5 Things I Would Do Differently When Painting My Kitchen Cabinets

As a serial DIYer, you can learn from my experience what I would do differently if I painted my cabinets today. Read this before you tackle your cabinet painting today.

small foam roller with primed cabinets in the background.

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Our 90s Kitchen

FIRST TIME PAINTING – 10+ years ago, we painted our kitchen cabinets white.
TWO-TONED – After a few years, we repainted our cabinets to a rich dark green.
SAME PAINT RECOMMENDATION – Even with the tips below, we still recommend SW Urethane Trim Enamel for cabinet painting.

I have painted every surface possible in our DIY life and love the feeling of a newly painted space. If I were to paint our 90s oak cabinets today, I would take my time, not rush, and consider doing these five things.

#1: Fill In The Grain

While this is a huge undertaking, using a wood grain filler would give your oak doors a smooth look. Again, live and learn, but I would take the time to do this to my cabinet doors (or do #3).

#2: Use A Paint Additive

I know there are mixed reviews on this, but our contractor added Floetral to our cabinet paint for our office built-ins, and the doors looked like they were sprayed. I would test adding Floetral or M-1 to our cabinet paint for the smoothest finish possible by hand.

blue painted cabinets door on a gray wall.

#3: Consider Getting Modern Door Fronts

Many companies now allow you to preorder new doors in a more modern style to fit your current cabinet boxes.

#4: Pick The Right Shade Of White Paint

When I first painted our kitchen cabinets white, I didn’t even realize all the different shades of white. I most likely would have chosen a warmer white, like Alabaster, for our cabinets and painted backsplash.

cabinets being painted in basement. — These are pretty bright and a more subtle white would have been better.

#5: Consider Stripping The Golden Oak and Whitewashing

I absolutely love how our oak bathroom cabinet makeover turned out. I got a modern wood color by stripping, sanding, and adding a whitewash to the cabinet. Not only did I reuse what was already there, but I was even more shocked at how much I loved the result.

whitewashed oak cabinets with gold handles. — The same oak cabinets that were in our kitchen were throughout our 90s build.

If I encountered my 90s kitchen today, I would consider using that exact whitewashing process for our island or lower cabinets. Just be aware that this might not work well if they are already painted.

Things I Would Still Do

PAINT BY HAND – Yes, a paint sprayer can give you an excellent finish, but we know you can get a good finish with the right roller without spraying.
TAKE MY TIME – Setting up a separate station for drawers and doors allows you not to rush the process.
HIGH QUALITY PAINT – We are huge fans of SW Urethane Trim Enamel paint, but no matter what cabinet paint you choose, make sure you are getting paint specific for cabinetry.

woman holding small foam roller with cabinets doors behind her.

Other Ideas

Besides painting our cabinets, I would also consider other ways to make oak cabinets look more modern. Check out several real-life examples on our site from our friends’ houses.

No matter what style or look you are going for, we know you can get a budget-friendly makeover by working with what you already have. We would love to hear about your tips for painting kitchen cabinets.