DIY Cabinet Transformation With Paint

The wooden cabinets that came with the home were custom built by the previous homeowner, most likely in the 80’s or 90’s. One of my favorite things about this kitchen is the ample amount of storage and counter space available. The walls appear to be brick, but they’re actually not brick at all, they are blocks of wood painted to look like brick. The color of the walls combined with the cherry stained cabinets made the room very dark. I decided to paint the cabinets titanium white, because I wanted to brighten up the space.

Supplies

Nuvo Titanium Infusion 1 Day Cabinet Makeover Kit

BLACK+DECKER Mouse Detail Sander

Scotch Painter’s Tape

BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Cordless Drill

Krylon K09040 Frosted Glass Finish Glass Paints Aerosol, White Finish, 6 Ounce

MiracleWipes for Glass – Disposable, Streak Free Cleaning Wipes

Razor Blade

Step One: Hardware & Door Removal 

To start the process, we removed all of doors and hardware with the BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Cordless Drill. The cabinets were originally stained a dark cherry brown color.

Step Two: Sanding

We used the BLACK+DECKER Mouse Detail Sander to throughly sand every surface of the cabinets and cabinet doors. When doing this step it’s important to get in the corners very throughly. I did not sand as aggressively as I should have, and the paint ended up cracking a little bit in some spots. Any sander will work, but we used the BLACK+DECKER Mouse Detail Sander, because it was great for getting into small corners.

Step Three: Tape Off The Cabinets

We used the Scotch Painter’s Tape to tape off the cabinets. This helped avoid getting cabinet paint on the walls, and in places it was not supposed to be. Ensure you are pressing the tape down firmly, to avoid paint leaking underneath.

Step Four: Painting The Cabinets

I had never painted cabinets before, and I wanted to make sure they were done correctly. I purchased a Nuvo Titanium Infusion 1 Day Cabinet Makeover Kit, that had everything I needed to get started. I did 2 coats of the paint, and they came out perfectly. I absolutely love how it turned out, it really helped lighten the room up a ton! I did end up having to buy a second kit, because we have a large kitchen, with a lot of surface area to cover. This kit was great, as it also includes the rollers, stir sticks, and replacement rollers.

Step Five: Frosted Glass Doors

The glass on the cabinet doors were originally completely clear. I didn’t exactly want to put the fact that my dishes don’t match on display, so I had to find some way to conceal them.

I first cleaned the glass with MiracleWipes for Glass – Disposable, Streak Free Cleaning Wipes, and made sure the surface was completely smooth with a Razor Blade, no tiny specs of paint or dirt to be found.

I brought the glass doors outside to be sprayed. To get the look I wanted, I did have to apply several coats. Be very cautious with the amount you’re spraying, and ensure the surface is fully dry between coats. If it drips even the slightest bit, you will have to redo the whole door. I know from experience. I sprayed from the back of the cabinet doors, so if there were any mistakes, this would not show on the outside of the cabinets. For this, I used Krylon K09040 Frosted Glass Finish Glass Paints Aerosol, White Finish, 6 Ounce to coat the glass with.

Step Six: Finishing Up

We ran into a problem when we tried to put the handles back on. A few of them would not stay on at all, and the others we weren’t able to tighten. With the way the drawers were built, there was no way to access the head of the screw from the back to tighten the knob to them. They will be replaced before the kitchen is done, but this is an annoyance we have yet to find a solution for.