Dreaming of White Cabinets

Dear Alisha,

Our last home had white cabinets and I loved them. I loved the kitchen. Even though it was on the small side I just loved being in there. Two years ago we bought our first house. In my mind I made a list of three things I wanted to change right away, one of those things was refinishing the oak kitchen cabinets. After we bought it I told my husband this and he thought it wasn’t the greatest idea. Now I am unsure. Will painting the cabinets depreciate the home and make it hard to sell later on down the road? Am I just throwing money down the drain by painting cabinets that have nothing really wrong with them? Will it be too hard to keep clean with kids (we didn’t have kids in the first house)? Please help.

Dreaming of White Cabinets

Dear Dreamer,

I am so glad you asked this question. I love white cabinets and I love talking about work I've completed. White cabinets are light and fresh and timeless. I had white cabinets in our first house and couldn't dream of a cabinet color I would like more in the future. After looking for a different house in our desired neighborhood and not finding white cabinets in any of them, we made the easy decision to buy a house we liked and to planned on refinishing the cabinets when we moved it.

Even with this agreed upon plan, I was questioned several times about painting over good condition cherry wood cabinets. I thought one of our woodworking friend might have a heart attack upon learning of my plan. Even Justin tried to sneak in a little "you really still want to paint the cabinets?", after the new counter tops were installed. It's not that the cherry cabinets looked bad, they just weren't my first or second choice.

Before:

I actually don't think they looked too bad in photos. It felt like the redwood forest to me.

In process:

After:

We did not paint these cabinets ourselves. I wanted them smooth and perfect so I chose a professional who sprayed them with an oil based paint. If I were to do it again, I would not use an oil paint. We had to leave our house for 5 days, and it still stunk for weeks after wards. I would use a water based semi-gloss paint made just for cabinets, over a primer made to adhere. Make sure you hire a paint company that has done it before and has the photos to prove it. Plan on it costing more than you would expect. It was so much work. They turned the whole kitchen into a spray room, taping off every little thing except the cabinets. With cherry wood, we could expect a smooth finish, but with oak you will still see a little grain pattern. I don't think this is a problem, it just proves your cabinets are wood.

I am happy with the results over all. It has been two years now and there are little nicks and dings that need a touch up, but that's to be expected.

I have also helped paint the oak cabinets in a friends kitchen. I wish I had an after photo for you, because it was a night and day difference, it looked amazing!

Here is a quick summary of what is involved.: You will need to clean out your kitchen, removing most of what is on the shelves, though not to the degree you would have to with a professional job. Then remove all the doors and hardware, give a light sanding to everything, wipe them down, prime the cabinets two coats, paint the cabinets-about 3 coats each side, paint the hung cabinet frames about 5 times, and finally when everything is dry, rehang the doors and reinstall the hardware. That last step is pure joy. With a team of helpers, we were able to do an entire kitchen in two labor intensive days. That was unusually fast.

If you are thinking that this sounds like a lot of work, it is. If you are a little lazy when it comes to home improvement projects, don't even start it unless you are sure you will finish. As for it depreciating the value of your home, I think that it depends on how well it is done. It's not like oak cabinets are helping anybody's home value. I think a good job will update your kitchen. Keeping them clean requires wiping dirty spots off from time to time. It doesn't seem to take very much time. I just do it when I am wiping down my kitchen counters or moping the floor and notice a spot.

More tips:
*Do not use a pure white paint. Make sure it is warmed or muddied up.
*Use really good paint and primer. We went to the Miller paint store and asked them for their recommendations and they walked us through it.
*Even if it's just white, you must do a test swatch first.
*Have everything set up before you start, including a clean, dry area to paint the cabinets doors in.
*Paint your cabinets first and your walls second, if you are changing that too.
*I like a low nap roller or the doors.
*Consider replacing your hardware. Good hardware will make your cabinets look more expensive.

Good luck. If you do not like your kitchen, then do something about it. I hope you can convince your husband. They are always the slowest to get on board. "But we can't paint over real wood!!" Yes you can. Many high-end kitchens are built in wood and then painted.