How to Paint a Cabinet Drawer

Remove the drawers from the cabinet and place them in another area of the house so the mess from this project does not affect your living space. Choose a dry and clean area, such as the garage.

Take off the screws holding the drawer faces and the actual drawers together, if possible. This would allow you to handle the drawers more easily when painting.

Unscrew the drawer pulls and handles so you don't get any paint splatters on them. Keep the hardware pieces in a plastic bag so you don't lose them.

Mix 1 tablespoon of dish-washing liquid and 1 gallon of water. If your drawers are very dirty, use trisodium phosphate, or TSP, instead of dish-washing liquid. Mix the TSP with water according to the instructions on the packaging.

Saturate a piece of cloth with the cleaning solution, squeeze it to remove excess moisture and wipe the drawers to get rid of any dirt and grease.

Dampen another piece of cloth with warm water and rinse the cabinet drawers to remove any cleaner residue. Allow the drawers to dry.

Fill any holes and cracks in the cabinet drawers with a wood putty, applying it with a putty knife. Go over the filled areas with the putty knife a few times if necessary to remove excess wood putty. Let the wood putty dry thoroughly.

Sand all the surfaces you will paint with a 150-grit or 180-grit sandpaper. Wipe the drawers with the damp cloth to get rid of sanding dust.

Apply primer to the drawer surfaces with a paint roller or a paintbrush. Primer will help paint adhere to the drawers. Because various cabinet materials require different types of primers, get advice on the appropriate primer for your cabinet drawers from the staff at your local paint store.

Apply paint to the cabinet drawers with a paint roller or a paintbrush. Again, the right type of paint depends on your material, so check with your paint store when choosing your paint. You may have to apply more than one coat of paint to get the color you want. Let the paint dry.

Put all the screws and hardware back together and place the drawers in the cabinet.