream kicks would be all that practical.
Peggy (brogansmomma) says
Sorry. Just me again. There are pictures on my blog if you have a second to take a look. The other thing that was suggested to me was to paint the trim above the cabinets (pseudo crown molding that bridges the gap between the cabinet tops and the ceiling) white like the window trim and baseboards. I can only that it would stick out in a bad way if I did that, although the cabinet colour will hopefully be not too far away from white (ie: not a full out cream or yellow tone).
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Peggy,
Definitely paint the toe kicks the same color as the cabinets. You’ll never notice them and they’ll stay cleaner than you think. I believe any other color will be more jarring and draw more attention to them than a few scuffs might anyway.
I agree with you on the pseudo crown)- keep it the cabinet color to add height and minimize the emphasis on that part of the room. Hope it helps! Happy painting…
xo,
s
Carrie says
I just (as in an hour ago) finished painting my kitchen cabinets Decorator’s White, but am now freaking because I did not use oil based primer. I just painted right over the previous paint we had on. I guess we’ll wait and see how soon they chip. Boo! I’m now questioning my paint colors (Hawthorne Yellow on walls, Decorator’s White on cabinets) because we have black appliances that seem to stand out a lot now.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carrie,
I’m sure it’ll be fine. If you don’t see something (grease, brown stains, etc) seeping through the paint within the first few hours you’re usually ok. Fingers crossed for you! Decorators White and Hawthorne Yellow are two of our favorites so we’re sure it’s lovely!
xo,
s
Vicky Barrett says
I just have to ask, do you think stainless steel appliances are the only way to go? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your site! I am addicted…..
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Vicky,
Definitely not! We know tons of kitchens with white and even black appliances that look fresh and inviting. The key is keeping the cabinet contrast down if you have white or black appliances so they don’t stick out like sore thumbs (ex: go with white or light cabinets with white appliances and darker wood stains or paint colors with black ones). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Peggy says
Frick!! So I’m priming my cabinet doors all obedient-like with oil-based primer and things are going okay. I keep reminding myself of the bit on here where you say that it’s okay if I can see the wood colour through the paint a little. Then I come back here to read this all over just for reassurance and see the part where you say to use a roller with just a brush for the grooves and corners. I’m using a brush (specifically for oil-based paint if they make any difference; this one loses bristles at the rate of about two per door) and I can definitely see brush strokes. I know this is only the primer coat but will the other paint fill all those in? I was so sure you’d said to use a brush and I was trusting you even though I was wondering about brush strokes! I have half the doors left to prime and all of the cabinets. I’ll finish with the brush so they don’t look mismatched but should I do another coat with primer and a roller?
Help!! I am so new to this. I’m already freaking because I’m painting “You don’t paint cherry!!” cabinets.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Peggy,
Have no fear! There’s more than one way to skin a cat- or paint cabinet doors. Your use of the brush is a-ok. Just be sure to remove any bristles that it looses before they dry (you can even pop them off after they dry if you see any stragglers). The brush strokes definitely won’t show through with two even and thin coats of latex paint over them (primer is always uneven looking so don’t worry!). But I would switch over to a roller to apply the paint after the primer is dry (and still use a brush for the groves, etc). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
May says
My husband wants yellow walls in the kitchen. The cabinets are off white. I am unsure what color granite countertop and backsplash.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey May,
Hmm, you definitely want to visit a stone yard or Home Depot to check out your options but why not Hawthorne Yellow on the walls to go with those off white cabinets and some wheaty-tan granite counters to work with the yellow undertones on the wall and the cream undertones in the cabinets. Then going with some gorgeous golden tan backsplash tile (maybe porcelain, maybe glass) would look rich and layered and lovely. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lisa says
Hi!
Love your site! We just moved into a 30+ year old home with a large, square kitchen. There are no upper wall cabinets, just 4 walls of lower cabinets. The counter top is a weird, leather looking (with grooves and everything!)dark brown/black. We can’t replace the counter tops yet, but would love to repaint the cabinets. The appliances are white. What would you recommend for cabinet and wall color? (We’ll be stripping wall paper as well!)Also, the kitchen opens into a dining room with a wood floor.
Thanks
Lisa
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
White appliances always look amazing with crisp white cabinets (we like Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White) and as for the walls you can do pretty much anything. A soft sand color, a rich wheaty yellow (Hawthorne Yellow is great) and even a soft blue-grey (Benjamin Moore’s Alaskan Husky). The soon-to-be white cabinets and dark brown/black countertop make your kitchen super easy to take in a million different wall color directions with success. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Melissa says
Hi again!
I’m almost ready to take the plunge, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on faux finishes for cabinets? I am afraid plain paint will look too “flat” and was thinking of doing Ralph Lauren’s “linen” technique in a light color. Or will that be too busy looking? Thanks for the advice!! I love this site!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
Hmm, we’ve never tried a linen technique on cabinets (or seen it done in a way that we like) so perhaps it would be too busy. If your cabinets have zero detailing (one flat plane of wood) it might be ok but if they have a frame or any recessed detailing it may feel like there’s too much going on. Sometimes simple really is better- and often times it’s a lot more classic and timeless, which is more important with painting cabinets than walls since we assume you’d like them to last for decades (whereas walls can easily be repainted more often). That being said we want you to love your kitchen so just follow your heart! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Vicky Barrett says
Here’s my dilema, I am up agonizing over it again! My appliances are black, my countertops are brown with flecks of black and off white, my backsplash is a gorgeous brown tumbled stone, my cabinet hardware and light fixtures are brushed nickel. My next step, what color should I paint my cabinets? At first I was going with Decorator’s White, now I am not so sure if they should be white or off white. My walls will be tan in the adjacent dining area and probably pale yellow in the kitchen though I am agonizing over that also! What would you suggest? Thank you so much for your help!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Vicky,
Often our first instincts are the best. We agree that crisp white cabinets are classic and timeless and will work with what you have going on so you can definitely try that. However, since your appliances are black you might want to also explore something a bit darker for the cabinets so they don’t contrast the appliances so much (making them stand out). Maybe a nice medium tan with warm undertones like Benjamin Moore’s Baja Dunes. Then it would feel cohesive with the tan dining room that’s adjacent from the room (which could also be painted the same color) and the walls in the kitchen can be painted with Benjamin Moore’s Summer Harvest (a creamy soft yellow). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Darrah says
Hi! Let me just say I love your site! We are closing on our very first home on August 21rst and I’ve already begun to think about the cabinets. What I was wondering is, when you’re painting the cabinets where should you paint them? Would a car port do? I’m worried about leaving them outside for five days and pieces of dirt or debris getting on them. What can you do to protect the cabinets from the elements while you are painting and drying?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Darrah,
Good question! I bet a car port would be ok since the majority of the drying time is to let the paint fully cure so heavy use like fingerprints and slamming doesn’t damage them since they might be a bit tacky for a while. But within the first 24 hours they will be about 80% dry so nothing like leaves or dust should mar the finish from then on, so you should be safe barring any squirrel fights or raccoon exploring on ’em (but hopefully your carport is less of an animal kingdom than that!). Hope it helps…
xo,
s
Joel says
Love your site and your down-to-earth help! We’re redoing our kitchen and struggling with colors. Our tile is staying and it looks pretty similar to your tile in your “painted cabinet” picture above (some sandy browns and reds) – black appliances – butcherblock laminate countertops we plan on replacing – the cabinets are all oak and we’re going to paint them but can’t land on a color. I’m leaning towards a fairly dark brown (like Benjamin Moore’s Algonquin Trail) and then lighter tans on the walls, but most of what I see is lighter cabinets and darker walls. Do you think that’s too dark on the cabinets? (thinking of resale also…) What about suggestions on wall color and countertops too?
Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Joel,
Your instinct is probably correct that it might be too deep for cabinets. Although Algonquin Trail is a lovely color, it can quickly suck the light our of a kitchen when it comes to the cabinets- especially considering resale- so it might be best left for a wall (which can more easily be repainted) than cabinets. I’d go for a rich creamy white or even a soft sandy tan for the cabinets and try a richer brown for the backsplash or even the countertop (dark granite can still bounce around light and look lovely and even a rich deep toned natural butcher block counter can transform a space). Then the walls can be an even softer cream or tan tone or a deeper one between the color of the cabinets and the counters/backsplash. You could also do the Algonquin Trail only on the bottom cabinets with light cream or tan countertops and sandy tan upper cabinets and walls for a dimensional and interesting look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Joel says
Thanks so much for the quick and thoughtful reply! Could you give me an example of a sandy tan color that you like and might recommend as a starting point?
Thanks again,
Joel
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Joel,
Benjamin Moore’s Ashen Tan or Mocha Cream are amazing. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Emily says
Hi Sherry and John…I’m new to your website, and LOVING it!!! I’m pushing 5 hours of exploring your website (I found you in the DIY mag) Anyways, I’m really interested in painting my cabinets, and I love the light grey from Kim’s wedding. I have the UGLIEST orangy plain-jane cab, and I just painted the walls a sort of avacado/olive green color (it’s prettier than it sounds)I’m wondering what color I should go with. Our kitchen is fairy large so i dont need to make it look bigger or anything. Any suggestions? sorry for the wordiness
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
We have the perfect color for you! Try Benjamin Moore’s Spring Thaw (or even April Showers) for a gorgeous grey with soft green undertones. It’ll be just dreamy with an avocado/olive green wall and totally timeless and classic to boot. Hope it helps. Definitely send us before & after pics when you’re done!
xo,
s
Erin says
My husband and I have been considering painting the ugly orange oak cabinets that we inherited when we moved in nearly three years ago (they are JUST like Carla’s old cabinets above). Carla’s “after” photo and your practical advice have pushed me over the edge–today is paint day! Thank you for the inspiration; I am now addicted to your blog. Although our house is relatively new, we purchased it in a quite unfinished manner (four completely unfinished rooms upstairs (not even insulated or framed out!) and only primed walls downstairs). Bit by bit, we are chipping away at the blank canvas, and your ideas are helping!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome. Good luck painting today!
xo,
s