How To Paint Cabinets Without A Sprayer

I almost NEVER use a sprayer and I almost ALWAYS paint cabinets without a sprayer. I have used my sprayer like three times. The reason is the majority of the time, I am working in a room that is furnished inside my home. The time it would take for me to prep just doesn’t seem worth it, especially because I am someone who HATES prep but loves to paint. I would rather brush & roll over prep work any day. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I think a paint sprayer is helpful or necessary, but for most of my projects, I don’t need one. For almost all of my furniture & cabinet painting projects, I brush & roll. Here is a before photo & a complete explanation of the steps I take & products I use:

Clean

Clean your furniture or cabinets REALLY WELL. My go-to cleaners are Krud Kutter & TSP, and I grab some scrub brushes to get into little nooks & crannies and some green score pads. Follow the recommended safety precautions. I recommend wearing gloves, a facemask, and safety goggles.

Then wipe them dry

Scuff Sand

Scuff sand with a 220 grit sandpaper. This can be done by hand or with an orbital sander. A sander like this can help you get into corners. You do not need to sand all of the finish off, just make sure all of the glossy topcoat is roughed up and dull.

Vacuum, then wipe with a tack cloth.

Prime

Brush & Roll on Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer using a foam roller. I used a cheap brush & a foam roller because you will have to throw them away after each time you stop. Someone once told me you can clean off BIN primer, but to me, it doesn’t seem worth it. WEAR A MASK and be prepared to work fast & have everything you need ready to go when working with BIN. It dries very fast, & you need to work quickly; otherwise, the primer gets tacky. I usually do all of my BIN coats at once. Flip your cabinets over & start on the backside. Paint all of the backsides, then do the front, & repeat for the second coat. It dries to the touch In 20 min, & you can topcoat it in 45 min.

I have had many people ask me if they should do two coats of primer. I usually do two. However, if after your first coat of primer, you don’t see any yellow/brown bleeding through (this is called tannin bleed), then you can probably get away with one coat, but don’t come at me if you don’t, and it bleeds through. I would definitely do two coats of primer if you’re painting with a white paint color.  

Scuff Sand Between Each Coat

Lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper & wipe with a tack cloth before painting your topcoat.

What Type of Paint?

Paint your furniture or cabinets with Benjamin Moore Advance. There are many other furniture/cabinet paints out there, but this is the one I use and recommend for light-color paints. However, my issue with this paint is that it only comes in Satin, Semi-gloss, or high gloss, so I don’t recommend this for dark/black paint colors. I used Benjamin Moore Advance on my dressers in a satin finish, and it’s just too reflective for me. So, if you are using dark or black paint, your options are (a) use Advance in a satin sheen, it just may be more reflective than you want, or (b) you can use any cabinet/furniture paint you can find that comes in a matte sheen, just be cautious that black paint in a matte sheen will show scuff & fingerprint marks.

Many people will use semi-gloss for furniture or cabinets, but I don’t do this anymore. I use Satin for the cabinets. Satin paint sheen is MUCH less shiny than semi-gloss, it looks A LOT better, and it’s still durable enough to wipe clean. I learned this trick from my friends at the local Benjamin Moore Store.

In my opinion, Benjamin Moore Advance is VERY DIY-friendly, but there is a 16-hour recoat time. So, I paint the backs of the cabinets, let them dry to the touch, flip them over, put them on painter’s tripods, paint the front side, and then allow it to dry overnight. I then lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper, wipe with a tack cloth, and repeat the process for a second coat.

Brush

The paintbrush I LOVE to use to paint cabinets without a sprayer Advance is this Valspar 2” Wall & Trim brush. It says smoother finish right on it. I use this to brush any areas that I cannot roll. However, it’s been out of stock for a while. I found this brush that I’m going to be trying next. I brush the paint into any corners & on any raised panels where I wouldn’t be able to roll.

& Roll

Then I roll the remainder of the door with Wooster Big Green 4 1/2” roller. This says “for smooth surfaces” & “even, spray-like finish” right on it. This roller does leave little green fuzzies, so I wrap some painter’s tape around it a few times to get the green fuzzies off before I use it.

How Does it Hold Up?

*Some of these photos are from different projects I did because I wasn’t that great at recording the progress on my own cabinets. I painted my kitchen cabinets with this EXACT process (except for a few of the door fronts I did spray for a collaboration) almost 2 years ago. This photo was taken THIS MONTH!

I have the majority of my go-to painting supplies linked here. I am always happy to answer any questions you have about my blog posts & services. If you want to contact me directly, reach out at hello@justhaleyhomes.com.