This is a common situation: you look at your kitchen and know something needs to change. Your kitchen looks outdated, but renovation is long and expensive. How do you achieve a beautiful new kitchen without the renovation hassle?
If your appliances work fine, why should you update your whole kitchen? A fresh coat of paint does more than you expect. Painting your cabinets will make your cabinets look brand new. But what about priming and sanding?
Who said you need to prime and sand your kitchen. You can achieve beautiful cabinets without the extra work.
Do you want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding? Here’s how!
Clean Your Cabinets
Before you learn how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding, you must clean your cabinets. Remove any dirt and grime. Use a powerful grease cleaner with a scrubbing sponge.
Remove any grease build-up. Paint professionals recommend trisodium phosphate (TSP). It’s a cheap and effective cleaning solution.
Dirt interferes with paint adhesion. Kitchens harbour grease, bacteria, and other unwelcome guests. This gunk can get in your cabinets. Before you paint, you need to get rid of these pests.
You should also clean the inside of your cabinets. Wipe down the inside of the cabinet and the interior doors. Make sure there’s no dirt, grime, or grease build-up when you start painting.
Apply Liquid Deglosser
You probably don’t know how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding. You have always been told to sand before painting, especially if you’re painting wood. But why do you sand? This helps to minimize flaws such as bumps and rough edges.
But anyone can admit that sanding is arduous. You have to find the right sandpaper and use a pole to reach difficult spots.
But all sanding does is remove the flaws, right? To avoid the hassle of sanding, find another solution. Cabinets are usually not as badly flawed as the rest of your kitchen. But the paint usually has some type of a finish.
Skip the sanding and reach for the deglosser. This removes shine, gloss, or slick and satin finishes. A deglosser is easy to use and will remove any trace of the previous finish.
Remove Hardware
When painting, you get the best results with precision. If you’re repainting your cabinets, you need to remove the cabinet doors and shelves.
First, label each door and shelf before removal. Then, remove the doors from the hinges. You can easily do this with a power drill or a screwdriver.
After the doors are removed, take out any other parts. This includes doorknobs, pulls, and latches.
If the shelves are attached to the inside of your cabinets, don’t remove them. Instead, leave them intact and use a smaller brush to paint them. If your shelves aren’t attached, such as sliding shelves, take them out and paint each separately.
Make sure you don’t lose any of these parts.
Apply Cabinet Enamel
Now you know how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding. But do you know how to paint your kitchen without priming? All paint professionals recommend you prime. But is this step necessary for kitchen cabinets?
Priming is only necessary for wood surfaces, drastic color changes, and glossy finishes.
If your cabinets don’t have these factors, you can get away with using enamel instead of primer. This achieves a durable result; your paint will stick to the cabinet surface without faltering.
The enamel also gives a beautifully smooth and satin finish. This step is important if your cabinets are old or haven’t seen fresh paint in a long time.
Starting with the doors, apply white cabinet enamel on the cabinets. After you’re done applying the enamel to the door, insert thumbtacks and flip the door over.
The door will be propped up, helping you paint the other side without the paint wearing off.
Use different size brushes. Use a large roller brush to get the majority of the cabinet. Use a smaller brush to target the smaller details.
Take some time for the paint to dry. Then, add a second coat.
Spray Paint Hardware
If necessary, spray paint the hardware. You don’t want your brand new cabinets to be held by worn looking hardware. Take silver spray paint, lay the hardware out, and spray paint them. Allow time to dry.
Paint the Cabinets
Using the same directions as you did with the enamel, apply the paint to the cabinets. Make sure you use the thumbtack trick for the doors. Don’t forget to paint the shelves and the inside of the cabinets.
Apply one coat of paint, let it dry, and then apply a second coat. Repeat this step with additional coats, if necessary.
Re-Attach Doors
Once the paint is dry, re-attach the cabinet drawers. Using the labels as a reference, set the doors in their original position. Using a screwdriver, attach the door to the hardware. Insert the knobs back in. Do this step for all doors.
If you took out your shelves, insert the shelves using the same hardware.
Now You’re Done!
After the paint is dry, your cabinets will look brand new. But keep in mind: just because your cabinets have a new paint job doesn’t mean they will look perfect forever.
Re-touch the paint whenever necessary. Fix any scratches, dents, or chips. Doing this will ensure your cabinets will look flawless and brand new.
That’s How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets Without Sanding or Priming
A fresh coat a paint will make any cabinet look brand new. But sanding and priming is always a pain. Fortunately, there are ways around this step.
Always thoroughly clean your cabinets before applying any product. Remove the hardware and take the doors off the hinges for precise painting. Degloss any finishes and use enamel to ensure your paint is vibrant.
There’s no need to renovate your whole kitchen. If your cabinets are in working order, you can conveniently paint them for a beautiful effect.
View our resources for more cabinet inspiration.