The kitchen is the heart of your home, so having your kitchen cabinets painted to fit your unique style and the look of your home is important. It’s equally as important, if not more, to ensure that your kitchen cabinets are painted with a type of paint that will withstand the high usage and elements of the kitchen (think grease, sticky hands, etc.) as well as frequent cleaning and wipe-downs.
Not all paint is created equal, and when it comes to painting your kitchen cabinets, you want to make sure to choose the best kitchen cabinet paint that will last for years to come. Depending on the type of material your cabinets are made out of, you may need a specific type of paint. Therefore, it’s a good idea to consult a professional painter or someone with a vast knowledge of kitchen cabinet paint options at your local paint store. Keep reading to learn about the best kitchen cabinet paint options that we recommend!
Best Paint for Kitchen Cabinets
Depending on your budget and the types of paint available in your area, you may consider a few different kitchen cabinet paint options.
When looking for a kitchen cabinet paint, you want to choose one with these features:
- Hard finish
- Scratch resistant
- High-blocking resistance (ensuring cabinets and drawers won’t stick to the boxing)
- Stain resistant
- Resistant to cleaners
- High burnish resistant
- Excellent flow and leveling (for a smooth finish)
Best Kitchen Cabinet Paint Options
There are a few different types of kitchen cabinet paint options we like to work with and recommend to our clients and readers. We have ranked them on a scale of good, better, and best so that you can choose the right option for your cabinets and your budget.
Just keep in mind that the lower the ranking, the lower the paint performs according to the features we mentioned above.
Good:
- Sherwin-Williams ProClassic Waterbased Alykd Interior Enamel Paint
- Benjamin Moore ADVANCE Interior Paint
Better:
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel Paint
- Benjamin Moore Corotech COMMAND Waterborne Acrylic Urethane Paint
- Centurion Acrylic Waterbased Topcoat 400 Series Paint
Best:
- Sherwin-Williams Pro Industrial Pre-Catalyzed Waterbased Urethane Paint
- Sherwin-Williams Pro Industrial Acrolon 100 Paint
- Centurion Polyurethane Topcoat 2800 Series
How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets Professionally
If you are ready to paint your kitchen cabinets and would like to DIY it, but still make it look professionally done, there are a few key steps to follow for prepping your cabinets and applying the paint.
Prepping Your Kitchen Cabinets for Painting
No matter what paint you choose for your kitchen cabinets, the most important thing will be prepping the cabinets and applying the correct primer. We recommend referring to the product data sheets that come with your paint for application information, a list of tools needed, material thinning requirements, etc.
In most cases, you’ll want to sand the cabinets before priming them. It might take a little bit of extra time and labor, but it will be well worth it and allow your paint to go on smooth and last longer.
Steps for Painting Kitchen Cabinets
If you’re ready to start your DIY kitchen cabinet paint job and have the right paint and tools in hand, read on to find the step-by-step directions for painting your kitchen cabinets.
Step 1:
Remove all doors and drawers from the cabinets, cover everything and apply painter’s tape.
Step 2:
Wipe and clean all surfaces to be painted with a cleaner and degreaser.
Step 3:
Sand all kitchen cabinet, door, and drawer surfaces to be painted.
Step 4:
Prime all surfaces to be painted. We recommend using a shellac or lacquer primer.
Step 5:
Sand all primed surfaces after the primer is dry.
Step 6:
Fill in dents, bumps, grains, and any old holes. If you need to drill new holes for new hardware, do that now.
Step 7:
Sand any fillings.
Step 8:
Drill new hardware holes if needed.
Step 9:
Spot prime any fillings.
Step 10:
Apply your first topcoat of paint.
Step 11:
Sand the first topcoat of paint after drying.
Step 12:
Apply your second topcoat of paint.
Step 13:
Let the coating properly dry before remounting all hardware and reinstalling doors and drawers.
Last but not least, enjoy your freshly painted kitchen cabinets and give yourself a pat on the back for a DIY job well done!
If you would like to have your kitchen cabinets painted, but would rather hire a professional paint company to tackle the job for you, we’d love to partner with you! Making the painting process easier on you and giving you the highest quality paint job is our mission. You can book your free consultation with our team by clicking here.
