Painting Cabinets – 3 Simple Tips – Zero Sanding Involved

Painting cabinets can be the cheapest and quickest way to transform your entire kitchen quickly and on a budget. Here are a few tips to painting cabinets without sanding.

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Prep

When we first moved into our house, our cabinets were actually already painted. With that said though, I wanted them a different color. So I went for it. The “pros” might have told me I did it wrong, but it was affordable, quick, simple and help up very well. Below is a photo of the “before” of our kitchen.

Before

After (current)

So you’re probably wondering how to do it…

Here’s what you’ll need to paint your cabinets without sanding:

Bonding Primer

Paint Brush (this is my new favorite)

Paint

Step 1 – Clean your cabinets

It’s important to prep your surface enough so that the paint sticks to it. Take some water and a rag and wipe them down. Get any dirt, grease or grime off. Just a quick wipe down should do it, and then let them dry.

Step 2 – Remove/Tape Hardware

When I paint my cabinets, I simply remove knobs and then tape the rest. I tape the floor against the cabinets, the hinges, etc. This saves A LOT of time, as opposed to removing the cabinet doors, etc. It’s all dependent on how much time and effort you’re willing to put in.

If you’d like to remove all of the doors, go for it! That’s just not my thing.

How to Paint your Cabinets without Sanding – Video

Step 3 – PRIME!

The primer coat does not have to be perfect. The goal here is to simply get the surface covered so the final coat(s) have a good, sturdy foundation.

This primer is great, because it’s made to go over almost anything. The final coat will also go on like butter, because of this primer, and who doesn’t love butter? 😉

Step 4 – PAINT!

This is the best part. Painting the actual color will get you SO excited! It should go on really smoothly.

You might need 2-3 coats, depending on how thick you put it on.

Step 5 – Put hardware back on/remove tape

Once your final coat is dry, and you’re happy with the result, go ahead and put the hardware back on and remove any tape. This part is definitely the most satisfying part. Enjoy 🙂

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