How to Paint Unfinished Cabinet Doors
Thinking of giving your kitchen a fresh, new look without breaking the bank? Unfinished cabinet doors might just be your perfect solution. These gems not only offer significant cost-saving advantages but also provide a blank canvas for your creative designs. If the thought of diving into a DIY kitchen renovation seems overwhelming, especially if you're new to painting cabinet doors, don't worry. We're here to guide you through the surprisingly straightforward process of preparing, painting, and installing your new unfinished kitchen cabinet doors.
The Allure of Unfinished Cabinet Doors
Unfinished cabinet doors come with two major perks: affordability and customization. They allow you to perfectly tailor your cabinets to match your kitchen's design aesthetic, creating a look that truly reflects your style.
How to Paint Unfinished Cabinet Doors
Once your new unfinished cabinet doors arrive, it's time to start prepping for the painting and installation process. One disadvantage of investing in cabinet doors unfinished is that they aren’t ready to install the day they arrive. It can take days or even weeks until your project is complete. Thankfully, DIYing the process is straightforward.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to achieve a professional finish:
1. Prep For Painting
Don't stress out about the painting process, even if you are an inexperienced painter. Painted doors are not like stained doors, where a disappointing stained finish can ruin your day. If you don't like your painted finish, just scuff the doors a little by re-sanding and painting them again.
2. Prep-Sand and Clean Your Cabinet Doors
First, unpack the new doors and inspect them front and back for any scratches caused by shifting during shipping. Smooth these scratches with 180-grit sandpaper and brush off the dust with a fine brush. Sand in the direction of the wood grain to avoid making cross-grain scratches on your doors. The better the prep sanding, the better the painted finish will be, so take some time ensuring the sanding is as good as you can make it.
Next, lay the cabinet doors flat and either wipe them with a clean cloth or blow them with compressed air to remove the last traces of dust. Laying the doors flat makes paint runs less likely and makes it easier to see your progress from the same angle.
3. Start The Painting Process
Now, the painting process starts. Raw wood needs a primer coat before painting, and there are a few primer tips that will be helpful:
- Always match the primer to the type of paint you plan to use.
- If you intend to use water-based or Latex paint, use a water-based primer.
- If you are using an oil-based paint, then use an oil-based primer.
In my experience, Latex paints have advanced over the past decade to the point where they produce both appearance and dependability equal to their oil-based counterparts, especially for indoor applications.
These advancements coupled with the water clean-up and environment-friendly disposal are worth considering when choosing your finishing materials.
4. Invest in a Quality Paint Brush
While buying your primer and paint, also get a brush or two. You don't need to buy the $20 super brush but don't get the $1 special either. A 2-3" fine brush should be about $5. You may also want to buy a small 3-4" fine roller.
5. Apply Your Primer
Now for the priming: Lay the doors out flat on some kind of drop cloth. The newspaper works fine for this. It will reduce your anxiety to start with the doors face down. That way, you will finish the backs first, so as you get better at painting your best work will be on the fronts, and your learning experience won't show.
Use the roller to apply a light coat of primer to the panel and the inside detail of the stiles and rails. Now, use the brush in those deep recesses to get the primer to cover all the machined surfaces. Use the roller again to coat the flat surfaces followed by the brush to give a smooth, even coating.
6. Remove Excess Fibers With Sandpaper
After the primer is dried (follow the drying time instructions on the primer can), sand by hand gently with 220-grit paper, just enough to remove any fibers the primer raised and to restore the smooth finish. Now turn the door over and repeat on the front.
7. Wait For The Primer to Dry
After the primer is dry and lightly finished sanded, repeat the process with a second coat of primer. Once the primer is dry, you are ready for the paint.
8. Repeat The Same Steps For The Paint
The paint follows the same steps as the primer operation. Follow the instructions on your paint can to determine if you should sand between coats or not.
9. Install the Hinges and Hardware
After the paint is dry, you are ready to install the hinges. If you use hidden hinges, like our Blum Clip-tops, try not to get paint into the 30mm hinge cups. The hinges will be a snug fit into the cups. If you get paint into the holes, you may need to sand it out to get the hinges into the cups.
Once you get started, you'll see that the process is not difficult at all. You should set aside a few days or weeks for the painting and priming process. This ensures you have enough time for the paint to dry and add multiple coats of paint. Once the paint is dry and you've installed the hardware, you can install your cabinet doors. We’ve also created a Guide to Replacing Your Kitchen Cabinet Doors to walk you through the cabinet door replacement process.
What Are Paint-Grade Cabinet Doors?
Paint-grade cabinet doors are typically made with medium-density fiberboard, plywood, or particleboard. These materials offer a smooth surface that's easier to paint. While solid wood cabinet doors can be painted or stained, the natural grain pattern will still show through the paint. If you want a professional, pristine look and feel, it's better to pick a paint-grade material.
At Cabinet Door Factory, we have a variety of cabinet door styles available. Most have a paint-grade cabinet door option that is fully sanded and ready to be painted. We also have pre-primed cabinet doors that are available with primer only.
Invest in the Best Unfinished Kitchen Cabinet Doors Today
Since 1980, we've provided well-made unfinished cabinet doors to major retail chains and home builders everywhere. Now, we're excited to be able to offer our cabinet doors unfinished to customers in the United States and Canada.
We offer various styles, wood types, and paint-grade unfinished kitchen cabinet doors. Our doors are custom-cut and handmade to fit your existing cabinetry while enhancing the overall aesthetic. If you have a tight budget or want more creative freedom, investing in unfinished cabinet doors is a great option for your next renovation project.
Explore our selection of unfinished cabinet door options today!