Should you paint kitchen cabinets? If you'd asked me this question five months ago when I was a renter, I would have immediately answered yes. However, as a homeowner trying to build up the courage to paint my own, my resolve on whether it's a good idea is starting to waver.
I've been an interiors journalist for going on 7 years, and in that time, I've seen some incredible painted kitchen cabinet transformations, and I also know the best way to paint kitchen cabinets (in theory). When I bought my first flat earlier this year, I was determined to put what I'd seen into practice and repaint my flat's grey kitchen cabinets green.
However, despite having the tin of paint ready to go, something is holding me back from taking the sander and paint to my kitchen cabinets.
There are many pros to painting kitchen cabinets, the main one being that it's a smart budget kitchen idea to get a whole new look. I've been dreaming of having a green kitchen for years; however, with my savings drained from the house purchase, a new kitchen is out of the question.
Nearly everyone I spoke to who has either repainted their kitchen cabinets or seen them in person has said how effective it is. Jenny McFarlane, Senior Digital Editor at Ideal Home, says she had her kitchen repainted, and it impressed so many of her friends that they were considering painting their kitchens too.
However, what is raising most eyebrows (and stopping me from picking up the paint brush) is that I'm planning to paint the kitchen cabinets myself. The cost of getting kitchen cabinets repainted by a professional would set me back upwards of £600. In contrast, by doing it myself, I can get my dream kitchen for the price of a tin of paint and some paint brushes.
But that raises the question of whether my DIY results will be good enough, or if I'm better off leaving my kitchen cabinets as they are for now. I have tried my hand at a few easy DIY projects in the past, including wrapping my old rental kitchen doors in vinyl. However, I'm worried about how the paint will last, if it will show my amateur brushstrokes or chip around the door edges.
My current kitchen cabinets are a light blue-tinged grey with a wood grain effect showing through. I don't love them by any means, but they still look new, and I can't help but wonder if painting them is a disaster waiting to happen.
Do you think painting kitchen cabinets yourself is a good idea, or should I leave my cabinets alone if they're still in good condition? Or is the painting part a smart solution, but one best left to the professionals? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
