How long does it realistically take to paint kitchen cabinets?

[Anonymous]

Where in the world did you find someone to paint them for 1700.00? I was getting prices of 3500.00 to7000.00...My husband is in the process right now...ugh!! What a mess,,

[Anonymous]

We just finished painting our cabs and it took 5 days. My wife and I painted it white used two coats, the prep work and sanding was the toughest part but they turned out great and adding new cabinet knobs which we love just topped it off. But it's lot tougher and trickier them it looks at first.

[Anonymous]

OP, I really wanted to do this, but once I started paying attention to all the little surfaces and nooks, I realized it was a bad idea. Either pay someone or just replace the cabinets.

[Anonymous]

I've done this twice and each time it worked great. You MUST use a primer (Stix by BM) before using the Benjamin Moore cabinet paint. Sanding is not good enough. Everything has to be very clean and have zero oils or dust when you begin. You have to remove the doors and all hardware from them. What takes long is waiting in between each layer of paint and primer, and cleaning round, for everything to dry sufficiently. You cannot put on all the layers in a weekend, or even a week. The minimum time for the BM cabinet paint to dry is 2 weeks. I did 1 coat and some touch ups and let that dry for 2 weeks while we were on vacation. Then painted another layer and waiting another two weeks for it to dry. Only then did I rehang them. I waited probably another 10 days till I put the handles and knobs on.

The first time I used a pro sprayer. I didn't like the look of it, so I bought the very expensive almost velvet rollers made for cabinets that need to be ultra smooth. I can't remember the brand name but they're available at decorator stores that sell BM paints or the better ones. Those give the best finish.

When you're cleaning the cabinets, use TSP and also that Totally Awesome cleaner from the Dollar Store. They really work for getting the layers of oil and dirt off the cabinets. Clean them twice, after its dried. Trust me, they will still be dirty the second time. Then let them completely dry before applying the primer. Also, take the time to seal any holes, or seams between cabinets before you start painting.

As you can see, this is a project that takes weeks to complete if you want for it to last and look good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the response, yeah, that what I was thinking. Maybe I should stick to what I'm good at, and let the professionals do what they're good at.

I would pay someone. I looked at doing this and read a lot, a lot of stuff online and concluded that if you want it to last awhile have a professional do it.