How To Paint: Cupboards

Here are six steps on how to paint your cupboards like a pro!

Remove Hardware

Remove the cabinet doors, drawers, and all cabinet hardware. (Do not kid yourself into believing you can achieve a professional result without doing this.)

Apply Quality Primer

If your cabinets are stained, apply at least two coats of a quality primer. For me, there’s nothing better than BIN, Zinsser’s shellac-based pigmented primer. It dries fast and flat, without brush marks (unlike most oil-based primers).

Sand Primed Surface

Lightly sand the primer coat, wipe with a tack cloth, and prepare for applying the finish coats. You’ll need a lot of dust-free space for this. A two-car garage is ideal. Several pairs of sawhorses (or old chairs) and a large drop cloth are helpful, too.

Thinning Agent

Mix a thinning agent into an alkyd-based enamel paint according to the manufacturer’s directions. For this job, we used Benjamin Moore’s Impervo semi-gloss paint. Avoid using water-based paint unless you’re okay with visible brush strokes. For the thinner, I have had excellent results with Penetrol.

Painting

Paint the backs of the cabinet doors first. Do the fronts last; they’ll be less likely to be marred by drips. Apply paint with the grain (in the direction of the longest dimension).