How to Repaint Finished Cabinets

Remove all objects from the cabinets. Clean the cabinets with a damp sponge and wood soap. Thoroughly dry the cabinet.

Unscrew all hinges from doors and cabinets. According to Kitchen-Cabinets-and-Hardware website, in the article "Repaint Kitchen Cabinets," if you can't remove the hinges, cover the metal with painter's tape or paint over the metal. Put screws and hinges into plastic zipper bags. Remove drawers. Unscrew all knobs, handles and pulls from drawers and place the screws, nuts and hardware into a zipper bag.

Put drop cloths on the floor and over appliances. Apply painter's tape along cabinet edges on the wall and over the countertop edges.

Place drawers and cabinet doors on top of a worktable or sawhorses. Sand all surfaces on to be repainted with 150 grit sandpaper to assist the primer's bond with the cabinet surface. A power sander is not recommended for wood veneer cabinets, as the veneer is thin and will be damaged. Wipe the sanding residue from the cabinets with a damp sponge. Dry the surfaces thoroughly.

Repair wood cracks or splits with wood glue or wood putty. Allow glue and/or putty to dry.

Place doors back side up on the table or sawhorses. Paint the doors with an oil-based tinted primer. Primers can be tinted at paint and home improvement stores to match the shade of paint you will be using. A primer is essential. Without primer, new paint will fail to adhere to the cabinets, and old finishes can seep through the paint over time.

Paint the cabinets and drawers with primer. Allow the doors, drawers and cabinets to dry completely. Overall, according to "Sunset" magazine, you should figure four days for completion of a repainting project for cabinets. Turn the doors over with the door fronts facing up on the table/sawhorses. Paint the door fronts with primer. Allow the doors to dry.

Paint the backs of the doors with the oil-based paint. Paint drawers and cabinets. Oil-based paint dries smoother. Latex paint is more likely to peel and scrape away from wood cabinet surfaces. Allow painted surfaces to dry.

Turn the cabinet doors so the fronts are facing up. Paint fronts and edges with oil-based paint. Allow the paint to dry.

Reinstall hinges to the cabinets and doors by aligning the screw holes. Even if you painted over the holes, it should be easy to identify them as partially paint-filled holes or indentations. Reinstall drawer knobs or handles. Put the drawers back into the cabinets.

Remove painter's tape from walls and counter tops. Remove drop cloths.