You may remember a while back that we painted our counters to look like granite. Well, the same company that made that kit, Giani Granite, also makes kits to paint your cabinets! Our cabinets were in great condition – I just thought they were outdated looking – so we decided to paint them instead of replacing them. The end result? Cabinets that not only matched our counter tops, but also came out looking professional and new!

Upgrade Your Kitchen On A Budget With Cabinet Paint

What You Will Need:

– something to keep the paint from getting on other surfaces (newspapers, tarps, plastic, etc. )

– Nuvo Cabinet Paint Kit {we chose Cocoa Couture, which matches our Giani Granite countertops}

– paint brush

– painters tape

– a handy rag in case you get the paint on something aside from the cabinents

– something to clean the cabinets with

– and a light grain sander

Note: You may want to use something more powerful than Windex {what we used}. We now have some slight peeling of the paint on a couple of the drawers that we feel is because we did not clean the cabinets enough before we painted. We have tons of paint left over for touchups, so this isn’t a big deal, but I wanted you to learn from our mistake.

How To Use The Cabinet Paint Kit:
1. First, you will need to use the cleaner and paper towels to thoroughly clean the cabinets {see “note” above}. There are several videos that you can watch on their site for tips on which cleaner to use and how to clean the cabinets properly. Proper cleaning allows the paint to better adhere to the cabinet surface. Also, you are going to want to use the sander on the sides of your cabinets because they tend to have a waxy top coat that can compromise the durability of the paint after it dries.

2. Now you need to use the painters tape to block off any areas of which you do not wish to paint. Also, you may want to lay down some newspapers to protect against drops of paint – especially if you did your counter first with Giani Granite.

3. Open your can of paint, stir it, and begin!

Helpful Tips About Using Cabinet Paint

– Make sure you are painting with the grain of wood. This allows the cabinets to look more professional and real. For instance, if the grain is going left to right, you are going to need to paint left to right.

– If you stop to take breaks or wait to continue the next morning, you should wash your paint brush effectively and store it standing up on it’s handle so that it may dry. This saves you a ton of money in the long run on paint brushes.

– Do not paint too thick of coats, this can cause the paint to run. If you do notice some runs in the paint after it has already dried, just sand the area lightly and repaint.

– When painting the cabinet doors, make sure to leave them open until fully dried. You do not have to remove them, just tape around the hinges and hardware {but, of course, you can if you like}. If you close them, the paint could seal the doors closed. You would then have to sand some areas and repaint.

– Lastly, take your time and have fun! Afterwards, sit back and have a look at your “new” beautiful kitchen!

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Win A Nuvo Cabinet Paint Kit Of Your Choice {$69.95 ARV}

One lucky Cheap Is The New Classy reader will win a Nuvo Cabinet Paint Kit of their choice from Giani Granite. All you have to do is enter the easy peasy rafflecopter below. Be sure to come back daily if you would like to score some extra entries. Good luck and happy painting!

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