How to paint unfinished cabinets from home depot or lowes

What's up guys/gals,
I am starting a mud room project that calls for several cabinets to be installed. I thought long and hard whether I should attempt to build the cabinets or purchase them. I haven't built cabinets before, so that option was out, plus I didn't have the proper setup and tools yet. The 2nd option was to purchase finished cabinets that I can install right away. Two problems arose from the second option: Cost and color. The cost for this setup which calls for 7 cabinets was over $2500!! And we would have to stick with a stock color; otherwise, the cost would be even higher and lead time would be weeks if not months!
I have painted many cabinets before, so the idea of painting cabinets was not new or scary to me; however, I have not done unfinished cabinets before. The idea of saving 100s of dollars, make that thousands of dollars and the challenge got me interested. So, I decided to take on painting the unfinished cabinets, which cost me just about $600. Here is the list of materials used:
- Cabinet paint from Valspar $55/gal (I used only 1 gal)
- Sanding sealer $20/qrt (I used 1 quart)
- Polycrylic top finish $18/qrt (I used 1 quart)
- Couple of extra fine sanding blocks and a steel wool pad (not sure what cost is since I had those in my shop already, but probaby $2-$3
In this video I walk you though the process of painting these unfinished cabinets I purchased from Lowes. These are OSB boxes with a solid Oak trim and cabinet door frame with a 1/4" door insert.
BTW the finished cabinets from Lowes were veneered, so you can't really sand or paint them! Another reason I went with the unfinished solid wood door frames
For painting these unfinished cabinets I used my Critter cyphon gun. I spray paint whenever I have routed edges such as cabinet doors and trim.
Whenever you are working with unfinished wood it's a good idea to start with a sanding sealer to seal the wood and create a surface that paint can adhere too much better than an unsealed surface. Trust me, this step is crucial, you would not believe the difference.
Here is the breakdown to paint unfinished cabinets:
- 2 coats of sanding sealer
- 3 coats of paint
- 2 coats of Polycrylic
You will want to lightly sand between coats for an ultimate smooth finish. I hope this video helps you with your future projects.
Disclaimer: these videos are for information purposes only. They are not meant to induce action; therefore, you agree and understand that you make your own decisions and absorb all risks associated with said decisions/actions. You further agree to hold True Grit Development, LLC, it’s members and anyone affiliated with True Grit Development, LLC harmless from any damage or loss.
Credit:

[apswirl]

First time painting a cabinet. Built my cabinet from unfinished Baltic birch plywood. Used your technique and it came out great! I used a cheap HVLP sprayer and did not setup a hanging station. I was also afraid of the sanding because I only had 220 grit paper and it seemed harsh with even the lightest touch, so I did not sand after every application. My finish was not as glass like as yours but I am still extremely pleased. I imagine after the coat has had a few days to cure it should look even better. I learned a lot with this cabinet build and paint and am very excited about the next one! Thanks!!!

[tammyowens]

I painted my kitchen cabinets 'interesting aqua' that I chose from a paint strip, a year before lowes came out with that exact color cabinet door...now that everyone is using this color blue now, I have to repaint, lol I want to be unique!

[josefinareyna]

Thank you for showing brands of paints you used. Visual learner here. Great video!

[ohdang]

Wonderful video and amazing job on those cabinets! Thank you for putting this together.

[laurat]

Incredibly helpful, thank you!! We are redoing our kitchen and are using unfinished cabinets from Home Depot and Lowes! Thank you for this video.

[bcroftbc]

Nice looking doors but if you have high quality painting equipment like Kremlin air mix paint guns and pumps, you’ll only need to sand the wood with with a final sanding with 220 sand paper and one coat of oil based paint if paying a color. If finishing with clear lacquer, you’ll need 220 sanding, one coat of sealer, 220 sanding then one coat of clear lacquer.

[chrissmith]

Great video. I just did this with my existing cabinets, but I used a Graco sprayer as opposed to the critter. I gotta say I wish I had seen this prior to the work I had done, as the critter looks like a way better option.

Thanks for the great video!

[harperwilson]

Hello! This is the best cabinet painting video I’ve seen and the information/instructions are easy to follow. Did you sand the cabinets before using the sealer?

[me-ugvk]

looks great. I am surprised you are not using a tack cloth.

[jesso]

Hi love the video! Very informative with some things mentioned that I haven’t seen yet. (I’ve been watching what seems like thousands of videos on cabinet painting since I’m neck deep in my kitchen Reno) So just some questions for you: 1. Does the sanding sealer take the place of a traditional primer? I haven’t ever heard or seen anyone mention this in any cabinet painting tutorials before. 2. Is it always recommended to hang cabinets while painting vs. laying them flat? The paint I bought is Behr alkyd so it behaves somewhat like an enamel so I just worry that it would run if I hung them up. 3. When recoating do you always follow the recoating time on the product or do you wait longer? I have seen multiple people mention that waiting longer than recommended makes for a more durable surface and better paint adhesion? 4. What is your recommendation for curing time before installing and using? I live in a somewhat humid climate so I usually have to wait longer for painted projects to cure. Sometimes I see people painting and then the next day installing their cabinets. Other times people say to wait a week?

[jeremyotero]

I did the same thing that you did with the hooks and the doors, but i did miss the Clear coat, , , ,

[Happynlucky]

Can you give us a step-by-step Time line how long did you wait between the sealer, paint and poly sealer?
Beginning to do this project and using your process.
Thank you

[SpongeAddict-gwmo]

I wanted to keep my raw light wood look and just get a clear coat without reading I got a polyurethane warm satin I’m hoping it will dry lighter because they are golden color now which I hate!

[gioweo]

I was following this video to the TEE and after spraying the cabinet paint, it’s leaving a subtle orange peel like finish as opposed to a glass like factory finish. (wish there was a way to send photos of it in YT comments) I thought the top coat might reduce it but it looks around the same just shinier lol.

I’m guessing that something was wrong with the air pressure or paint viscosity. I tried upping the pressure and thinning the paint a bit but the spray pattern stayed around the same. Do you have any recommendations on what might be going wrong?

Lastly I wanna know what recommendations you have for starting over? Should I strip and sand? If so should I apply the sanding sealer again?
Thank you so much in advance, I’ve already learned a lot from the video you made and hope to hear from you

[katiebowen]

I only have 3 cabinets to paint, DIY built in shelves, so I'm not sure a sprayer is a reasonable purchase for us for such a small job. Are you able to suggest brush and/or roller to use? I'm sure it won't be as beautiful but trying to do the best work we can. Thanks!!!

[agatadeoliveira]

Great video! Liked & Subscribed, Looking forward to watching more of your videos. I'm renovating a RV and bought unfinished cabinets for the kitchen. Really glad I watched this before painting them. I have a few questions!

1. I was going to use primer, but I was worried about the wood grain seems like the wood sealer will help with that. Should I also use a primer after using the sealer, or do you feel like the sealer helps adhere the paint. I want the prevent the paint from flaking or scratching off. I purchased a gripper primer.

2. Spray gun: We bought the Graco Magnum spray gun but the critter seems a lot more pratical for the cabinets. Do you know if the critter attachement can attach to a Graco Magnum machine if not what spray tip do you recommend?

Thank you so much! 🙂

[pavargas]

Hi! I love this video! I have a few questions.

1. Do you sand prior to spraying the sand sealer?

2. Are these Home Depot cabinets?

3. I noticed you didn’t prime the cabinets. I guess no need because of the sanding sealer right?

[patricevitacco]

I wish I had watched your video before I did my cabinet. My cabinet has so many flex on it after spraying it. I did not use the sand prep had no idea about it. I have tried sanding it and repainting with my sprayer and it still comes up with a lot of flex… any suggestions?

[leandrobortolon]

Thank you for the great video! My wife and I are at the beginning of the project. We bought our cabinets from Home Depot (Hampton Bay). We did 2 coats of Sanding sealer. We started to paint the front drawers for a test. We are in the second coat of the paint (we bought the Dutch Boy brand color 183 C for Cabinets - water-based). After the second coat, we still can see and feel the wood vein. Do you believe that after the 3rd coat, plus the clear coat, the wood vein will disappear? We have an incredible smoothness in our cabinets, but the wood vein feeling is still bugging us. We are using Wagner 4000 sprayer to paint them, and we kind of struggle to adjust the right pressure for the paint.
Thank you so much.

[rebeccafreer]

What was the key to covering up the wood grain? I LOVE how these turned out and would like to have a wood grain free look as you achieved!