Painting Kitchen Cabinets

When we built our first home, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted the kitchen to look like. I wanted white cabinets, black granite counter tops, and espresso colored wooden floors. Unfortunately, the white painted cabinets offered by our builder were much more than we had planned to spend. So we decided to paint them ourselves. I know it seems crazy to paint BRAND NEW cabinets, but I was pretty stuck on getting the look I wanted, and my husband was pretty stuck on staying within budget. We chose maple cabinets so that the final look would be smooth and white after some elbow grease.

Steps to Painting Our Cabinets

1.We removed all of the doors and drawers. (We hadn't put the hardware on yet.)

2. We sanded everything, then applied two coats of primer. (I used Gripper primer. If you are going to paint your cabinets, make SURE that you paint the primer on very smoothly. Even though it will be covered in paint, this is crucial to a smooth finish.)

3. We applied two coats of white "Painter's Touch" by Rust-oleum paint. (With lots of dry time between all of these coats!) I used a foam roller brush for the larger areas and a very high quality synthetic brush for the detailed areas. Spend the money on good tools people....it will pay off!

4. I put two coats of Minwax Polycrylic on as a final step. (I waited for the paint to cure overnight before applying the Polycrylic.)

The paint on the walls is "Lauren's Surprise" by Sherwin Williams.

We fell in love with the Lansa handles at Ikea. Not the obvious choice for a "French Country" kitchen, but we loved them and they added lots of character.

I love to be in my kitchen. I only wish it always looked this clean!