How To Paint Oak Cabinets White (The Ultimate Guide & Free Cabinet Painting Roadmap Checklist!)

Want a professional finish on a DIY budget? Get the free tutorial:
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Here is my FREE CABINET PAINTING ROADMAP CHECKLIST:
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How to Fill The Wood Grain in Oak Cabinets:
renovatedfaith.com/best-wood-...
The Easiest Way to Install Cabinet Hardware
renovatedfaith.com/how-to-ins...
The Best Paints for Cabinets (24 Brands Tested and Reviewed):
renovatedfaith.com/best-paint...
Are you overwhelmed with the thought of painting kitchen cabinets yourself? I’ll show you the best way to get a professional finish painting oak cabinets white with these step-by-step instructions, video, and FREE Cabinet Painting Roadmap Checklist above.
There’s more to it than slapping on a coat of paint. Stained cabinets can be hard to cover especially when you are painting in white. Also, oak cabinets are notorious for having a deep wood grain that paint alone won’t fill. But no worries! I’ll show you everything you need to know in this tutorial on how to paint oak cabinets white.
Painting your kitchen cabinets can completely transform the look of your kitchen. And since the kitchen is the most important room of a house, no other DIY project can make such a visual impact or have a greater ROI than refinishing your kitchen cabinets.
In this blog post, I’ll show you the whole process on my own honey oak nightmare that made my kitchen dark, dated and depressing.
Not only can you save $1000’s but your cabinets will have a gorgeous, smooth finish that will stand up to the chaos of daily life for years to come.
LET ME SHOW YOU:
- How to paint oak cabinets white without the grain showing
- What order to paint your cabinet boxes, door fronts, door backs, and drawer faces
- The right products to use for the best results so your cabinet finish outlasts the house
- Why surface prep is important, but it’s not as hard as you think!
- The negative effects of not being yourself in this week’s Renovate Your Faith devotional at the bottom of the blog post

[@mailforchristie]

For anyone considering this method, I would 100 percent recommend it. My cabinets look unbelievable and she is right about the sanding and the Zibra brush! Thank you!

[@jackjohnston596]

Great video thank you! Very comprehensive and informative!

[@icekid767]

Thank you for the video. It helped me with my project, but I believe the degreasing should be done before sanding, since you could be pushing grease into the wood. I learned this from some other videos I watched before this one. Nice work!

[@Curiosityjoyandfun]

Just finished my bathroom vanity using this technique and it came out AMAZING. Trust this process!

[@bodudas8346]

I enjoyed your previous video where you compare different cabinet paints.. very in depth and definitive. I went with the Behr paint and have sandpapered my cabinet boxes and doors. I have one coat of primer and was hesitant about the next step... Lo and behold You have a new video at the most perfect time ---- Ok, let's go for a look ---------

[@kerrigibbons5239]

Thank you for saying multiple times that it is NOT EASY! It’s not! I’ve started and failed so many time. The mistake I made was watching those high speed videos and listened to how easy it was. I appreciate this video, your honesty, and of course AMAZING TIPS!!!

[@phillipbrennan7082]

You look like a zombie

[@deborahthompson5041]

Well done. Simply beautiful. Fantastic tips. Thank you.

[@cherylcoolidge8249]

beautiful Job! I am following you right now with my kitchen cabinets that I am painting the color blue ground by farrow and ball. I love it. I had white cupboards before and just wanted a change.

[@standtokill]

This is just what I needed thanks!

[@sandybuchanan3479]

Beautiful!!

[@dianasullivan9640]

Thank you so much. I am now looking forward to starting this project!

[@RenovatedFaith]

So glad to hear that Diana! Let me know if you have an questions!

[@43wagonwheel]

All the videos I saw had us cleaning before sanding.

[@renostubbs8504]

Excellent job...nice

[@boohowareyou52]

This video is so so helpful!!! How did you paint the cabinet frames? Did you use the same process of filling the wood grain?

[@tasneemanastasia1018]

Thank you for the detailed explanation on how to paint. How long did it take you to paint your kitchen and did you have any help? Thank you I am trying to plan and determine when I can paint my kitchen to block enough time.

[@brontetoohey]

Can you tell me what type of tile you’ve got for your backsplash! I love it!

[@frogmccuish]

Thank you so very much for this detailed video, I am planning on painting our kitchen cabinets too. Please help me with refinishing the "cabinet box". It seems daughnting to me, I don't see a video in your playl Iist. Thank you!!!

[@j.b.kirkland4302]

Can you provide product for drying both sides of cabinets simultaneously? I can't find it in the blog

[@homeliving6275]

Can you use bin shellac instead of the coverstain?

[@user-nt8mc4qo7v]

What oil based primer brand did you use?

[@gary24752]

In the pencil test for hardness Cabinet Coat was a 2b where advance was 6b. 6b is softer.

[@esthersilchuk3259]

How long did it take to paint a kitchen this size and roughly how much in cost for material and paint?

[@pollyjackson5212]

What primer did you use?

[@debrashaw6411]

Looks like you replaced the backsplash as well. Did you remove the old one?

[@smokymountainlife]

Love this tutorial. Thank you so much for sharing your DIY experience. I'm going to book mark this video and watch it a few times before I do my cabinets. I have a few questions. What color did you paint your island? I love the color. What primer did you use?

[@sharonschieber]

Yes! I was wondering if she used a Benjamin Moore product or what. She did say an oil-based primer (I think). I just found it in n her blog post. Zinnser Primer Cover Stain. Her blog post has a lot more detail beyond the video. It’s linked above.

[@RenovatedFaith]

Hey Julia, I have ALL the details (possibly too many) in the blog post mentioned in the description. I use Zinnser Cover Stain and the island is BM Van Courtland Blue.

[@briannablasingame5394]

@@RenovatedFaith I have a question! My cabinets aren't wood, they are the laminate type I guess, would you change this process at all between the laminate cabinets vs your oak cabinets?

[@linecunnane386]

Looks amazing! Your hard word shows.

[@user-ob5nk3ss1p]

PDF super hero doesn't work for me. Tried downloading, but no luck.

[@blujeans9462]

Beautiful job! But is there a product that will hide the (golden oak) grain, rather than fill it? Right now, that oak is so 90s, but someday people may want to bring back the natural oak. I recall watching a refinisher who was refinishing an antique oak piece. As she brought it down to the wood she mentioned she was so happy no one had filled in the grain/pores so she was able to bring back the piece to its original glory. Yet, everyone is filling in those pores - and you'll never be able to bring it back 30 years from now when finding real wood may become more and more difficult.

[@Weisz82]

What Benjamin Moore color did u used ?

[@RenovatedFaith]

SW Alabaster in Benjamin Moore Advance Paint.

[@tammycarter1753]

What color are your kitchen walls, and what brand and finish of Alabaster paint did you use. Looks beautiful. TY

[@RenovatedFaith]

renovatedfaith.com/sherwin-williams-agreeable-gray/

[@Mr416cat]

Why would you use oil based paint

[@cbd72558]

Standard practice is to degrease the surface before sanding, especially the kitchen cabinets, which are full of gummy stuff.

[@debikirkwood9784]

You really should clean before you sand.

[@jeffreycunningtown5730]

Thousands of lifetime projects with Woodglut plans.

[@pretty95138]

Thanks. Such a helpful video. I have till now not found a single video as best as this one. Btw, do you recommend using a sprayer for cabinet fronts?

[@RenovatedFaith]

Awe, thank you so much! This makes my day! If you have access to a sprayer and are used to using one, go for it. There is a learning curve with a sprayer so that's why I didn't use one of my cabinets for the average DIYer. Either with the roller I recommend or with a sprayer, you can get a really smooth finish.

[@pretty95138]

@@RenovatedFaith Thanks so much for the reply. Started my project. Saw your grain filler video 3 times yesterday :)