How to Paint Cabinets with Latex Paint

$how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$ Hi friends! I have been working on the little hallway between my kitchen and bathroom. My house was built in 1905 so it has some quirky corners. I call this my butler’s pantry (even though it’s just used for linen and cleaning supply storage. But, hey, if a girl wants to feel fancy, who cares about technicalities?! 😉

After painting the wall with stripes, I was ready to move on to painting the cabinets (the wood stain isn’t my style). Previously, I used chalk paint to paint my kitchen cabinets and I LOVED working with it! But I wanted to try working with latex paint and compare it for you.

how to paint cabinets with latex paint

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get a brief overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below.

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on my YouTube Channel here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that! Plus I’ll be adding lots of videos!

supplies $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

TSP heavy duty cleaner $4
Paint roller tray $14
4″ cabinet foam roller $8
Painting tripods $5
Caulk $2
Angled 2″ paint brush $8
Primer- Kilz Original 1 Quart $9
Inter enamel satin paint (I used Ultra Pure White by Behr) 1 gallon $35

Approximate total: $90

step 1- clean $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

Start by cleaning your cabinets well with TSP. I hadn’t used TSP before, but it is $4 for a box of it. To use the white powder, just dissolve it in hot water and wash the cabinets with it (there are exact measurements on the box and how much you use varies on the size of the project). Then you rinse the cabinets with warm water. Good prep is the key to a pretty finished product!

step 2- remove the cabinet doors $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

I’ve done a TON of cabinet painting recently! Before you take the doors off, make SURE to mark where your hinges go with a pencil. Next, use painters tape to label which cabinet goes where. These two little things take a few minutes but will save you a TON of headache when reassembling the project. Use a drill or screwdriver to take off the hinges and doors. $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

step 3- fill holes if needed $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

On my cabinets, the frame had some big cracks between the different pieces. I used caulk to fill those. If your cabinet doors had hardware that you’re replacing with something of a different size, fill them with wood filler. $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

To paint my cabinet doors, I laid them on a table with a drop cloth underneath. To prop the doors up (so they didn’t get painted to the drop cloth), I used these painter’s tripods.

step 4- prime $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

Kilz primer is oil based so make sure to cover your paint tray with a plastic bag (so you can easily throw it away). Use a paint brush to apply primer to the trim on your cabinets. Use a cabinet roller to paint the primer on the flat front of the cabinet doors. While waiting for the doors to dry, prime the box of your cabinets. $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

Because the oil based primer is such a pain to clean up, I choose an old crappy brush to paint with and then I tossed it after.

step 5- paint

Once the primer has dried for 2 hours, start painting with the latex paint. Use a clean roller and paint brush to apply the paint on the cabinet doors and frame. It took me 3 coats of paint to get full coverage. $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

Let everything dry overnight.

step 6- reassemble

Now that the cabinet doors and frame are all dry, reassemble the hinges and put the cabinets back on the frame. Finish by adding on the pulls/knobs.

Step back and admire your handy work! $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house$

cabinet painting- latex vs. chalk paint $how to paint cabinets with latex paint without sanding DIY. I painted my wood cabinets white with 3 coats of paint on a budget (only $90). Tips and tricks to get a finish like a professional in your house. Chalk paint vs. latex paint- what is better$

I’ve recently painted most of my kitchen cabinets with chalk paint. So while I was using latex paint, I couldn’t help but compare the two. I thought it might be helpful to share the pros and cons of each.

Price– Latex paint is $90 and Chalk paint is $111 for a standard size kitchen.

Time– Latex paint- took me 10 hours (with drying time) and I still needed to install the doors the next morning. Chalk paint- took me 4 hours with install time. I couldn’t believe the difference. Just for this point, I’ll use chalk paint every time

Finish– Latex paint- The finish is good. The corners aren’t as crisp as I’d like. Chalk paint- the finish is great. However, some of the finish coat isn’t 100% even. I can fix it, but its currently not perfect.

Durability– I haven’t lived with the latex paint cabinets enough to fairly compare. The Chalk paint cabinets clean up really easily and haven’t chipped in the 2-4 months I’ve lived with them.

For me, chalk paint wins. Just for the time commitment alone- I’d gladly pay $20 to not paint ALL DAY long.

I know that the after pictures aren’t that exciting. But aren’t they a vast improvement?! You can see a sneak peek to future 25 Days of DIY projects like painting a backsplash and laying concrete over an existing countertop. Stay tuned! This little space is going to keep getting transformed!

Let me know if you have any questions about painting cabinets. I consider myself a pro now 😉

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