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Kitchen Cabinet Painting: Can I Do It Myself?

“It can’t be THAT hard, right???” Famous last words.

We live in a “do it yourself” age. With nothing more than a little inspiration and YouTube, you can do anything from repair a dishwasher to restore a car. Well, in theory anyway.

Most of the time, this is a great thing! Knowledge is power, and part of the reason we create articles like these is to help homeowners equip themselves with the information they need and are looking for. You’re in the driver’s seat, and it’s nice to have all the data necessary to make the best decisions.

With that said, we want to address a question head-on that we run into fairly often: can you paint your kitchen cabinets yourself?

Maybe you’ve painted a room or two without issue in the past, and are feeling confident in your skills. Keep reading to get our full take.

Should You Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets Yourself?

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If you’re an observant reader, you may have noticed that we switched from “can” to “should” above. You absolutely CAN paint your cabinets: all you need is time and product. But SHOULD you?

Cabinet painting is a unique process

Any painting project requires knowledge and skill. That’s why you can spot a professional job a mile away, with excellent coverage, clean lines, no drips or splatters, and a finish that lasts. It’s a trade that takes extensive training and practice.

Cabinet painting takes it to a whole new level. DIY finishes often come out looking very amateurish - not what you want in the heart of your home. You also have to have an in-depth knowledge of paint products, application techniques, and the right process to create durable finishes. Even among professional painting companies, very few specialize in cabinet painting.

You need the right equipment

Brushes won’t cut it, unless you’re looking for a very specific look.

In most cases, you need paint spraying apparatus that lays down the smooth, even surface you want without any brush or roller marks. There’s really no other way to create a factory-like finish. This kind of equipment isn’t cheap, and it requires a lot of technical skill and training to operate proficiently.

You need the right space for cabinet painting

Some painters will create an on-site spray booth with the right equipment and ventilation, and others may have a dedicated spray shop. Either way, you need to know how to set up an efficient workspace to keep the project moving forward, and also to protect your vulnerable surfaces from any contamination during the curing process. Something as simple as airborne dust may seem harmless, but it can be a major problem for drying paint.

You need to know how to prep your cabinets

Prep is 75% of a paint job. This includes disassembly, light repairs (as needed), cleaning, degreasing, patching, sanding, priming, and multiple thin topcoats. Rush these steps and your paint won’t look as good or last as long.

There’s no margin for error with cabinet painting

In short, we do NOT recommend you paint your cabinets yourself. Not because we’re downers or doubt your determination, but because we’ve seen firsthand what can happen. And we’ve fixed those types of DIY projects.

Our recommendation is to find an experienced, trusted painting company that has a proven track record of cabinet painting work. They should provide project photos, customer testimonials, and a clear process that they can explain to you - trust us, you don’t want to hire a painter who’s figuring it out as they go along.

Have more questions about cabinet painting? Contact us at Southington Painting! We’d love to talk with you and hear more about your ideas and goals.

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