HOW TO UPDATE OAK KITCHEN CABINETS

One of the easiest ways to update oak kitchen cabinets is with paint. You can paint the dated oak cabinets to transforms your space and give the kitchen a whole new look.

When we purchased our home, it was a major upgrade from the previous house we rented. So we appreciated the house but we knew the kitchen needed a new face because it had ugly oak cabinets.

Since the cabinets themselves were in great shape, we knew we didn’t want to replace the kitchen cabinets completely.

So we decided we would update oak kitchen cabinets by painting them white.

Painting kitchen cabinets may not be the fastest DIY project, but it is definitely not the hardest DIY project. And it can increase your home value.

We also put in a new floor, sink, and countertop, which you can read more about the kitchen transformation . We kept the costs low but we are thrilled with the results.

The biggest impact was definitely painting the oak cabinets . It gave the kitchen a whole new look.

HOW TO UPDATE DATED OAK CABINETS

Updating oak kitchen cabinets is easier than you think.

As long as your cabinets are in decent shape, then there is no need to replace them completely.

You’ll save so much money by updating oak Kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them because new cabinets can get expensive.

STEPS TO UPDATING OAK KITCHEN CABINETS

Clean cabinet doors and cabinet frame with TSP.
Remove all the hardware
Remove cabinet doors and drawers. Be sure to label them so you know where they go afterwards.
Prime cabinet doors, drawers, and frames
Paint cabinet doors, drawers, and frames. This will require at least 2 coats.
Once the paint is dry (recommended to wait at least 24 hours) you can Reattach doors and drawers

CLEAN KITCHEN CABINETS

Before you get started, you will need to clean the oak kitchen cabinets. Kitchen cabinets can get a build up of grease and smoke from cooking.

So before you paint, you’ll need to thoroughly clean kitchen cabinets.

A common used cleaner to clean kitchen cabinets is TSP. Follow the instructions on the box and it will clean your kitchen cabinets so you can get paint them.

PRIME KITCHEN CABINETS

After you clean your kitchen cabinets, you will want to prime them.

Primer can have a stain blocker in it. So if your kitchen cabinets have dark knots or stains, the primer can help to hide it from showing through the paint.

Primer will also help the paint stick better and make painted cabinets look better.

Primer does not hide the grain, but we were completely fine if we could see the grain of the wood.

BEST TIP TO PAINTING KITCHEN CABINETS

The best tip to Painting kitchen cabinets is to label every door and it’s hardware.

This will make your life SO MUCH EASIER for when you are ready to reassemble your cabinets.

Just use some painters tape and write a number on it and stick it to the door. Use Sandwich baggies for the hardware. Label the baggie with the same number as the cabinet door

This will make your life so much easier when putting your kitchen back together since you’ll know where the cabinet door or drawer goes and the hardware that goes with it.