Can you paint IKEA kitchen cabinets? The short answer is: yes! In this post, I’ll share a step-by-step tutorial on how to paint IKEA kitchen cabinets without a paint sprayer. Painting IKEA kitchen cabinets for our DIY kitchen remodel was a great option to achieve exactly the color and look I was going for!
As with all of my DIY projects, I wanted to make sure that the results would look professional and that our painted IKEA kitchen cabinets would withstand heavy daily use without chipping! Painting IKEA cabinets can be tricky because of the smooth surface and factory finish that makes it difficult for paint to adhere to. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to paint IKEA cabinets so they last and I’ll also share the products I used (including the best paint for IKEA cabinets)!
If you have existing kitchen cabinets that you would like to paint, I have a post on how to paint oak kitchen cabinets white where I share lots of details and my favorite tips and tricks for a professional paint finish on older kitchen cabinets! I love how those painted kitchen cabinets turned out.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, you can find more information in my disclosures here.
Why did we chose IKEA kitchen cabinets for our kitchen remodel?
IKEA cabinets have endless customizable systems you can add (e.g. secret drawers that sit within other drawers, corner cabinets that include a carousel, etc.). Be sure to check out the full kitchen reveal post!
IKEA has a great online kitchen planning tool that you can play around with before setting up a session with a planning specialist. I found that session so helpful because the planning specialist made great suggestions regarding efficiency and practicality of the functionality of some of the features (e.g. the hidden silverware drawer should be near where food is served, etc.).
Why paint IKEA kitchen cabinets?
I really loved the shape of the IKEA AXSTAD kitchen cabinet doors but I also had a really specific vision in mind for our kitchen. Unfortunately, the IKEA kitchen cabinets didn’t come in a color that was close to what I was looking for and after getting pricing from some of the companies that offer custom cabinet doors compatible with IKEA cabinets I knew they weren’t in our budget. I’ve painted kitchen cabinets before, so I felt confident that I could take the lessons I learned there and adjust my process to get a smooth finish even on IKEA cabinets that would stand the test of time.
Best primer for IKEA kitchen cabinets
I did a lot of research and looked up the best primer to paint IKEA cabinets. Universally, the Zinsser BIN Primer was the top recommendation. The Zinsser BIN Primer is a shellac based primer and across the DIY community, this is viewed as the best primer for IKEA cabinets. The right primer is essential if you want to paint IKEA cabinets. A water-based primer, like my usual go to Zinsser 1-2-3 primer, won’t work on IKEA cabinets and you will risk the paint chipping.
A couple things to keep in mind with the Zinsser BIN Primer: it’s a little expensive compared to other primers and it has a VERY strong smell when you are applying it. It goes away once the primer dries but I definitely recommend painting in a well-ventilated area and maybe even wearing a mask, it’s pretty bad!
Best paint for IKEA kitchen cabinets
Selecting the right paint for IKEA cabinets is almost as important and using the right primer!
My personal preference for cabinets and furniture is the Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint. The one negative point of this type of paint is the price but it’s worth every penny! It’s formulated for cabinet, trim, and door application (I’ve also used it on our baseboards!). It’s the perfect Sherwin Williams cabinet paint! It has a self-leveling property that helps eliminate the appearance of brush and roller marks. Once it cures, it has a very hard, smooth, enamel-like finish. It’s so beautiful! I recommend using either the semi-gloss finish (which is what I used when I painted our 80s kitchen cabinets) or satin finish (which is what I used to paint our IKEA kitchen cabinets). I used the color Accessible Beige by Sherwin Williams in this IKEA kitchen. It goes so well with our floors, the Alabaster walls and the brass accents throughout!
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative to Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint, I recommend Behr Urethane Alkyd Enamel. It performs very similarly but is significantly less expensive. However, I still think Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint is the best type of paint for kitchen cabinets.
Do you have to use a paint sprayer to paint IKEA kitchen cabinets for a smooth finish?
You can but you don’t have to! I actually prefer rolling over spraying because it find it more relaxing and less stressful. I’ll show you exactly what paint brush and roller to use to get a smooth finish on your IKEA kitchen cabinet doors without a paint sprayer!
Materials
Tools
- Painters pyramids
- Paint brush (hands down the best paint brush for kitchen cabinets or other projects)
- Paint roller (this is the best paint roller for kitchen cabinets and it’s not a foam roller!)
- Handy roller cup
- Painters tape
- High grit sand paper (220 or higher)
- Paint gloves (optional but highly recommend if you don’t want to scrub your hands afterwards!)
- Old blanket, piece of fabric or similar to protect the surface you’ll be painting on
Step 1: Prep work area and stage the IKEA cabinet fronts
The first step is to set up your work area. I used our dining table as my work area and covered it with an old blanket to protect it.
Then, set your cabinet doors up on your painters pyramids. Note on this: You don’t have to paint all of your cabinet doors at once. I divided our kitchen cabinets up into a few groups/sections at tackled one at a time. This allowed me to enjoy the process because it wasn’t so overwhelming and in turn it allowed me to focus on the details and make sure I got the best paint finish possible.
Tip: If you plan on adding pulls and knobs, I recommend drilling the holes before painting.
Step 2: Lightly sand IKEA cabinet fronts
Use high grit sandpaper (220 or higher) to very slightly sand the IKEA cabinet fronts. This can literally just be a couple light passes on each surface area, the primer will do the rest when it comes to making sure that the paint adheres to the cabinet surface.
Step 3: Apply primer to IKEA cabinet fronts
Apply at least one coat of primer using your brush and roller. I like to paint as few surfaces with the brush as possible and go over as many surfaces as possible with the roller (that can also mean painting some spots with the brush first and then going over them with the roller to smooth them out). I find that the roller provides a smoother finish than the brush. The details on the IKEA AXSTAD cabinet doors I used were so minimal that I actually didn’t have to use a brush at all, the roller was able to get to all the ridges.
I started out in the middle and then painted the ridges:
Next, I painted the outer frame:
Then, I painted the sides of the kitchen cabinets doors:
Tip: Don’t press too hard, we want to avoid any paint piling up in the underside (I learned this the hard way when I painted our old kitchen cabinets!).
I recommend applying a second coat of primer just to make sure all areas are covered really well, the primer is key when it comes to painting IKEA cabinets!
Tip: I bought mostly white cabinets from IKEA but had to get a few in dark blue due to limited availability of the white ones. I actually found the dark blue ones much more helpful because the dark color allowed me to see exactly which spots the primer covered well. On the white cabinets, that was a little harder to see so I recommend getting a contrasting darker color since you’ll be painting over it anyway!
Step 4: Lightly sand primed IKEA cabinet fronts
Once the primer has dried, go over the painted surface with high grit sandpaper to smooth out any minor bumps or dust particles before you begin painting IKEA cabinet doors.
Step 5: Apply paint to IKEA cabinet fronts
Next, apply the first coat of paint. By now, you may have figured out a good technique for your cabinet fronts on how to smooth out brush strokes with the roller white painting cabinets. The good news is that Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint is self-leveling so the painted surface will actually smooth out a little as it dries. Take a time lapse video, it’s really fun to watch afterwards!
I used the same order as with the primer, I started out in the middle:
Then, I worked my way out by painting the frame:
Again, being careful with the sides to make sure I didn’t use too much paint:
I recommend applying a total of 3 coats of paint to the front and back and sanding in between the coats when painting IKEA SEKTION cabinets.
Tip: Make sure the paint coats are not too thick, it’s better to paint 5 super light coats than 1 super thick coat!
Let the paint dry according to the instructions in between coats and once you’re done painting the final coat on your IKEA kitchen doors. With the Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint there is no need for a top coat. This paint dries with a beautiful enamel finish, so in that sense it’s an all-in-one paint! The painted cabinets will end up looking beautiful.
Step 6: Repeat steps 2-5 on IKEA SEKTION base cabinet frames (Optional)
This is an optional steps but I decided to paint the front part of our IKEA SEKTION base cabinet frames so that no white would be visible when the cabinet doors and drawers are closed. If you would like to do the same, you would just need to mask off the area you don’t want to paint and then repeat steps 2-5 on the base cabinet frames.
Step 7: Install IKEA cabinet doors and drawer fronts
Next, add the IKEA hardware provided to install the cabinet doors and drawer fronts.
Step 8: Install cabinet hardware
I decided to splurge on these beautiful brass cabinet pulls and brass cabinet knobs, I installed those before installing the cabinet doors and drawers. They made such a huge difference in this kitchen and I think they really elevate the look, I’m so glad I decided to go with these!
Finished Painted IKEA Kitchen Cabinets
I really love how these painted IKEA kitchen cabinets turned out and I think painting IKEA kitchen cabinet doors was a great budget friendly option to achieve the look I was going for in our DIY kitchen!
How do IKEA cabinets hold up?
We’ve lived with our painted IKEA cabinets for over a year now and they’ve held up great. There are only a few minor chips on our IKEA cabinet doors on the inside of two of the drawers that we use multiple times daily! I recommend keeping a little bit of touch up paint on hand just in case.
The cabinets themselves are great and I love all the different customization options IKEA offers for them when you initially make your kitchen plans. All the mechanical parts of our painted IKEA kitchen cabinets have held up great and the drawers run really smoothly, even with heavy daily use!
Let me know if you end up trying this technique to paint IKEA cabinets to remodel your kitchen on a budget with DIY IKEA kitchen cabinets!
Tina
I love the result! You did a great job and the step by step tutorial is perfect!