How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets
Full guide to painting kitchen cabinets for the first time: degreasing, sanding, priming raw or stained wood, applying cabinet enamel, and getting a factory-smooth finish at home.
Decorate · Kitchen
This is the full first-time treatment — unpainted, factory-finish, or stained-and-varnished cabinets going to a painted finish. The preparation is deep: degreasing, sanding off the old finish, stain-blocking primer, and two coats of cabinet enamel. Done correctly, this lasts 7–10 years. Done incorrectly, the paint peels within the first year.
If your cabinets are already painted and you're refreshing a color, dealing with yellowing, or touching up chips — see How to Repaint Kitchen Cabinets, which covers the shorter refresh process for previously painted surfaces.
What You'll Need
Tools: Drill, numbered masking tape for doors, 120 and 220-grit sandpaper, sanding block and sanding sponge, tack cloth (multiple sheets), 2.5-inch fine-bristle angled brush, 4-inch foam roller (optional, for flat-panel doors), sawhorse painting supports.
Materials: TSP substitute degreaser, stain-blocking primer (Zinsser BIN shellac for tannin-rich woods like oak or cherry; Bulls Eye 1-2-3 for others), cabinet enamel topcoat.
The Steps
01 · Number and photograph every door before removal
Apply numbered tape to every door and its corresponding cabinet opening. Photograph the kitchen. Cabinet doors are sized for specific openings — unlabeled reassembly means fitting each door by trial and error.
02 · Remove doors, drawers, and all hardware
Store hardware in labeled bags matching door numbers. Place doors on a flat work surface or sawhorse-supported painting supports in a well-ventilated space.
03 · Degrease every surface, twice in cooking zones
Kitchen grease is invisible when dry and causes paint to fish-eye and peel. Spray TSP substitute, wipe with clean rags. Above the range and the top interior of wall cabinets get extra attention. If the rag comes away yellow-brown, degrease again.
04 · Sand all surfaces with 120-grit
Sand with the grain on flat surfaces. Use a sanding sponge on raised panel profiles. Goal: no shiny areas remain — the entire existing finish is dull. Vacuum, then tack cloth every surface. Sanding dust in primer on close-range cabinet surfaces reads as grit.
05 · Prime: stain-blocking primer is not optional
On tannin-rich woods (oak, cherry, walnut): shellac-based Zinsser BIN, two coats. On other wood and MDF: water-based Bulls Eye 1-2-3, one or two coats. Thin, even coats — thick primer locks in brush marks permanently. Sand with 220-grit between coats. Tack cloth.
06 · First coat of cabinet enamel
Raised-panel sequence: panel face → panel recess and profile → stiles → rails. Flat-panel: foam roller on the field, brush on edges. Long strokes, wet edge, do not overwork. Hang doors vertically to dry if possible. Allow overnight between coats.
07 · Sand with 220-grit, second coat
Light scuff between coats to knock down nibs and brush marks. Tack cloth. Second coat same sequence. Two coats standard; third coat for high-use areas.
08 · Cure before closing doors
Handle after 24–48 hours. Do not close doors against the frame for 5–7 days — soft enamel bonds to itself. Full cure to maximum hardness: 21–30 days.
09 · Reinstall, adjust hinges, touch up
Reinstall hardware using numbered labels. Adjust European cup hinges for door alignment. Touch up any marks from reinstallation with a small brush.