Helpful Tips For Painting Kitchen Oak Cabinets White

Our 20-year-old appliances were hanging on by a thread and it was time to bite the bullet and replace them. The thought of putting new stainless steel appliances into the wood box we call a kitchen makes my heart sink. A new kitchen is not in the budget and besides, our custom oak cabinets are in perfect condition. Instead, we chose to get that dated honey oak outta here and in this post I'm sharing some helpful tips for painting kitchen oak cabinets white, so they last.

Helpful Tips For Painting Kitchen Oak Cabinets White

So you understand what I mean about the wooden box we called a kitchen for far too many years, here is what it looked like before painting the cabinets...


See what I mean? Big difference, right? Now the floors no longer compete with the cabinets and the room looks so much brighter.

An interruption midway through the makeover

A small kitchen like ours should only take about a week at the most to finish. Mine took almost six because midway I fell on a patch of ice that landed me on crutches. Determination is my middle name and I figured out a way I could climb the step ladder with my good leg while supporting my body with a crutch and got the job done. Besides, those new appliances were being delivered soon.

Lower cabinets stained

I'm not going to lie, it was hard putting paintbrush to solid oak but we did stain the lower cabinets. Thankfully those were finished before my accident. The cabinet doors were prepped much the same way as the steps outlined further down in this post but rather than paint, they are stained a dark walnut with this stain.

I love the two-tone look between the lower and upper cabinets that are so on trend right now. We went with a high contrast between the lower cabinets and the hardwood floor.

What to do with the wood bulkhead

The next order of business was dealing with the oak-clad bulkhead. We contemplated replacing it with drywall but opted for a quicker option by making the wood appear to be drywall. To do this we covered the grain and the wood joints with this patching compound. It dries quickly, it's hard as nails and doesn't shrink.


Sanded smooth and painted the same color as the walls, one would never know it is wood.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR PAINTING CABINETS

Prep, prep, prep - the most important step

Cabinets are usually laden with grease, caked on food, and sticky fingerprints that must be cleaned first.

• Vacuum the interior of the cabinets and drawers and give them a scrub with warm soapy water. 
• Clean the cabinet doors, trim, and end units with a liquid deglosser.
• Protect the surrounding walls, ceiling, and backsplash with painters tape. 
• Protect your countertops with plastic or an old sheet like I did mine, moving it along with me as I worked.
• Remove the doors and shelves and label each with tape. You don't want to skip this step - ask me how I know.
• Remove the hardware from each door and transfer the door number from the tape into the hardware cavity with a pencil. Make sure to label the hardware with tape also.
• There is no need to strip the finish and sand to the bare wood. Instead, use a 100-grit sanding block and sand in the direction of the grain to scuff the finish.
• Wipe the dust with a damp cloth and follow with a tack cloth.

Priming is where it's at for a long lasting finish

This is where you'll want to brew a pot of coffee because this step is tedious but should not be skipped.

• Use a good quality primer that seals the wood and staining blocking.
• You'll need a 1-inch brush for the recessed part of the doors, cabinet trim, and crown molding.
• You can use a brush but I prefer a 6-inch high-density roller for the door fronts and sides, end cabinets, shelves and any other flat surfaces.
• Roll in long even strokes with a wet edge.
• Prime the interior of your cabinets if they are wood. Thankfully mine are white melamine so I got to skip this step.

• Lay the shelves and cabinet doors on the garage/workshop floor or work surface using these handy painter's pyramids. The more room you have, the faster this step will take. Unfortunately, I could only do 4-6 doors at a time. 
• Once dry, flip them over and prime the opposite side.
• Note: I only applied one coat of primer because I'll be using a paint with built-in primer. Just adds that extra coat of protection!

Painting the cabinets white

• We used two coats of Behr Premium Plus Latex Paint in a satin finish.
• Before applying the first coat of paint, lightly sand the primed surfaces with a fine 220 grit sanding sponge and wipe the dust with a tack cloth.
• Repeat the previous step between each coat of paint. 
• Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours before applying the second coat.
• Use a good quality 1-inch angled brush for the recessed parts of the doors, cabinet trim, and crown molding.
• Use a 6-inch high-density roller for the door fronts and sides, end cabinets, shelves and any other flat surfaces.
• Roll in long even strokes with a wet edge.