The 24-Hour Makeover Series: Transform Your Kitchen Cabinets With Paint

I moved into <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/home-tours/photos/toronto-apartment-furnished-decorated-less-than-2500-1935489/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">my apartment</a> in the summer of 2019 – and while I didn’t hate my kitchen cabinets, they were a pretty standard light brown colour, suggestive of the early 2000s. They were in good condition, so I didn’t need to replace them; a simple coat (or two) of kitchen cabinet paint would give them a modern refresh. I followed <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/blog/how-to-refinish-kitchen-cabinets-1915753/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bryan Baeumler’s steps on refinishing kitchen cabinets</a>. <br><br> Related: <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/paint/photos/reasons-diy-projects-fail-1939944/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">10 Reasons DIY Projects Fail (and How to Set Yourself up for Success)</a>

When choosing the best paint for kitchen cabinets, consider the other colours in your space. My backsplash is yellow and my countertop is a grey marble, so I wanted to pick a colour that complemented the rest of my kitchen. I was leaning towards blue or grey and the colour team at Behr provided me with a few options to choose from. Then I uploaded a photo of my <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kitchen</a> into <a href="https://www.behr.ca/consumer/colors/paint/visualizer/upload" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Behr’s Paint Your Place® tool</a>, which showed me how my space would look after the makeover. I uploaded a few options and ended up going with a blue-grey blend called NYPD N480-6.

My cabinets have European-style hinges, so removing them was super easy. I just loosened the screw and they came right off. Also, labelling each of the <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/renovations/photos/where-to-take-used-appliances-cabinets-by-province-1935990/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cabinets</a> was an important step, so I’d know where to put them all back. I decided to take the cabinets to my dad’s house on the lake, so I’d have more room to spread out and paint vs. tackling the project inside my city apartment. <br> Time Spent: 30 minutes

Step two was removing the hardware, a quick and easy step. <br> Time Spent: 15 minutes <br><br> Related: <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/photos/kitchen-cabinet-trends-2020-1933926/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The 17 Hottest Kitchen Cabinet Trends for 2020</a>

Step three was <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/paint/photos/transform-kitchen-cabinets-1930363/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">getting the cabinets ready</a> for primer. This included a quick clean, scuff sanding down any impurities (this also gives the primer something to grip to) and wiping away the dust. <br> Time Spent: 15 minutes

I then primed all of the cabinets with a high-density foam roller. I used a small paint brush for the edges and corners. <br> Time Spent: One hour (then waited one hour for primer to dry) <br><br> Related: <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/paint/photos/kitchen-bathroom-colours-transform-home-2020-1936971/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">10 Kitchen and Bathroom Colours That Will Transform Your Home in 2020</a>

As I started to paint the first coat, I finally started to see the kitchen makeover come to life. The paint (<a href="https://www.behr.ca/consumer/products/specialty-paint/cabinet-and-trim-paint/behr-premium-cabinet-and-trim-enamel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BEHR Cabinet & Trim Interior Semi-Gloss Paint</a>), as well as the primer (<a href="https://www.behr.ca/consumer/products/interior-paint-and-primer/interior-primers-and-sealers/behr-premium-plus-all-in-one-primer-and-sealer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BEHR® Kitchen, Bath & Trim Blocking Primer & Sealer No. 75</a>) is the best paint for cabinets: it holds up against scuffing, good for when you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen. <br> Time Spent: One hour (then waited two hours for paint to dry)

After the paint dried, I scuff sanded again to remove any <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/paint/photos/reasons-diy-projects-fail-1939944/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">painting mishaps</a>. There were definitely a few spots that had globs or drips of paint (remember: I’m not the best painter), so having an opportunity to sand before the second coat made the paint job look more professional. <br> Time Spent: 15 minutes

Then it was time for a second coat! <br> I should also note that in addition to applying cabinet paint, there were a few other spots in my kitchen that needed the same blue-grey colour, but couldn’t physically be transported to my dad’s house (<a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/photos/show-stopping-kitchen-islands-1049625/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">island</a>, trim, etc.). This is where things really got messy. I spent at least an hour carefully taping the kitchen to avoid getting paint on the floors, walls, etc. – but inevitably, this chaotic painter wound up with colour in all the wrong places. Thankfully it wasn’t too much – and with a utility knife and cleaning sponge, I was able to clean up the floors in no time. <br> Time Spent: One hour (then waited two hours for paint to dry)

The last step was pretty quick: put the hardware back on and replace the doors. The entire DIY project took only 10 hours and <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/kitchens/photos/kitchen-updates-less-than-100-1922564/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cost less than $100</a> (the cost of the primer, paint and rollers). And considering the level of my painting skills, I’m pretty proud of this cabinet refinishing project. <br> Time Spent: 45 minutes <br> Total Time: 10 hours