Recently, I sat down to pick Ryan Cunningham’s brain about repainting kitchen cabinets. So many homeowners opt to repaint, which can make a kitchen look brand new without the brand-new price tag. Ryan is a professional painter who specializes in cabinet painting and refinishing. Here’s the interview.
How did you get into painting kitchen cabinets?
I started painting in 2003 and was mainly doing new construction until the end of 2009. At that point the housing market had collapsed and most of my home builder clients were gone and homeowners weren’t remodeling their homes as much. So in 2010 I made the decision to focus on cabinet painting / refinishing, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for my business as painting/refinishing existing cabinets really took off. So, about 21 years total and 14 years of cabinets specifically. Long enough where my son is now 25 and does most of the hard work and spraying on our jobs!
1. Do you help clients come up with color scheme for their cabinets?
I actually don’t get too involved in color selection. I’ll give my opinions on what I’ve seen work, but I leave the real color selection to the professional designers / interior decorators. Many of the professional decorators have gone to school for interior design and have been working with color for years, so I trust their opinions.
2. Do you remove cabinets from the wall? Is this necessary?
I remove all of the cabinet doors and drawers when I paint cabinets. I find that removing them allows me to get a better finish than leaving the doors and drawers on. Then, depending on the job and the space needed, the doors and drawers are either finished off site or on site if space allows. You can see the amount of prep I do in this video follow along of a complete kitchen painting project.
3. Do you repaint kitchen islands? Is that process similar to repainting cabinets?
Yep, islands are done just the same as the rest of the kitchen cabinets. Though, many homeowners choose to paint their island with a different color to accent the kitchen. So often times I spray islands after the main cabinets are done.
4. What do you do for painting prep? Remove doors? Taping? Sanding? Other?
Prep work is actually the biggest part of painting kitchen cabinets. I start by cleaning all the cabinets to remove any grease and grime. Next, the floors are cleaned and covered with construction paper. After that, I remove all the doors and drawers and prep off the insides of the cabinet boxes. Next, I thoroughly sand everything, this is one of the most important steps in cabinet painting as sanding adds micro scratches to the surface and expands the surface area, which in turn, gives the primer more surface area to bond to when priming. If the cabinets require a grain filler (oak requires a grain filler before painting), this is when the grain filler is applied and sanded smooth. After sanding, I vacuum everything until I have a dust free environment. Finally, the last step in prepping before priming is to cover all the appliances, windows, walls if I am not painting them, ceilings, and anything else that’s not getting painted. Prep work is easily 80% of the job when painting cabinets.
5. What’s the most common color clients want when repainting?
Shades of white are the most common by far. White is timeless and never goes out of style. The two most common whites I use are Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, and Sherwin Williams Alabaster. Here is a set of cabinets where I painted the cabinets, walls, and ceilings White Dove (video on YouTube).
6. What’s the typical cost for repainting
To hire a professional, the average kitchen will cost you about $5-$6,000. If you plan on painting your cabinets yourself, you can do it for as little as $250 up to about $750. We put together a package deal for DIYers called The Cabinet Makeover Kit. This kit includes all the tools you need to get started painting your kitchen cabinets at a great price of only $49.99.I also just made a YouTube video discussing this very topic: What Is The Cost To Paint Kitchen Cabinets – DIY vs Hiring A Pro Breakdown. I charged $6,500 to paint the cabinets in this picture.
7. Are there cabinet designs you can’t really repaint due to not cost-effective or other reasons?
Not really. All types of wood can be repainted. Laminate and melamine cabinets can be done as long as you scuff them up good and use a bonding primer. Thermofoil cabinets need to have the thermofoil removed, but can be painted after it has been removed.
8. Are there cabinet materials you can’t paint?
Not really. Even metal cabinets can be painted (though I have only run into those in commercial settings).
9. Do you use primer for cabinets?
Yes. Primer is an essential step in painting kitchen cabinets. Primer is created to bond to the surface that you’re painting and creates a bond to the paint top coat, which results in a better, longer lasting finish. Primer also helps smooth out the surface that you’re painting and makes the paint color look more even, For the DIY Painter, I have a few primers that I recommend: Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer (water based), Zinsser Smart Prime, and INSL-X Stix.
10. Is there a special type of paint you use for cabinets?
In the past, oil based finishes were often used for kitchen cabinets for their beautiful look and incredible durability. But oil based finishes have incredibly high VOCs and are bad for both the environment and users. Water based finishes were often avoided because they weren’t as durability and didn’t look as good as oil based. Today, we have the benefit of incredible new finishes that combine the benefits of both water based and oil based finishes. They are low VOC, look amazing, are incredibly durable, and clean up easily with soap and water. These are called Hybrid Paints. My two favorite hybrid paints are Benjamin Moore’s Advance and Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane. I like these because they offer a professional level finish while being DIY friendly. You can brush, roll, or spray both of these finishes and they will lay down smooth and look beautiful when done.
11. How many coats of paint when repainting cabinets?
I usually recommend going with one coat of primer and two coats. But occasionally, a third top coat is needed for different reasons such as If you are going with a bright color, if you are brushing and rolling, or if you happen to put one of your first coats on a little too light.
12. How long do you wait in between coats?
The wait in between coats depends on the paint you use, the temperature of your environment, and the humidity. Typically, waiting overnight in between coats is best and will offer plenty of time for any paint to dry. If you don’t give the paint long enough time in between coats, you’ll find that when you sand, instead of the paint powdering when you sand, it will ball up and won’t sand to a smooth finish.
13. Can you paint with chalk paint?
You can absolutely paint your cabinets with chalk paint. Chalk paint has lots of benefits for cabinet painting. First, it’s easy and requires minimal prep work. Chalk paint is also very forgiving and tends to hide blemishes really well. But chalk paint also has some drawbacks as well. Chalk paint is far less durable than hybrid paints and can scratch and chip easily. It also requires a sealer to be water and stain resistant. Lastly, you’re usually limited in the colors you can choose when going with chalk paint as well.
14. Do you ever stain instead of paint?
I only stain new cabinets. I don’t re-stain old cabinets. For existing cabinets, re-staining them is a big project. It involves stripping the old finish, sanding, and then staining and clear coating. Due to the stripping, it’s usually not cost effective to hire a professional to do this. But, as a DIY project, it is absolutely doable if you have the time and can commit to it. However, if you like the current color of your cabinets, but they are just looking a bit worn and old, applying a new clear coat is a great way to bring them back to life. Make sure to be safe when stripping the old finish and avoid toxic strippers if possible.
15. What brushes do you recommend for this work?
I recommend The Original Cabinet Brush from DIYPaintingSupply.com. This brush is designed specially for cabinet painting, with bristles that minimize brush marks, giving the cabinets a smooth, even finish. Even when I spray cabinets for my clients, I still use a brush on every project. I typically use my brush for small touch ups and hard to reach areas. Many DIYers also don’t own a sprayer or want to learn how to spray. You can get a beautiful finish with just a brush and a foam roller that can easily rival professionally sprayed finishes if you know what you’re doing.
16. Do you ever paint with sprayer? Roller? If so, can you recommend a good sprayer / roller?
For my client work, I always use a sprayer. A sprayer allows me to get a perfectly smooth finish that clients expect when hiring a professional. If you are thinking about spraying your own cabinets, the sprayer I recommend for the DIY Painter is the Wagner Flexio 5000. This sprayer is easy to learn, sprays a beautiful finish, and costs under $250. I have multiple videos teaching how to use this exact sprayer to get a professional level finish including this video titled Master Your HVLP Paint Sprayer and The Secret To Perfect Spraying. I currently sell the Wagner Flexio 5000 at DIY Painting Supply along with an unlimited email support package to help DIYers learn to use their new sprayer.
17. How many days does it take you to repaint cabinets for entire kitchen?
For me, a normal size kitchen typically takes about 5 days to complete. Day 1 is prep day where I prep off the kitchen, remove the doors, sand everything, and get all ready for spraying. Day 2, I finish any prep work, and prime all the boxes, doors, and drawers. Day 3 I sand down the primer, check for any imperfections that need to be addressed, caulk all the gaps and cracks, then start applying the first top coat. Day 4 I sand the first top coat, do a final check of everything where I check if I missed any caulking, grain filler, or any other imperfections. This is my last opportunity to make sure everything is perfect. Then I do a thorough vacuuming and spray the final top coat. Day 5 is reassembly and touch up day. I start by checking everything over and making sure every cabinet door and drawer looks perfect. I do any touches up if necessary. Then I de-prep everything and start reassembling the kitchen. If the kitchen is bigger or I am also painting the walls or ceiling, which is often the case when painting cabinets, it can take an extra day or two. If you are DIYing your cabinets, expect that it will take you a bit longer. I suggest allocating 40-80 hours to do a project like this depending on the size of your kitchen.
18. What’s your favorite kitchen cabinet color?
Personally, I love navy blues right now. Two of my favorites are Sherwin Williams Naval (SW 6244) and Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154). Another favorite of mine are charcoal greys such as Sherwin Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069) and Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal (HC-166).
19. List 3 mistakes people make when choosing kitchen cabinets or colors for cabinets
First, ignoring lighting. Colors can look completely different in different lighting situations. If you have a lot of natural lighting, your colors will look completely different than if you have a lot of artificial or yellow light. Test your colors in your space so you know how they will look with your lighting. Second, following trends too closely. I’ve seen too many people choose trending colors only to have a trend come and go quickly, or not have that color fit their home’s overall aesthetic. Third, choosing colors that are too dark or too light for your space. If you don’t have a lot of natural light, if you have dark floors, or if you have dark countertops, choosing a dark cabinet color can create too dark of a room that feels small and uninviting. The same can happen with light colors. If yous space is already big, bright, and has lots of light colors, going with light cabinets can make a room feel washed out and sterile.
20. Do you typically use water-based or oil based primers and top coats?
Oils and lacquers were more common years ago in cabinet painting, but over the last decade, new water based finishes have come on the market that have all of the benefits of oils and lacquers without the smell (and high dangerous VOCs). Today, I recommend water based hybrids for DIY painters. These hybrids look amazing, they’re durable, and can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed all while offering low VOCs and water cleanup.
21. Do you need to apply a sealer / clear coat after painting your cabinets?
No. Applying a clear coat was a common practice years ago when painting kitchen cabinets due to older finishes not being very durable. Today’s finishes are incredibly durable (more so than many clear coats) and do not require and clear coats or sealers.
22. How can someone achieve a smooth, professional-looking finish without a sprayer?
To get a smooth professional looking finish without a sprayer, you can follow a couple simple tips. First, remove the doors and drawers and paint them on a flat horizontal surface. This allows you to apply your paint heavier than if you painted them vertically and will allow the paint to flow and smooth out more. Second, use a slow drying paint such as Benjamin Moore Advance. A slower time will give the paint more time to level and flow to a smooth finish, where a faster drying paint will tend to hold more brush and roller marks. If you want more tips, make sure to download my free Kitchen Cabinet Project Planner. It will guide you through the entire cabinet painting process and help you get a perfect finish whether you’re spraying, brushing, or rolling. You can also get the Kitchen Cabinet Makeover Kit for only $49.99 which is designed for brushing and rolling cabinets.
23. What’s the best way to clean and maintain painted cabinets? Are there any cleaning products to avoid?
As with most painted surfaces, simply using soap and water is the best way to clean your painted kitchen cabinets. These paints are made to repel water and stains, so they are quite easy to clean and don’t require any special chemicals or cleaners.
24. Can you paint cabinet hardware as well?
If you’re looking to save some money, you can absolutely paint your cabinet hardware, but buying new hardware that is the color you want is usually the best choice. Painted hardware tends to chip over time.
25. What common challenges do people face when painting cabinets, and how can they be avoided?
One of the biggest challenges is simply starting the project. Many people often feel overwhelmed and don’t know where or how to begin. Anyone can paint cabinets, even my 17-year-old daughter and 25-year-old son do it!
26. Is sanding cabinets required?
Sorry, but no, you shouldn’t skip sanding. It’s true that sanding is tedious and creates dust, but sanding is also one of the most important steps in cabinet painting. Sanding creates micro scratches in the surface and in turn creates more surface area for your primer to bond to. If you skip the sanding step or use a “no sanding” method, you risk having cabinets that chip and peel easily over time.
About Ryan Cunningham
Ryan Cunningham has been refinishing kitchen cabinets for nearly 24 years as the owner of Grove Painting out of Minneapolis, MN. He is also the face behind the Youtube channel DIY Painting which teached DIYer’s how to get professional results on their painting projects. Lastly, he also runs DIYPaintingSupply.com which sells everything you need to do your DIY painting projects.
