How to paint kitchen cabinets

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. We drew on the official Dulux UK tutorial “How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets” for this guide. Dulux know their paints, and the video is sensible about why prep matters more than the topcoat. They also make the point about kitchen-specific paints that handle grease, steam, and regular wiping — which is easy to underestimate if you just reach for the nearest tin of emulsion.

1. Empty and degrease everything

Remove all items from the cabinets and wipe every surface down thoroughly with a sugar soap solution or dedicated kitchen degreaser. Grease is the enemy of adhesion — any trace of it left under the primer will cause the paint to peel later, often in embarrassingly large sheets.

Pay extra attention to the area around the hob and the top of the cabinet doors where hands touch the most. Let everything dry completely before you move on.

2. Remove doors, drawers, and hardware

Take off every door and drawer front. Remove hinges, handles, and any other hardware and pop them in a labelled bag. It is much easier to paint individual doors flat than to do them in situ, and you will get a noticeably better finish because you can work horizontally and reduce runs.

Number the doors and their positions lightly in pencil on the back or inside face if you think there is any chance of confusion when rehinging.

3. Sand the surfaces

Key the existing surface with 120-grit sandpaper, working with the grain on timber and in small circles on MDF or painted surfaces. You are not stripping back to bare wood — just scuffing the surface so the primer has something to grip.

That said, if the existing finish is badly flaking or chipped, you may need to go further. Loose paint should come off entirely before you prime.

4. Fill any dents or damage

Press a suitable wood filler or fine surface filler into any chips, dents, or scratches. Allow to dry fully, then sand back flush. A door with visible dents under a fresh coat of paint looks worse than before you started.

5. Apply a suitable primer

Use a primer designed for the surface type. Bare MDF needs a shellac-based or MDF-specific primer to seal the grain and prevent the topcoat soaking in unevenly. Solid wood, painted surfaces, and vinyl wrap all have slightly different primer requirements.

Apply thinly and evenly, allow to dry, then lightly sand with 240-grit paper before the topcoat. This is the stage most people rush, and it is exactly where the final result is decided.

6. Choose the right paint

Kitchen cabinets need a hard-wearing, wipeable finish. Satinwood or eggshell gives a good balance between durability and sheen. Avoid standard matt emulsion — it will not stand up to moisture, grease splashes, or repeated cleaning.

Some manufacturers produce dedicated kitchen cupboard paint that is formulated to be tougher than standard interior paint. Worth the extra few pounds per tin if you want the finish to last.

7. Apply the topcoat in thin layers

Use a good-quality short-pile foam roller for flat panels to keep the finish smooth and free of brush marks. Use a small brush for recessed detail and around the edges. Apply two thin coats rather than one thick one, allowing full drying time between each.

Keep doors and drawer fronts flat while the paint cures — stacking them too early can cause faces to stick together, which is annoying and usually ruins the finish.

8. Rehang and refit hardware

Once fully cured (allow at least 24 hours, longer in cold or damp weather), refit hinges and hang doors. Most modern hinges are adjustable, so take the time to get the gaps and reveal consistent all round before tightening everything down.

When to call a handyman

Kitchen cabinet painting is satisfying but time-consuming. If you have a large kitchen, awkward cabinets, or simply do not fancy a week of sanding and painting, Richard can take it on. He can also handle small repairs, rehinging sticking doors, and replacing damaged hardware at the same time.