Would I choose to paint my kitchen cabinets again? Let’s find out whether or not this technique worked and if I would recommend it.
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When we bought our first home, the kitchen looked like this. It was a neat space with plenty of light but the cupboards and hardware were outdated.
A few years and many home projects later, we turned it into something we love:
You can see more of our kitchen in our home tour!
One of my first projects was to paint my kitchen cabinets (see the whole process here).
I DIYed the whole process and it took me about one month to finish the cabinets. But it only cost about $200 even though I added new trim around the cabinet doors and new hardware.
WOULD I PAINT MY KITCHEN CABINETS AGAIN?
The answer is YES!
Even though my old cabinets were already painted, they needed to be repainted or replaced. But it was not in the budget to pay almost $3,000 to replace them. And my cabinets are made from solid wood so I could not bring myself to rip them out.
So I repainted them!
And the process was worth every minute of my time.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CABINETS
But let’s talk about how the painted cabinets are holding up now.
There are about three places where the paint is worn.
There are some white marks on the cabinet bottoms where my kids have hit the cabinets with chairs. The paint is not affected – it’s like a scuff mark on the Polycrylic finish but it can be removed.
And that’s it!
FUTURE UPGRADES
Now, let’s talk about the steps I took to improve them and what I would change in future.
- MDF trim: I installed MDF to the doors to update the look. I was worried about it but it has held up surprisingly well. In fact, I used the same process in other places!
- Primer: I would use a different primer. The primer I used has allowed some bleeding through on some of the white cabinets (Kilz Premium Primer).
- Paint: The paint has only worn away in some areas. Next time, I would like to try a cabinet paint. I used Behr Premium Plus and I am happy with how well the paint is holding up with three little kids.
Finish: I would recommend using Polycrylic to protect the paint. This, I think, is the main reason my cabinets still look so good!
SHOULD I PAINT MY CABINETS OR REPLACE THEM?
I would suggest painting the cabinets as long as the flow of the cabinets still works for you. Or, if you want a cheap update until you can afford to buy new cabinets with the correct flow.
I never plan on replacing my cabinets; I will paint them again if needed.
HOW LONG WILL PAINTED CABINETS LAST?
This one is harder to answer because it depends on how the cabinets are painted, what paint is used, if you used a protective finish, and what kind of use the cabinets receive.I used standard paint and polycrylic, plus I have three kids who are constantly scuffing the cabinet surfaces with their chairs, and my cabinets still look amazing after 4 years.
I hope my experience helps you decide if you should paint your kitchen cabinets. Overall, I have been very happy with my painted cabinets and I think you will be too.
