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The BEST way to paint your cabinets

The BEST way to paint your cabinets

This post is sponsored by HomeRight. All opinions are my own. All additional projects used in this project were selected by me.DIY Kitchen Makeover-Click for more!

As promised, today I’m showing you the absolute best way to paint cabinets! Guys, I’ve painted several sets of cabinets in my lifetime as a DIYer. I have tried so many “sworn by” methods and while I’ve never not had success, this was my best success yet! I combined the life changing power of BB Frosch Chalk Paint Powder with the HomeRight Finish Pro Spray Gun for a modern look on my dated kitchen. Screen Shot 2016-01-04 at 9.36.34 AMAs a reminder, here is the “before” photo from when we decided to rent the house. The kitchen is small-ish but definitely plenty of space for my family. I actually have the perfect balance of counter space, cabinet space and not too big to where cleaning it would be annoying. I mean, it’s always annoying but it goes quick in a kitchen this size.

Supplies:

Couple things, if you use this technique and these products, you need to know a few things. BB Frösch is a chalk paint powder unlike any other. It allows an insanely smooth finish and maximum durability. It allows for no-prep work like sanding, priming, etc. but taking these steps will improve your durability in my opinion. I have used it with “no prep” with great results but on a huge project that is going to get a lot of use, I say the extra prep gives me a little peace of mind.  Also, I have used several, and I mean several different types of paint sprayers and this is by far the best one I have used and it costs just under $70! It’s easy to clean and works so so good!

Prep:

The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!Bases: As with any paint project, prep is super important. Like I said, depending on the surface you’re working with, you may not need to prep but my kitchen had a ton of peeling clear coat and obviously it’s not smart to just paint over it. I used a medium grit sandpaper block followed by a fine grit sandpaper block over my bases and the island. My island is laminate on the bar side so I used Kilz primer to prime that area but I did NOT use primer on the rest of the kitchen.

The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!Doors: For the doors, I removed all of the doors and put ALL of the hardware, including screws and the bit for the drill in a big ziplock bag because without fail, hardware likes to disappear if you don’t put it in a sealed container of some kind during your project. I’m happy to report that I didn’t lose a single screw or hinge during this project. After removing the doors, I took them outside and sanded them down with my orbital sander. The old clear coat was peeling like crazy so I took the precaution and chose to sand the doors. I used a shop-vac and cloth to remove all of the dust and debris from sanding. You could also use a tack cloth. I’ve heard they’re awesome!The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!Mixing your paint: Make sure you use a high-quality FLAT paint when mixing your chalk paint powder. You’ll seal it with a semi-gloss so you’ll still get a great sheen but flat paint makes it adhere best!

The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!In a plastic container, mix the contents of 1 jar BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder with 4 to 5 tablespoons water until a thick but creamy consistency is achieved. Add FLAT FINISH paint and stir until chalk paint powder mixture is fully incorporated. DO NOT put the powder directly into the paint. Make sure you do the water mixture first then combine it with the paint.  If it is too thick, add more water. You want it like a “donut glaze” consistency versus a thicker gravy consistency. You may want an extra tablespoon of water or so since we will be using a spray gun, you want it a tad thinner for a smooth spray. You can always add a bit of paint if it’s too thick. Mix it thoroughly with a whisk and pour it into your sprayer. Do a test spray on a piece of cardboard to test the spray. The beauty of this mixture is that it is not an exact science. You can play with it until you have the consistency you need for your sprayer.

Spray: We started with the back sides of the cabinet doors. It seems counter intuitive but that way if you spray the backs the flip them over to get the fronts, you don’t risk scratching or dinging the fronts. If a backside door gets a scuff or something, not near as big of a deal!The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!

Here’s a quick video to show you how well it sprayed and how great of coverage we had with the Behr Marquee +BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder. I also used an extension cord to bring the sprayer inside. After I taped off the floor, appliances and sides a bit, I used it to do all of the insides of the cabinets and it worked like a charm. There was very minimal overspray and the finish was flawless.

I cleaned the gun with warm soap and water then sprayed the entire kitchen with Minwax Polycrylic in a semi-gloss sheen. After everything was completely dry, I reattached the doors and hardware. No lost screws! Yay! It’s been over a month and they’ve held up so well so far and I love the professional finish.The BEST way to paint your cabinets - Click for tutorial!

I sure love how it all came together! I highly, highly recommend using the BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder in conjunction with the HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer for the best, flawless paint finish you can imagine. Professional results on a budget! YES!

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22 Comments

  1. It looks great painted white! And you are right, the kitchen has the perfect size! I use our dining table as a countertop quite a few times. You were lucky your landlord let you paint the cabinets! Enjoy them!

  2. Thanks so much for your detailed explanation. I am going to apply the Polycrylic to my newly painted cabinets.

  3. So do I understand that one tub of chalk powder was enough for the entire kitchen or are you saying that you used a full tub each time you filled the sprayer? Just trying to gauge how much chalk powder and paint you used.

    1. Hi Britney! No, I went through 3 tubs. I used just short of a tub with each fill of my gun but I didn’t want to recommend any specific amoutn since everyone’s kitchen is a different size. Thanks!

  4. Your cabinets look beautiful! The kitchen is much brighter. I’ve been a big minwax polycrylic user in the past. I’ve used it on several large piece that are white using several coats lightly sanding between each coat. It’s been about 4-5 years and the white now looks dingy due to the polycrylic. The gray piece I used it on still looks great but all those white pieces look dirty and will have to be repainted. I will never use the minwax on white pieces again.

  5. I have been waiting and waiting and waiting to repaint my kitchen and think I’ve finally found my solution! I also love the signs that you can make with the Silhouette. The DIY-er in me is a bit restrained by working full time and having 2 young kids, but I can’t wait to get started on some projects!

  6. Wow. You did wonders with that kitchen. Very interesting your design choices. I am not that good with all that but when I see someone do it well I am impressed. I recently helped my parents redo their kitchen and the results were very exciting.

  7. When I followed the link to Behr Marquee paint it went to exterior paint. Did you use interior or exterior for the cabinets?

  8. Thank you so much for this! I cannot wait to start this project! I recently bought all the items on your list in order to start. The minwax polycrylic will take an additional week or so to arrive at my home. Do you think it’d be alright to go ahead and get everything chalk painted now and spray with the minwax when I receive it? Or would it be smarter to just wait until everything can be done at once?

  9. Thank you so much for this! I cannot wait to start this project! I recently bought all the items on your list in order to start. The minwax polycrylic will take an additional week or so to arrive at my home. Do you think it’d be alright to go ahead and get everything chalk painted now and spray with the minwax when I receive it? Or would it be smarter to just wait until everything can be done at once?

  10. I’m new to the home right finish prayer and is it messy to spray inside the house your cabinets? I mean the boxes. or did I misunderstand and you didn’t spray inside? Beautiful kitchen!

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