How to Refinish Kitchen Cabinets DIY

Read our step-by-step instructions and watch expert painter Mauro Henrique demonstrate how to get the job done right. It always depends on a lot of different factors such as materials, manufacturer, hardware, and installation. For an elegant style, miter the pieces together instead of pushing them together with a standard butt joint. Tack both side pieces to the bottom piece using nails or wood staples. Set 1 of your side pieces up on your work table and push the back edge of the bottom piece next to it so they form a 90-degree angle. Use a wood stapler or hammer in nails to temporarily tack the pieces together.

Frameless Cabinets

If splintering is a problem, clamp a small block of wood to the backside of the door before you drill the hole. To achieve the more contemporary look we show here, you’ll have to order larger doors to cover more of the cabinet front .

Read more about Premade Cabinets here.

How to Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets

Glass-front doors put cabinet interiors on display, so you’ll want to make sure these areas are neatly organized. First, edit down your dishware collection to avoid overcrowding the cabinets. Arrange pretty plates and bowls into stacks and line up mugs in neat rows. Consider storing bulky or unattractive items you’d rather not display, such as large stock pots, in a different location.

Medium-priced, good-quality brush for this task and clean it immediately after use with denatured alcohol. First, you bring your initial ideas and room dimensions to the center. After the team helps you focus your ideas, they’ll draw up the cabinet design with CAD in 3D, so you can see how the cabinets will look in your home. Keep the style of the cabinets consistent with your larger plan for the kitchen’s style. And also keep the kitchen’s style in line with the overall style of the home.

Of Penetrol paint conditioner per quart until it flows on smoothly. Two or three thin coats of paint result in a stronger, smoother finish than one thick coat. Sand lightly between every coat using a fine-grit sanding sponge. Drying time between coats will vary depending on temperature and humidity. Work from top to bottom so you don’t drip on finished areas.

Wipe down all surfaces that will be refinished with a sponge dipped in the TSP solution and squeezed out. After years and perhaps even decades of handling, cabinets and drawers can get dirty. Grease, handprints, and food all contribute to a poor surface for the paint to stick to. Drill wood screws through the back of the cabinet into the wall studs. Drive the screws right through the back of the cabinets and into the wall studs behind them. Drill a screw into each of the studs so the cabinet is firmly and securely connected to your wall.

Just apply the glaze over a dry base coat, brushing in only one direction , and let it dry. Finish with a flat topcoat of the base color brushed on perpendicular to the glaze. The paint will start to form cracks as it dries, a process that takes about an hour. For these reasons, we recommend you opt for using high-quality brushes instead. Latex paint should be applied with a synthetic bristle brush, which doesn’t absorb water; oil-based paint should be applied with a natural-bristle brush. Install shallow drawers for kitchen linens behind cabinet doors to maximize your storage space. Stashing these items in the kitchen ensures they’re readily accessible when dinner is ready.

A basic 10×10 self-installed, ready-to-assemble kitchen with Shaker-style doors and 1/2-inch thick grade plywood box construction begins at about $1,800, not including taxes or shipping. A 10×10 kitchen with slab lacquer finish doors starts at around $5,800. Slab kitchen cabinets run the gamut from inexpensive, mass-produced, and ready to assemble units up to designer-driven cabinets made of fine hardwood veneer or lacquer. The most expensive type of cabinet, custom kitchen cabinets are offered by most large, name-brand cabinet manufacturers. Local cabinetmakers may also offer custom millwork kitchen cabinets built from scratch. Stock cabinets are the least expensive type of kitchen cabinet.

Kevin Schlosser is a Home Improvement Specialist and the Owner of Home Tech Handyman Ltd. With over 20 years of experience, Kevin specializes in age-in-place installations, flooring, roofing, and general remodeling handyman services. Also, he is in training to receive certifications in Construction, Project Management, and other CEDIA qualified system integrator certifications. Typically, you should leave 18″ between the counter top and the base of the upper cabinets. Some people change this by an inch or two depending on individual heights and other factors. Align and clamp the frames of your upper cabinets together.