Can you paint your own kitchen cabinets?

Sure you can! How hard can it be? Well, to do it right is a bit harder than you think and there’s more at stake than just your ego.

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Published on 16 Oct 2023

Minneapolis St. Paul homeownrs wanting to pain their cabinets

Painting your own kitchen cabinets can be doneYou'd be surprised how many homeowners do it the wrong way

The most powerful forces in the universe are gravity, nuclear, electromagnetic, and the desire to paint your own stuff. The second most powerful force in the universe is the need to find someone else to paint your stuff at a big discount. Which can actually be a costly ordeal.

 Our most senior paint specialist explains why this homeowner project failed in this short video.

“We see it all too often. We call it the “How hard can it be?” syndrome. In this case, such thinking relates to cabinet painting disasters, explains Brandon Miller, Murphy Bro. painting division Pre-finishing manager.

“And the worst part of it is that homeowners end up taking twice as long AND paying double!  They pay us to undo the damage caused by painting incorrectly, and then pay us again to do it the right way. It’s disheartening for everyone.”

“And the worst part of it is that homeowners end up taking twice as long AND paying double!  They pay us to undo the damage caused by painting incorrectly, and then pay us again to do it the right way. It’s disheartening for everyone.”

Peels right off like a second skin!

The Case of the Peeling Paint

In trying to save a buck, one particular homeowner we consulted with chose to have their cabinets painted by “discount” painters in order to save money. Who doesn’t like a good bargain, right? Several weeks later they contacted us wanting to know why all the paint was peeling off like a very bad sunburn.  And of course, they asked us if we could fix it. Which we did.

Let your oil-based primers cure

So What Caused the Paint Failure?

First, these painters rolled on the paint instead of spraying it. It’s a great look if you’re after that dated 1970s grade school science project appearance. The next thing they did wrong was they incorrectly applied an oil-based primer but didn’t let it cure.  The label on the can probably read “dries in an hour” or something like that, but you have to remember humidity and temperature play an enormous role in cure times.  And “dry” and “cure” are two different things. 

How to fix a bad paint job on kitchen cabinets

The Fix is in

Example of a painted cabinet done right
And this is what you are shooting for should you choose to paint it yourself.

Fixing such a mess requires all cabinet door surfaces to be either stripped or sanded back to the base wood, re-primed, cured, and then re-painted in a climate-controlled spray booth. This did not happen in a day either. Try weeks.

So, how hard can it be to paint your cabinet doors?  Well, as you can see, to do it right is in fact a lot harder than you might think, because it takes knowledge and experience.  Think of it as the cost of doing it right—once. 

If you do decide to paint your own kitchen cabinets we recommend using this interior paint and stain guide from Valspar.