How to: paint the kitchen cabinets

Suppose you're tired of your kitchen, but it's still in pretty good shape. You don't want to install a new kitchen or new doors just yet, but you don't feel like looking at the same kitchen cupboards for years to come either. Or: you have just moved house and the kitchen cabinets in the new house are not your thing, but your budget does not allow for a new kitchen. In that case, we have good news for you: by painting the kitchen cabinets, you can give your kitchen a whole new look in just a few steps! And of course, we have everything you need for that.

If you are going to paint your kitchen cabinets, you can divide your painting job into three steps, which we list for you below. Of course, before you start painting yourself, you have two other things to do: think about what colour you want and get all the supplies you need. The latter is very easy. Just a few clicks and we will deliver your order to your door. Deciding what your kitchen will look like might take even longer. 🤭

Step 1: preparation

Surroundings Cleaning

You can choose to dismantle your kitchen and do all your painting in the garage or a shed, for example, or leave your doors and drawer fronts in place and paint them on-site. Which option you choose depends on your situation.

If you don't have space to lay all the parts open, it might be easier not to dismantle your kitchen. If you have small children running around who like to 'lend a hand', then you may be more likely to just want to do your painting elsewhere. If you choose to paint your kitchen cabinets without taking your kitchen apart, you will need some masking tape to cover the handles and hardware.

It is recommended that you at least cover the floor as well. You can do that with ProGold covering board, which you can hold in place with masking tape.

Next, you will clean the kitchen cabinets, for example with Berdy Clearline degreaser, so that they are completely grease-free. Degreasing is important for the adhesion of the paint, and therefore an indispensable step for a durable end result.

If you do not dismantle the kitchen cabinets, it is also best to clean them first before applying tape. This way, your masking tape will also stick better.

3M Golden Masking Tape

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Step 2: pre-treatment

The next step is to sand, remove old (paint) layers from the kitchen cabinets and prepare them for painting.

If there are still large scratches or small holes in your cabinets, you can also fill them first. For wooden kitchen cabinets, you can use Polyfilla kneadable wood. This wood filler paste fills small holes and cracks and is suitable for all types of wood. After this, you need to sand again to make the surface smooth again.

After sanding, it is important to remove the dust with a clean, lint-free cloth or a soft brush. Otherwise, dust particles might get stuck in the paint layer and you will get an uneven result.

Progold Combi Block

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Progold Softpad

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ProGold Dusting Brush Half Moon

Quantity: 1 piece

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Polyfilla - Kneedbaar Hout

Colour (Polyfilla): Natural | Content: 500 g

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Step 3: paint the cabinets

Primer Lacquer

After steps 1 and 2, your kitchen cabinets may already look quite different, but now it's really time for the big transformation! To get started, first, apply a primer. Good primers include Sigma Tigron Aqua Primer, for wooden kitchen cabinets, or Sigma Multiprimer Aqua, for a lot of other types of surfaces. Whether you need a white or a coloured primer depends on what colour you want to paint your kitchen cabinets.

When applying the primer, it is best to work in two directions: first, you make vertical lines, which you then roll out horizontally. This way you don't lay on the primer too thick, but you do make sure you cover the entire surface. When the primer is dry, sand it lightly with a fine grain. Again, do not forget to remove the dust after sanding, so it does not end up in the paint layer.

Now you can start with the finishing coat. If you have used Sigma Tigron Aqua Primer or Sigma Multiprimer Aqua, you can finish with Sigma Tigron Aqua. This is (thanks to its LTA+ technology) very resistant to grease, dirt and household detergents, and thus perfectly suited for painting your kitchen cabinets. An additional advantage of this water-based paint is that you won't have an unpleasant solvent smell in your kitchen during and after painting.

It is best to apply the paint with a felt roller, such as the ProGold paint roller felt (the 10 cm size is very handy for this), in combination with a paintbrush, such as the ProGold Classic 7520, for the edges and any details. An extra tip from Sigma here is to paint the top, bottom and sides of the door first and then the rest. With a panel door, it is always best to paint the panels first and then the frame. Remember to stir your paint well beforehand to ensure an even colour result.

Finally, remove the tape. Do this immediately after painting, when the paint is still wet. This way you have less risk of peeling off part of the paint layer. You can now admire your renovated kitchen!

Sigma Tigron Aqua Primer

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 2,5 l

Variants from €20.45

From €107.45

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Trimetal Multiprimer Aqua Protect

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 1 l

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Sigma Multiprimer Aqua

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 2,5 l

Variants from €19.45

From €107.45

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Our pick

Sigma Tigron Aqua Matt

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 2,5 l

Variants from €20.95

From €107.95

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Our pick

Sigma Tigron Aqua Satin

Select your colour: White | Content: 2,5 l

Variants from €22.45

From €97.45

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Sigma Tigron Aqua Gloss

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 2,5 l

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Trimetal Permacryl Pu Mat

Select your colour: Mix colours | Content: 2,5 l

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Trimetal Permacryl Pu Satin

Select your colour: White | Content: 2,5 l

Variants from €19.95

From €89.95

Checklist

Mask off or dismantle the cabinets
Degrease and clean well
Sand the wood
Apply primer
Paint the kitchen cabinets

Need help?

If some of the steps aren't entirely clear to you, or if you are in a specific situation that isn't covered by our how-to guide, then our experts will be happy to help.