• privacy policy
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Shop the Home
  • Before & After Home Tour

North Country Nest

  • RENOVATIONS BY ROOM
    • The Exterior
    • The Entryway
    • The Living Room
    • The Kitchen
    • The Guest Bathroom
    • The Guest Bedroom #1
    • The Guest Bedroom #2
    • The Laundry Room
    • The Office
    • Master Bathroom
    • The Garage
  • DIY + DECOR
    • Cleaning + Organization
    • DIY Projects
    • Furniture
    • Home Decor
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizer Recipe
    • Breakfast Recipe
    • Dessert Recipe
    • Dinner Recipe
    • Drink Recipe
    • Garden Recipe
    • Lunch Recipe
    • Snack Recipe
    • Soup Recipe
    • One Pan Meal
    • Meals Under 30 Minutes
  • SEASONAL
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Holiday
    • Winter

How to Repaint Painted Cabinets

DIY Projects· The Kitchen

28 Mar

Check out this great tutorial on how to repaint painted kitchen cabinets. Yes, it can be done and yes, it WORKS! 

About this time two years ago I painted our kitchen cabinets. It was a huge learning project and one that left me with much to be desired.

I was happy with how it all turned out but there was a paint sprayer debacle and some issues with the paint chipping from the glaze…needless to say, not a seamless operation.

Anyways, once we wrapped up the project, I vowed to shelve the cabinet painting for good and wash my hands of it.

kitchen summer home tour

And then…

And then I started finding our home style and getting more comfortable with making home decisions and realized the cabinets needed to change.

But was it possible to repaint painted kitchen cabinets and not have it look like crap?

Going into the project, my biggest concern was having to sand EVERYTHING down again. That was my deal-breaker.

So, I made a trip to the hardware store and had a nice heart-to-heart with the paint guy. I triple-checked with him that if I bought this product, sanding would not be required.

I had to hold myself back from doing a happy dance in the aisle and practically ran out of the store with my loot.

Of course I was a little skeptical going into the whole thing and I do have a few disclaimers to walk through, but overall, this process has worked like a charm.

Tedious? Yes, absolutely.

But the entire project wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Tutorial: Repainting Painted Cabinets

Supplies Needed to Repaint Painted Cabinets

[affiliate links are used for your convenience. full disclosure here. thank you for supporting north country nest!]

  • Sander deglosser
  • Cotton cloth or paper towels
  • Latex gloves
  • Paint brush
  • Paint roller 
  • Paint (I loooveeee Dutch Boy Cabinet & Trim paint)

It all starts with the deglosser. 

cabinet deglosser

Grab a paper towel or dry washcloth and pour some of the deglosser on the towel. Then, using a circle motion, rub it on the cabinet, working in sections.

deglossing kitchen cabinet with paper towel

Once it feels like there isn’t any deglosser left on the towel, pour some more on another side and repeat the process all over again until the entire cabinet is done.

paper towel with deglosser and kitchen cabinet residue

…that’s it.

kitchen cabinet that has been deglossed

I know, right? How awesome is that?

After deglossing alllllll the cabinet doors and frames, it was time to paint.

Since the original paint color was cream, I passed on the primer and ended up doing about two to three coats on everything.

In addition to painting the cabinets, I also spray painted the hinges a matte black and took the plunge and bought a package of matte black knobs.

I’ll admit, I was super intimidated to install the handles and then the Heavens parted and I found this genius tool.

The easiest way to add hardware to cabinets

Grab the template and line it up with the edge of the cabinet door.

cabinet hardware alignment tool

Using a pencil or fine tip pen make a dot on the door wherever you’d like the handle to go.

drill bit to install cabinet hardware

Drill a hole where the dot is and secure the cabinet knob.

cabinet hardware holes

That’s IT.

matte black kitchen cabinet hardware with white cabinets

The Kitchen Reveal

Okay, enough of the tutorials.

Ready to see the newly painted kitchen?

white kitchen cabinets with green island

I am pretty much in love.

white kitchen cabinets with black oven

A few miscellaneous mentionables….

We have a lovely splotch of old wall color from where Brett removed a section of cabinets for the pantry door. It’s added charm and probably won’t be painted over. Mostly because I am debating changing the paint color entirely and partly because it’s barely noticeable and we’re only a year…or two… from a full kitchen reno. 🙂

white kitchen cabinets with black hardware

I only purchased one pack of the black cabinet knobs and opted to put them only on the cabinet doors. If inspiration strikes, we may add them to the drawers but more than likely it’ll stay this way.

white kitchen cabinets and green island

I used regular Behr paint on the kitchen island and the garbage door is already starting to chip. I’m not sure if it’s because of the type of paint, because it’s the most used door in the kitchen, or because it’s repainted and not adhering properly.

white kitchen cabinets and greenery


I was in demo mode and removed the decorative piece above the kitchen sink. That exposed a pretty ugly light so we ended up switching it out for two black overhead lights.

white, open kitchen cabinet

The white cabinets definitely show off the spills and stains wayyyy more than the cream color. However, I have been able to wipe off all of the things without any of the paint coming off. Another reason I LOVE the Dutch Boy cabinet and trim paint.

white kitchen cabinets with white fridge

I think I would recommend repainting painted cabinets as a temporary solution only. Not that it doesn’t work because it does. It just doesn’t look as refined and perfect as newly painted and/or entirely new cabinets would. I knew going into this that it would temporary, which means I let the perfection mindset slide a little. Yes, I still love it and I am SO happy that it’s done. But I am also glad it’s not a permanent fix.

open style white kitchen cabinets

We’re REALLY done with the kitchen now until the actual renovation. I know, I know. We said that a few times already. BUT, if you’re not happy, a few coats of paint goes a long way and really, it was totally worth it. 🙂

All our best,

Pin for later!

how to repaint painted kitchen cabinets


Sharing is Caring

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related posts:

The Kitchen Cabinet Makeover How to Glaze Kitchen Cabinets Farmhouse Pantry Cabinet MakeoverFarmhouse Style Pantry Cabinet Makeover Default ThumbnailGlass Pantry Door Makeover for the Kitchen

5 Comments

Previous Post: « Simple and Romantic Spring Tablescape
Next Post: Industrial Office Design Plans & Mood Board »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristi says

    March 29, 2018 at 9:14 am

    LOVE the new light and bright look and that island is the most beautiful shade of green!

    Reply
  2. Tracy says

    April 30, 2018 at 8:14 pm

    I’ve never used Dutch Boy paint, though I would love to try it. I have extensive experience with Behr paint, however, and I hate it. Most expensive paint and it always cracks and peels. It’s not my prep, as I prep the same way and no other paint does it. So, it’s not you!

    Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    February 5, 2020 at 6:48 am

    Love the tips! Your kitchen looks excellent.
    I was wondering, we bought our house last year and it looks like the wood cabinets were painted yellow and then brown. The paint is so thick that the door paint has been chipping off when you open and close them. DO you have any suggestions for dealing with multiple layers of paint? I want to paint them a bluish/gray not real dark.

    Reply
    • North Country Nest says

      February 6, 2020 at 5:11 pm

      Great question! Because it’s already starting to chip, you probably want to sand off the doors and then repaint.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Friday Favorites: Signs of Spring and Decor Finds – Chandra Lockey – Blog says:
    April 6, 2018 at 7:56 am

    […] second chance: Not every DIY projects turns out perfectly the first time… North Country Nest painted her cabinets a couple of years ago, without perfect results, but she was brave enough to […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

oh, hi!

We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

[posts contain affiliate links, which means we make a small commission if a purchase is made, at no additional cost to you. thanks for supporting north country nest!]

what we’re loving right now

Web Hosting

the archives

Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

Enjoy the week, friends!
If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at ou If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at our newly trimmed windows and painted walls 😍

We have to add trim to the slider, install the baseboards and frame up + install the pantry door.

And then...

This kitchen will be DONE! 🙌
Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in o Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in on our renovation list and shared two new projects we're adding (of course!)

The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #on Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #ontheblog is a tour of our front porch and a few summer decorating ideas!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🧨
Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.. Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies... especially when it comes to neighbors.

New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

Cheers to starting the week off on a high note!
One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll b One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll be time for paint in the kitchen!

In other news, Brett scored big time and found a giant rug for our living room - it was half off and arrived last week. Now we're patiently waiting until we get the new floors down until we roll it out. Check the stories if you want to get a sneak peak!😁😁 Enjoy the day, my friends!
Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my si Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my siblings and their kiddos.

Brett showed up around dinner time and proceeded to spend the next hour in a water + cake fight with six kids under 10.

Yup, I'm married to an adult child. 😂😂 Kidding aside - I had one of those 'I love summer' moments, watching them all run around outside, laughing their heads off.

Hope you're enjoying the start to your week, friends! 🙌
So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was not all sunshine and roses.

Two words: dried grout.

On the plus side, you can in fact clean dried grout from tile. On the negative, it's a complete pain in the ass... And doesn't get you back too 100%. #ontheblog today, I'm diving into all the details on how we cleaned the tile... And the (now funny?) story on how it even happened in the first place (hint: renovating with your husband on an empty stomach never has a positive outcome) 😂
The last four years have been a constant experimen The last four years have been a constant experiment of finding the balance between function and design.

We started this entryway with white built-ins and light walls. Damn it looked good in pictures but real life? With two black dogs and a lake... Well let's just say the functionality of the design choices were at an all time low.

So, we overhauled the space and darkened the walls and built-ins. While I was a little nervous to go so dark, I have to admit Brett's instincts were right one this one.

So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

Copyright North Country Nest LLC © 2021

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.