DIY Painted Kitchen Cabinets
Many times, we have great pieces of furniture in our home that just need a little love or updating, kitchen cabinets are no different. If your cabinets have great bones, but you don’t like the look or colour, you can easily make an impactful change with a little paint and new pretty hardware!
In this tutorial, you will learn how to paint, distress & finish kitchen cabinet doors with Country Chic Paint Products.
The Supplies:
Stir sticks for mixing the paint products
Synthetic paint brushes
Foam brush for Tough Coat
120 Grit Sanding block
Lint free clothes for distressing & glazing
Country Chic All-In-One Paint: Nightfall
Country Chic Graphite Glaze
Country Chic Tough Coat for sealing cabinet doors
Bucket of clear water
Vinegar
Painting Kitchen Cabinets – 7 Easy Steps
Step 1 — Remove all doors, drawers & hardware working left to right, top to bottom. Save yourself time & frustration by labelling all doors and drawers with a sharpie so you can easily reassemble your kitchen cabinets.
Step 2 — Clean cabinet doors using warm water & vinegar. Rinse with clear water to remove any residue and allow to dry.
Step 3 — If changing hardware fill any holes with wood fill, sand and wipe dust. Most cabinets doors are glossy, so I would recommend a light hand sanding with 120 grit sanding sponge to give the paint something to adhere to. Wipe doors clean to remove dust.
Step 4 – Stir paint to ensure it is mixed well. Use a soft synthetic brush to paint cabinet doors allow to dry overnight before adding a second coat of paint if needed. Dip your brush into the paint so you are covering no more that half way up the bristles. Hold your paint brush at a 45-degree angle and apply a little pressure when painting the surface. Apply a even coat, but not too generous to avoid drips or runs.
Step 5 – Wet Distressing: To create a distressed look you can either layer 2 different paint colours or distress a little to bring through the original wood colour to create a natural worn look. Using a wet cloth gently rub across the surface of the cabinet door in a back & forth motion to remove as little or as much paint as you like. If you remove too much paint you can easily fix by applying a little more paint to the area. Allow 24 hours drying time for cabinet doors before glazing.
Step 6 – Stir Glaze to mix well. As glaze dries quickly work on one cabinet door at a time. Paint on glaze, then use a damp cloth to remove as little or as much stain as you want to create the look you like. The glaze will dry darker than it appears when wet. Remember that Glaze is recommended for kitchen/bathroom cabinets as you can not apply Tough Coat or Clear Coat over wax or oil products.
Apply Country Chic Graphite Glaze
Step 7 – Protect your cabinet doors with Tough Coat. Wait at least 24 hours after applying the glaze. Mix Tough Coat with a stir stick, do not shake as it creates bubbles. Apply with a foam applicator brush, to avoid brush marks. Tough Coat dries quickly so brush in one direction to avoid overworking the product. Don’t worry if you think you missed a spot as you will need to apply a second coat.
Wait 1-2 hours before re-applying Tough Coat. I typically like to wait 2 hours between coats. Tough Coat is a very durable product but remember that any freshly painted piece should be used lightly for the first week to allow the product to set.
Finished door with new hardware