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Painting Cherry Cabinets White

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Painting cherry cabinets white, plus tips for cleaning, sanding and priming to make this project easier.

Last time I shared the first pics of my painted kitchen cabinets on the stove wall. It took me a long time to get them from dark cherry wood cabinets to the creamy white they are today. I’ve learned a few things along the way so I thought I’d share them with you.

white painted kitchen cabinets and a stainless steel stove

I painted my builder grade bathroom vanity 2 years ago but I’ve never painted kitchen cabinets before.

Let me tell you, it was one tough job.

white painted upper kitchen cabinets and custom stove hood

Can You Paint Cherry Cabinets?

This is a question I get a lot and the simple answer is…of course!

To get a good outcome though, you need to do the prep work before you begin to paint.

kitchen cabinet hardware in numbered ziplock baggie

Prepping Cherry Cabinets for Paint

The first thing I did was to remove the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers on the stove wall. As I removed each door, I took it into the basement and removed the hardware and hinges.

kitchen cabinet hardware, ziplock back and permanent marker

I put that one door’s hardware in a labeled sandwich bag (with a location and number) and zipped it up. That same number was also put in the hinge holes of the door, because they would not be painted.

cherry cabinet with #7 in hole for hardware

Once all of my doors were removed and numbered, I used a high grit sandpaper and sanded the front and back of each. Then I used a mixture of TSP and warm water to thoroughly wipe down the door.

Doing this helped to remove the dust from sanding and grease from cooking.

box of TSP and white rag

Painting Kitchen Cabinets and Doors

Once dry, I primed one side and let dry.

Then I lightly sanded, wiped it down to remove the dust, and applied one coat of paint. My paint of choice for a job as big as this is Benjamin Moore White Dove, Satin finish.

In the end, each side of the cabinet door received 1 coat of primer, 3 coats of paint, and lots of sanding in between.

sanding cherry cabinet doors with sanding block

A quick note about primer. I’ve used this paint before so I knew that it took several coats to cover well. Hoping to cut out at least one extra coat, I had my primer tinted in the same color as my paint. It doesn’t cost extra and I didn’t have to worry about covering up a bright white color.

Some online tutorials state that you don’t need to sand between coats, but I’m not taking any chances. I’d rather do the job right the first time so I don’t have to redo it in a year. Hopefully my diligence pays off and, if it doesn’t, you’ll be the first to know.

cherry cabinet drawer painted white

I didn’t use any special painting techniques, just a brush to paint the inset panels, working carefully to not spread my paint too thin but not letting it puddle.

Then I used a small roller to cover everything else. I let that dry for at least 24 hours (usually longer) and then I would lightly sand, wipe away the dust and paint again…X3.

can of paint on kitchen counter

Painting the kitchen cabinets was a much easier task.

I followed the same steps with sanding, cleaning, priming, sanding and painting. I did have to add a step of filling staple holes with wood putty and sanding once dry, something that I didn’t have to do with the doors and drawers.

Have I told you how much I love to sand (she says as she rolls her eyes)?

Puttying kitchen cabinets

The results were a beautiful and smooth finish. I believe that the paint, as well as the prep, is the real reason why it turned out so well. It bills itself as a paint that “offers the application and performance of oil based paint”, but cleans up with soap and water. It does take a little longer to dry and cure, but the finish is beautiful.

BTW, this is not a sponsored post. I paid for my own paint, which is a bit pricey, but I love the finish and durability I get with it. I’ve used it on all of my trim and doors, as well as my bathroom vanity, so I know it really holds up.

can of Benjamin Moore paint with paint brush on top

I also used these techniques when I painted the new DIY refrigerator cabinet that we built, to tame our ginormous fridge. It turned out even better than I thought.

Have you ever painted your cherry wood cabinets white? Any tips you care to share?

collage from painting cherry cabinets white with a large graphic over it

26 Comments

  1. Your kitchen turned out beautifully ! One question – how do you know you’ve initially sanded down the wood enough on the cabinets (before application of primer)? Are you looking for a specific look on the wood ? Appreciate your help, will be undertaking this project soon !

    1. Hi Vanessa! I didn’t sand all the way to the wood. I only sanded enough to rough up the shiny topcoat but I did make sure to get all the nooks and crannies. Hope this helps. Good luck with your project!

  2. Cheryl Connolly says:

    Your kitchen looks great. Thank you so much for the tips. I am about to tackle painting my cabinets and walls. What primer do you recommend?

    1. Thanks Cheryl! The primer I used for our kitchen cabinets was Stix Bonding Primer. It worked really well on cabinets. Best of luck painting yours.

  3. dottie' Wolfe says:

    Thank you so much for all the information!! I am in the middle of a complete do-over on our only bathroom. Next step is to paint the cabinets for the double sinks. I am so glad I read your article about the cleaner & paints. I know it is hard work, but I am so looking forward to the end results 🙂

    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Dottie. I’m glad that my post helped you. Painting cabinets is not a fun job but you will love it when it’s done. 🙂

  4. Sarah @ Little Red Brick House says:

    Painting cabinets is definitely not for the faint of heart, lol! These were great tips and they turned out beautifully.

    1. Thanks Sarah! They took so much longer than I thought they would but I love how they turned out.

  5. Yours turned out so awesome. I wish we would have done a tad more research before we did ours but live and learn. Great tip on the labeling.

    1. Thanks Deborah! Painting the cabinets was a tougher job than I thought, so glad they’re done. And, I don’t know what you mean about yours because they look great. 🙂

  6. You definitely used the right product. Love that stuff! Have you considered purchasing a sprayer? I’ve painted my share of cabinets (by brush), but now that I have a sprayer, I’m seriously thinking of redoing all my kitchen cabinets. I’ve been mostly using it on 6 panel and louvered doors, and they look amazing … Just a thought! 😀 Take care!

    1. Thanks so much for the info on using a sprayer Cynthia. We did discuss getting one, but, because we have such a small kitchen, we figured it wouldn’t be that difficult of a project. Yeah, famous last words. 😉 We may have to rethink it if we ever do something like this again. 🙂

      1. Great post. I love all the little tips. I never would have thought of numbering the hsrdware. That is very good thinking. We are also thinking of painting our builder’s grade cabinets too but it makes me so nervous. Yours came out amazing. Great job.

        Thank you for sharing your tips.

        Janet
        rosemary-thyme.blogspot.com

        1. Thanks Janet. I was really nervous about painting my cabinets too but, now that they are almost done and I know they will look good, I am so glad that I took the plunge. My biggest fear is that the paint won’t last and they will get all chipped up, not a look I’m going for. I’m hoping that all my prep and painting will prevent that. We shall see. I totally understand your fear though. 😉

          Thanks Janet, for stopping in today.

    1. Awww, thanks so much Shirley, I appreciate it. Hope you have a great weekend!

  7. I painted my cabinets a few months ago using the same paint. The prep work was tedious but so worth it. I sanded & cleaned the cabinets with TSP but I did not sand between the coats of primer & paint. I agree that the BM paint is the big reason for the fabulous finish. It’s pricey but well worth the cost. I also used 3 coats of paint, letting at least 24 hours elapse between each coat. I (& my husband) love the final results! The cabinets are holding up great and are so easy to keep clean. As much as I love the results and am so glad I did this, I don’t believe I’ll be doing this again anytime soon either. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much for stopping in and sharing your kitchen cabinet painting experience Linda. I’m so happy to hear that yours have held up well, and that I have an ally in the “no more painting kitchen cabinets” club. 😉

  8. Well, they look great! We painted our dark, awful laminate cabinets white in our first house and, like you, I never want to do that again! Lots of work, but the results really are so worth it!

    1. Thanks Kim! Wow, painting laminate, now that is quite a task. I don’t blame you for not wanting to do it again. 😉

  9. Thanks for the tips. I won’t be painting my kitchen cabinets, however I do need to clean them and then apply some stain in certain areas that have become worn over many years of use. I’m thinking the TSP would be good to give them a really good cleaning before applying the stain.

    1. Thanks so much MJ. I think that using TSP on your cabinets would work well. I like that it cleans te wood and doesn’t leave a residue.

      How’s the toe doing? Are you able to put a shoe on yet?

  10. What a great idea numbering the hardware and door. When painted my cabinets, years ago, it would have saved a lot of time and frustration. The next house we paited the cabinets in we hired it out. I DON”T like sanding at all. You did a wonderful job. Debbie

    1. Thanks so much Debbie! I’m with you, I hate sanding too and it is really hard on my back. I guess it’s a necessary evil to getting a great end product (I hope).

  11. I LOVE that paint. I used it on my master bath cabinets two years ago and they still look brand new. I am going to paint my bookcases in the great room soon with it. Great tips.

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