Kitchen Cabinet DIY + How I Redid My Cabinets

Ever since we moved into our house we’ve wanted to change our kitchen. We weren’t fans of the color of the cabinets, and the mismatched tile was killer. While we can’t really change the tile at the moment, there was one thing that we knew we could change. The cabinets. So, we got a quote for $12k and I decided to paint them myself. There’s nothing more silly than someone giving you a quote for new cabinets for $12k more than what it would cost you to do it yourself.

Before I started working on the cabinets I did a lot of research. I watched youtube videos, read blogs, emailed people who had done this project themselves, you name it, I did it. I wanted to know exactly what I was getting myself into before I decided to tackle the project.

So, with all that I learned, I pinned it down and decided how I was going to do it. It’s quite the process, and it tooke me a whole month to complete my kitchen, but I cannot tell you how glad I am that I completed this project. It was a lot of work, but it was the kind of work that I really enjoyed. So, without boring you with all this writing, let’s get to the project and how-tos.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What You’ll Need:

A Sander
220 Grit Sandpaper
TSP – cleaner
Microfiber Cloths
Newspaper/Plastic Painters Drop Cloth
Painting Tripods
Gloves – I got mine at the dollar tree
Frog Tape – it works better than the blue stuff promise
Brown General Purpose Masking Pape
White Lightning 10-Fl oz White Paintable Caulk -cheapest at Lowe’s
Valspar Bonding Primer – Lowe’s
Valspar Cabinet Enamel – Lowe’s
Painting Tray
Paint Brushes
4 inch Paint Roller and replacement rolls (I used Wooser Pro Shed-Resistant Woven – I did not like the way the roam rollers apply the paint.)

Most of these items I purchased at Lowe’s, and others at Home Depot, but I linked some of the items on Amazon if you are interested in looking there as well.

Directions:

I have this whole process on my instagram stories under the K Cabinets Highlight.

Take off all the cabinets and drawers. You’ll want to label your cabinets and keep their corresponding hinges and screws in a plastic baggie. I labeled mine A, B, C, and so forth and just put the baggies in the cupboard they go with. You’ll also want to make sure you keep track of where the cupboards go. So, just like you labeled the hinges and screws, label the cabinets you remove. When you start working on the cabinets place the label on the drop cloth in front of the cabinet it belongs to.
Prep your workspace and place Newspaper / Drop Cloth where you will be putting your cabinets. Tape off your cabinet frames /prep for painting- this can take quite a while, but the better you do it, the nicer your end result.
Cabinet Time. Clean your cabinets with TSP and a microfiber cloth, make sure you get into the grooves and places you are less likely to sand.
Sand cabinets. Once the TSP is dry sand your cabinets enough to get the sheen off. Once sanded, wipe the cabinets with a microfiber cloth to make sure the dust from sanding is gone.
Prime your cabinets and cabinet frames. For this step, I used the Valspar Stainblocking bonding primer sealer (I think you can only purchase this at Lowe’s). All you do for this paint one coat of primer and let it dry.
Caulk your cabinets. This is an extra step that I did to make my cabinets look more finished. I caulked in this yellow area all around the cabinet (picture below). This made it easier to get every spot when I painted.
Before you do your next step -when the caulk is dry- sand off the extra caulk and then gently sand the primed area -just a bit. You don’t want to be taking off any of the primer in this step, just roughing it up.
Paint the cabinets. For this step, I used Valspar Cabinet Enamel. My cabinets needed two coats of white but make sure you let the first coat dry fully before you do the second coat. I waited at least 5 hours to paint the next coat. When you start painting make sure you paint the back of the cabinet first and then place the cabinet on your painting tripods, then continue to paint the face and sides of your cabinets. When I painted the face of my cabinets I first went over the caulked area with a paintbrush and then rolled the rest.
Once your cabinets are dry – I let mine completely dry overnight- put the hinges and screws back on.
Add hardware. We used these black pulls and really love the way they look.

If you have any questions about this process please send me an email at alyssadawsonblog@gmail.com or message me on Instagram. I would love to help you out!