Anyone painted their kitchen cupboards?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

I have a 14 year old wooden shaker style kitchen. In really good nick, but looking quite dated and I feel like a change. I like the idea of painting it and changing the worktops.

Is it a massive amount of work to do this yourself? What paint did you use (I don't want a chalky or distressed finish)? And if you got someone in, was it very expensive?

This is really inspiring ! We have a horrid old B&Q kitchen with vinyl wrapped MDF doors. I'm planning to remove the vinyl (I've heard a hairdryer works well) then paint - either Frenchic (highly recommended on Facebook groups) or this V33 paint which is probably cheaper?
This way we should be able to afford a new worktop.
I can't understand why people replace kitchen carcasses if they aren't changing the layout. Total waste of time and money and dreadful for the environment.

I did this about 5 years ago. I obviously did the same sort of research as Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet - I was determined not to sand if I didn't have to, so did: sugar soap wash, wipe down (with a cloth - easier than brushing) with the marvellous ESP www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/esp-easy-surface-prep/ , wait 2 hours, painted fronts only with Valspar copy of F&B colour in eggshell. Used a brush for the first coat and mouldings, small sponge roller for the top coat on the flat bits. Went from horrible 70s shiny orangey knotty pine to up-to-date lovely subtle colour. Changed the handles. Delighted with it. That V88 looks good, I'd use that now.

We used V33 on beech cabinets. DH took them down two at a time, cleaned them and did thin layers on both sides. He followed the directions for the drying time. They look ace. Grey at the bottom and white at the top.

www.johnstonespaint.com/products/cupboard_paint

I used this after seeing how my 65 year old DM made her kitchen look brand new.

She recommended putting it on thinly with a little foam roller & it worked brilliantly. (brush for tricky bits but didn’t go on well with a brush) I was only going over a fairly light colour with white & it took 2 thin coats and only 3/4 of the small tin. It looks amazing & wipes down well. I didn’t need to sand at all. Just cleaned the cupboards really well before starting, touch dry in an hour and iirc 5 hrs before second coat. Just remember thin coats. Better to do 4 thin coats than have one thick one with drips in it.

I’ve just done mine to tide me over till we replace next year, wilkos cupboard paint and new knobs. Be warned though the fumes are intense!

Wow, that looks amazing! What is the grey colour paint called?

Take a look on Facebook Frenchic Fan Forum for inspiration - it's amazing furniture paint that has no fumes and amazing finishes, if you follow the instructions to the letter!

@userxx thanks I used www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-mineral-stone-quick-dry-satin-furniture-cupboard-paint-750ml/p/0341912

Thanks for that 👍. I might have a go at painting the doors, could do with a change.

I painted mine. Yes, it’s a lot of work if you want it to come out well and last. Doors and hardware off. Thorough clean to decrease, light sand for a key, clean again. Use a primer appropriate for the paint you use. Always allow correct drying time between coats.

I hand painted mine using a sponge roller then a good quality brush for last coat. It’s been two years now and is still amazing.

This is Frenchic paint - it doesn't need a primer, but can only be bought from stockists (usually independent shops). It is waterproof if you use Al Fresco range and has been a real game changer for me!

Yes we repainted our cream IKEA kitchen cupboards, with a primer first then F&B eggshell 'Dimpse'. Beautiful pale grey blue colour. Also changed the handles from shiny silver to dark grey mushroomy shaped ones from B&Q. Only took around 2 weeks, and has breathed life back into our kitchen which is over 10 years old!

I did that - but 5 years later the paint is wearing off round the door handles,

I am paintingine using v33 white satin paint and foarm roller and there is bloody roller marks all over. What am I doing wrong 😭😭😭 help! 🙏🙏🙏

Just to give you an alternative perspective OP, I’ve just paid a kitchen cupboard renovation specialist decorator to hand paint my fairly large kitchen and it was £1,000. He cleaned it all thoroughly, sanded, painted 2-3 costs as needed with a light sand between, changed the handles and filled/fixed any damaged bits where needed. It took 4 days but I had to book 6 months in advance!

(Mine is in F&B modern eggshell)

Getting them done professionally is really expensive. It’s perfectly doable yourself (I’ve just done our laundry) but it takes a long time