Redoing kitchen cabinets yourself is definitely possible! You can transform your kitchen look by choosing to refinish kitchen cabinets, repaint cabinets DIY, or even explore cabinet resurfacing cost options to see what fits your budget. This guide will walk you through the steps to give your old cabinets a fresh new life.
Why Redo Your Kitchen Cabinets?
Many homeowners look to refresh their kitchen but balk at the high price of a full replacement. Updating old cabinets is a smart move. It saves money and reduces waste. You get a custom look without the custom price tag. We will look at several ways to achieve a great look, from simple paint jobs to more involved restoration.
Weighing Your Options: Different Ways to Redo Cabinets
Before grabbing sandpaper, decide which approach fits your time, skill level, and desired outcome. The main options are painting, staining, or resurfacing.
Painting Cabinets: The Big Change
Painting offers the most dramatic visual change. It covers wood grain completely. Many people choose this route when repaint cabinets DIY is the goal.
Prep Work: The Key to Success
Good prep work is crucial for a lasting finish. If you skip this, the paint will peel quickly.
- Remove Hardware: Take off all knobs, pulls, and hinges. Keep them safe!
- Remove Doors and Drawers: Take doors off the boxes. Lay them on a flat, protected surface.
- Clean Thoroughly: Grease and dirt stop paint from sticking. Use a degreaser like TSP substitute. Wipe everything down well. Rinse with clean water. Let it dry completely.
- Sand Surfaces: Light sanding is needed to rough up the surface. This helps the primer stick. Use 120-grit sandpaper for the main sanding. Finish with 220-grit for a smooth feel.
- Fill Imperfections: Use wood filler for any holes or deep scratches. Let it dry, then sand smooth.
- Tape Off Areas: Protect anything you do not want painted, like countertops or hardware holes.
Priming: Building the Foundation
Primer is non-negotiable when you repaint cabinets DIY. It seals the wood and helps the topcoat adhere.
- Use a high-quality bonding primer. This is especially true for laminate or slick surfaces. Oil-based or shellac primers work well on bare wood.
- Apply primer evenly. Let it cure fully according to the can’s instructions.
- A light sanding with fine (220-grit) sandpaper between the primer and paint coats improves the final feel.
Choosing the Best Paint for Cabinets
Not all paints are created equal for cabinets. You need durability against wear, moisture, and cleaning.
| Paint Type | Pros | Cons | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil-Based Alkyd | Very hard, durable finish. | Strong odor, yellows over time, slow drying. | High-traffic, durable finish needed. |
| Water-Based Acrylic Enamel | Low odor, fast drying, resists yellowing. | Needs good prep, less durable than oil initially. | Most common choice for DIYers. |
| Hybrid (Alkyd/Acrylic) | Combines durability of oil with easier cleanup of water-based. | Can be pricey. | Excellent balance of features. |
Most DIYers prefer high-quality acrylic or hybrid enamel paints. They level out nicely, hiding brush strokes.
Applying the Topcoat
Apply thin coats. Multiple thin coats look much better than one thick coat. Use a high-quality synthetic brush or a fine-finish foam roller. Spraying gives the smoothest finish but requires special equipment and ventilation. Allow adequate drying time between coats—patience pays off here!
Staining Cabinets: Highlighting Natural Beauty
If your existing wood is attractive, or you want a classic look, stripping and staining cabinets might be the right path. This process shows off the wood grain.
Stripping Old Finish
If the cabinets have an old varnish or paint, you must remove it first.
- Apply Stripper: Use a chemical stripper designed for wood finishes. Apply it thickly with an old brush.
- Wait Time: Let the stripper work its magic. You will see the old finish bubble up.
- Scrape Off: Carefully scrape the softened finish using a plastic scraper or putty knife. Be gentle to avoid gouging the wood.
- Neutralize: Follow the stripper directions to neutralize the chemicals left on the wood. Mineral spirits often work for oil-based strippers.
- Sanding After Stripping: Once dry, sand the wood smooth. Start with a medium grit (100 or 120) and move to fine (180 or 220).
Applying Stain
Stain adds color but does not offer much protection.
- Pre-Stain Conditioner: If you have soft woods like pine, use a pre-stain conditioner. This helps the stain absorb evenly, preventing blotchiness.
- Apply Stain: Brush or wipe the stain on, following the grain direction.
- Wipe Off Excess: After a few minutes (depending on how dark you want it), wipe off all the excess stain with a clean rag. The longer it sits, the darker it gets.
- Dry Time: Let the stain dry completely—this can take 24 to 48 hours.
Sealing Stained Cabinets
You must seal stained wood for protection. Use a clear topcoat like polyurethane or lacquer. Apply several thin coats, sanding lightly between each one for the smoothest finish.
Cabinet Resurfacing and Refacing
If the cabinet boxes are sturdy but the doors or drawer fronts are damaged, cabinet resurfacing cost might be lower than full replacement. This involves applying a new veneer or laminate over the existing surface.
- Refacing: This replaces only the doors and drawer fronts with new ones. You keep the existing cabinet boxes.
- Overlay: Some companies offer thin wood or laminate overlays applied directly onto the old cabinet faces.
This route often requires specialized tools or hiring contractors, though some DIY kits exist for basic resurfacing.
Advanced Cabinet Restoration Techniques
For very old cabinets or those made of high-quality wood, cabinet restoration techniques might be necessary to bring back their original glory.
Repairing Wood Damage
Before any finish change, fix structural issues.
- Loose Joints: Use wood glue and clamps to fix wobbly door frames or joints. Wipe away excess glue immediately.
- Veneer Repair: If veneer is peeling, use a syringe to inject wood glue underneath the loose section. Clamp it down tightly until dry.
- Dents and Gouges: Small dents can sometimes be raised by carefully applying steam from an iron (with a damp cloth barrier). Deeper damage requires quality wood filler.
Cleaning and Prepping for Refinishing
When you aim to refinish kitchen cabinets without painting them (meaning you want to keep the wood look), aggressive sanding can remove too much of the existing wood material.
- Use chemical strippers carefully, as described above.
- After stripping, use fine steel wool (000 or 0000 grade) dampened with mineral spirits to scrub the wood. This removes grime and old stain residue without removing much wood.
The Question of Professional Services vs. DIY
While this guide focuses on DIY, it’s important to know when to call in the experts.
When to Hire Professionals
If you have a very large kitchen, ornate cabinet profiles, or if you want a flawless factory-like finish, consider professional cabinet painting services.
| Factor | DIY Approach | Professional Service |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low (materials only) | High (labor and materials) |
| Time Commitment | High (can take weeks part-time) | Low (often finished in 3-5 days) |
| Finish Quality | Good to Very Good | Excellent (often uses specialized spray equipment) |
| Skill Required | Medium to High | Low (you oversee) |
For simple, flat-panel doors, a dedicated DIYer can achieve excellent results. For detailed, raised-panel doors or historical wood, professionals using specialized sprayers often produce superior results.
Reglazing Kitchen Cabinets
Reglazing kitchen cabinets is an alternative to painting. It applies an epoxy or lacquer finish. It’s often used in commercial settings because it creates a very hard, durable shell. While DIY kits exist, this process is messy and often best left to those experienced with spray application, as achieving a smooth, thick coat without drips is hard.
Drawer and Door Management: Getting Them Off and Back On
Handling doors and drawers is often the most time-consuming part of the project.
Removal and Organization
- Label Everything: Use painter’s tape and a pencil. Label the back of every door and drawer front (e.g., “Upper Left Door,” “Bottom Drawer 3”). Label the corresponding cabinet frame too. This saves massive headaches during reassembly.
- Storage: Stack doors vertically if possible, leaning against a wall on a blanket or cardboard. Do not stack them flat on top of each other while wet or curing.
Hinge Strategy
Hinges dictate how your doors hang.
- Concealed Hinges (European Style): These are common today. The hinge cup sits inside the door. You must adjust these precisely for doors to line up perfectly.
- Surface-Mount Hinges: Older cabinets often use these. They are simpler to reinstall but may require replacement if they are rusty or damaged.
If you are painting, you have two choices for hinges:
- Remove Hinges: Take the hinges completely off the doors and boxes. This means more hardware to clean and paint (or replace).
- Paint Onto Hinges: Leave the hinges on and paint around them. This is faster, but you must cover the hinge mechanism completely with tape to prevent paint buildup that stops the hinge from working.
If you choose to replace hardware, measure the existing hole spacing carefully!
Hardware Update: The Finishing Touch
New hardware instantly updates the whole look. This is one of the cheapest and fastest ways to achieve kitchen cabinet makeover ideas.
- Measure Hole Spacing: Always measure the distance between the existing screw holes on your drawer fronts and doors. Buy pulls and knobs that match this spacing (usually 3 inches or 96mm for standard pulls).
- Go Big or Go Home: Sometimes moving to a larger handle, even if it means drilling one new hole, drastically modernizes the look. If you drill a new hole, plug the old one neatly before painting or staining.
- Finish Choices: Matte black, brushed gold, or polished nickel are popular choices today. Ensure the finish complements your new paint color.
Final Curing and Reassembly
Do not rush the final steps! Paint and stain need time to fully harden, or “cure.”
- Curing Time: While paint might feel dry in a few hours, it can take days or weeks for the finish to reach maximum hardness. Avoid heavy use or slamming doors for at least a week after reassembly.
- Reinstall Doors: Start with the top cabinets first. Hang the doors and then adjust the screws on concealed hinges until all gaps are even and the doors close smoothly.
- Clean Up: Install the newly cleaned or new hardware. Give your newly finished cabinets a gentle wipe down.
Budgeting for Your DIY Cabinet Redo
The cabinet resurfacing cost comparison is often what drives the DIY decision. Here is a rough idea of what you might spend versus hiring out the job for an average 20-cabinet kitchen.
| Item/Service | DIY Estimated Cost | Professional Painting Cost Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Paint/Primer/Sealer | \$150 – \$350 | Included in labor |
| Sandpaper/Supplies | \$50 – \$100 | Minimal (included in overhead) |
| New Hardware (Mid-Range) | \$100 – \$300 | Usually separate line item |
| Total Estimated Cost | \$300 – \$750 | \$3,000 – \$7,000+ |
The savings are significant when you commit to the labor yourself. If you are stripping and staining cabinets, the cost of stripper and conditioner adds a bit more, but it still remains far below professional rates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Redoing Cabinets
Can I paint over kitchen cabinets without sanding?
While some specialized primers claim you can skip sanding, it is highly risky. If you want your paint job to last, light sanding is essential for proper adhesion. Skipping this step often leads to peeling paint within months, forcing you to start over.
How long does it take to repaint cabinets DIY?
This varies based on your commitment level and kitchen size. For a moderate kitchen (15-20 doors/drawers), if you work full-time on it over a weekend, expect to spend 30-40 hours on prep, priming, painting, and reassembly, spread over 5 to 7 days due to required drying times between coats.
Should I remove the cabinet doors before painting?
Yes, removing the doors is strongly recommended. It allows you to paint the doors flat on a table or sawhorse, resulting in a much smoother, even finish with fewer drips. It also lets you properly paint the inside faces and edges of the doors.
What is the difference between refinishing and painting cabinets?
Refinishing usually means removing the old topcoat (varnish or stain) and applying a new stain or clear protective coat, thus keeping the natural wood look. Painting covers the wood grain entirely with an opaque color.
Is it better to spray or brush when I repaint cabinets DIY?
Spraying generally gives the smoothest, most professional finish, mimicking factory quality. However, spraying requires a good quality HVLP sprayer, careful masking of the entire kitchen area, and ventilation. Brushing and rolling with high-quality enamel paint can achieve excellent results but requires more effort in feathering the edges to avoid brush marks.