We're not trying to talk you out of this DIY home-improvement project — painting kitchen cabinets really is one of the best ways to breathe new life into a tired kitchen. But if you don't go about it properly, you could waste hours upon hours and end up with a kitchen that looks worse, not better.
While cheaper than replacing, painting kitchen cabinets is more expensive than staining. Plus, painting doesn't work if the cabinets have damages. They'll either stand out more or make the paint crack more quickly. Painting is also not very DIY-friendly.
Whether you go with professional painters or tackle it as a DIY project, you'll save significant money by painting your existing cabinets instead of replacing them entirely. New kitchen cabinets cost anywhere between $3,000 and $25,000.
According to Zillow.com and HGTV.com, repainting your kitchen cabinets as part of enhancing your kitchen can increase your home's value. Given how much time most of us spend in our kitchens, it's no surprise. Kitchens help sell a home. Take a good look at your kitchen.
The cons of painted kitchen cabinets
Unfortunately, they're not as durable as the alternatives. They're more likely to chip than vinyl, foil or PVC wrapped doors. Though chips are easier to repair, as I've said, they happen far more often. They cost more.
White Cabinets
The 'so-called' timeless white kitchen cabinets have been on their way out in recent years. Instead, deep blues and greens are a hot choice for creating an inviting space. Painted cabinets with various finishes are getting more and more trendy these days, too.
Although properly painted cabinets will last 8-10 years, some factors may affect the longevity, requiring them to be repainted only 3-4 years after the initial painting.
Most real estate agents will tell sellers that neutral colors will appeal to the widest audience. While white is a very popular color for kitchen cabinets, other neutrals like gray, black, and beige are also good. Stained wood cabinets have an appeal, especially if they are of high quality.
She says light neutrals are generally the best colors for resale because they appeal to most people, but she advises against painting cabinets taupe or beige. “There's the tendency for people to accidentally go too warm—with golden or tan overtones—and then that would be a mistake that's hard to correct.”
On top of X-ing bright reds, steer clear of bright green, bright yellow and pink. Zillow's study found that kitchens painted these colors hurt buyers' intentions to purchase and overall decrease the likelihood of offers. The biggest takeaway here: Red and other bright colors might read too loud for buyers' taste.
Smoother Coverage. When professionals use a paint sprayer to paint cabinets, there's no worry about leaving behind those unsightly brush strokes that come when they use a paintbrush or roller. Paint sprayers leave a nice even finish that doesn't typically require touch up or sanding after the fact.
Spray painting is way faster
In addition to providing a higher-quality final finish, spray painting is faster than using a roller. The paint is applied thin in layers, so you can move from cupboard to cupboard and complete a full batch in no time at all.
Con: White Cabinets Are Difficult to Clean
White shows fingerprints, food splatters, grease, and other dirt more easily than other colors. If you have ornate white cabinets with multiple trim depths, they may be even harder to clean.
Because most cabinets are painted with a high-gloss or semi-gloss paint, they will be more durable (and easier to wipe clean) than, say, a matte finish wall paint, but you do want to take care not to use anything so harsh that you end up striping the paint or damaging the finish.
Whether you are spraying, brushing, or using a roller, apply paint in thin, even coats. Applying too much paint at once will lead to runs and drips. Two thin coats are usually the minimum recommended for painting kitchen cabinets. In most cases, one coat of primer and two coats of paint are sufficient.
Arguably, the most timeless kitchen cabinet color is white. Bright white cabinets suit a variety of beautiful kitchens, including modern, contemporary, and farmhouse styles. Brilliant whites work to give kitchens a light and airy feel, and off-white options, like the White Dove shade, provides warmth.
What is the most popular color for kitchen cabinets? Though trend reports may show that white is falling out of favor, interior designers say that, generally, homeowners are still most drawn toward white kitchen cabinets. “It's classic and great for resale value,” says Hattie Collins of Hattie Sparks Interiors.
Light and white continue to reign
In HomeLight's report, 84% of agents see that buyers want the classic light, white, and bright color scheme. There have been trends of bold cabinet colors featuring shades of greens, blue, and more. This report isn't saying to shy away from those colors.
White is both a popular and timeless choice that will have broad appeal to home buyers. It also keeps your space light and open. Avoid colorful or dark tones and stick to a neutral palette.
When you're painting your house to sell, you'll want to stick with neutral or earthy tones, though you can choose white, beiges, greys, or even off-white colors. Depending on the room, you can even choose neutral shades of blue or green (like in the kitchen).
The number one piece of advice we would give homeowners when looking to purchase stone with resale in mind, is to keep it as neutral as possible. Solid, neutral colors can appeal to potential home buyers because of the versatility of the color when matching it to the rest of the room.
Either paint your solid wood cabinets in the late fall, winter or early spring months when the wood doors do not have any moisture and/or swelling in them. That way when the humid months come-and-go you won't be able to tell because you painted them when they were at their smallest point.
On average, it takes anywhere from a weekend to a full week to complete a kitchen cabinet paint job. This includes time for prep work, painting, and drying.
A lot of that money goes towards paying workers comp, insurance, and other overhead costs. It usually take a professional 1.5 hours to strip the old paint, sand, prime, and paint two top coats of paint per cabinet door. At $90 per hour, that amounts to $135 labor cost for each cabinet door.