Painting Ikea cabinets is totally doable, follow along to learn more!
Can you paint Ikea Cabinets?
Yes! The answer is yes and they even turn out well!
When we did our huge kitchen remodel, we needed to add 3 cabinets and a pantry.
We wanted to keep this project as affordable as we could, so we turned to our friends at Ikea.
Ikea is a great place to get cabinets, countertops and all sorts of great home things, as I am sure you are well aware. The only bummer part is your stuck to the colors they provide.
For us, we were painting our cabinets white, and Ikea's white was off white, it wasn't going to fly with our white as white cabinets.
So, we decided on the double color kitchen.
I was terrified to paint Ikea cabinets.
I didn't know what would happen or how they would hold up, and after you spend that kind of dough on something- you don't want to screw it up.
It's safe to say, I did it and I am SO glad I did. It's been over a year since I painted them and it's holding up great! And it's SO easy. *See the bottom of the post for a further out update.
The most important part about painting your cabinets is the type of paint you use.
What time of paint do you need to paint Ikeas laminate cabinets?
I used Benjamin Moore Advance paint. I used this for all of my cabinets and it's seriously worth the price!
Let's get to the good part, painting Ikea cabinets.
How to paint Ikea Cabinets
Equipment
- Small cabinet paint roller
- Cabinet paint brushes
Ingredients
- Degreaser
- Oil Based Primer
- tape
- Your favorite cabinet paint *I like Benjamin Moore Advance Paint
Instructions
- Start by making sure your cabinets are super clean. They should be as they are likely new, but if not you need a good degreaser.
- If they already have hardware on them, remove the hardware.
- Tape off anything you don't want to paint. I only painted the fronts of the doors and the base. The inside of the cabinet I did not paint, I didn't care that they were white. And this way, it saves them chipping from banged pots and you don't have to remove the doors.
- Use a good primer. I used an oil-based primer and did 2-3 coats on them. Luckily primer dries fast, follow the directions on the dry time- super important.
- Once you have your primer set, you can jump into the painting. I used a small roller brush, like this one here. And carefully rolled being careful to not overcoat one area more than the other.
- Let the first coat dry for 24 hours per the instructions on the paint. You really have to wait the time, I am super impatient with these kinds of things and want to hurry to the next time, but just don't. The curing time is super important to make sure your cabinets hold up. I ended up doing 3 top coats, just to make sure the paint was really on there good. For the next couple of weeks be careful with them. It takes weeks to fully cure and you could ding them up if you aren't careful.
Notes
This is a really easy and totally worth it project if you need to change the color of Ikea Cabinets.
How does painting Ikea Kitchen Cabinets hold up?
I have two boys and a dog, and these cabinets are the island and the pantry, the most frequented cabinets I have. They are holding up the same if not better than my all wood cabinets that I painted, although those are doing quite well.
Update- as of 4/2021- The cabinets are still holding up great! I did get a bit of a scratch but it covered up great with touch-up paint. The other tall cabinet hasn't gotten any dings or scratches.
If you have any questions about painting your Ikea cabinets let me know in the comments!
If you're looking for more fun DIY projects.
- Fence Board Accent Wall
- Lava Rock Fireplace Makeover
- DIY Farmhouse Faux Fireplace
- Cheap and Easy Farmhouse Mirror
Anonymous says
Did you have to sand them at all?
Courtney Hunter says
Hi there- I did a very light sand. I just took a sand block and ran it over the front lightly before painting.
Sarah says
Hi Courtney, glad I found your site! Are your cabinets holding up ok? Debating painting my cabinets this weekend! 🙂
Courtneys Homestead says
Hi Sarah! My cabinets are holding up great! The insides have a few chips in them which isn't surprising because things get dinged in there all the time. The outside had a few chips when my kids got hoverboards... Don't get those haha. But they were easy to touch up and no one would have even noticed them prior to me fixing them. I would 10/10 do it all over again. I hope that helps and happy painting!
Maryann Hall says
Courtney thank you for answering my question regarding painting IKEA cabinets. I was contemplating replacing my gray doors with glossy white doors at a cost of roughly $2000. Now I can save $2000, keep the traditional look of my current doors but add a bright white modern look! Oh that $2000 will be going into the countertop! Just an FYI for some folks, I use Glidden Trim & Door paint with GELL-FLOW Technology, it’s an oil base paint that allows any brush/paint strokes to disappear, it’s expensive but totally worth it cuz the paint does all the work! Also it gives you a hard factory finish that will stand up to cleaning & wear & tear for years! I’m not aware of the Benjamin Moore paint, it maybe similar but I know the Glidden has been time tested with me on several projects over the years! Good Luck everyone! Save those dollars & use them were you have to! Again thanks Courtney for the info, it was greatly appreciated!
Victoria says
So glad I stumbled upon this thread. Our grimslov medium brown kitchen was discontinued and we were looking to add a few cabinets so we weren't sure if we can just paint the doors and outer frames of the cabinets to a white or off white. I'm Glas it can be done!
Also a note, for those saying their kitchen cabinets are cracking or splitting, ikea has a warranty! Use it! I have in the past for the same reason and they refunded the money to use towards another kitchen! Take photos and open up a case!
Ayden says
HI there! Would you mind sharing what brand of primer you used? Thank you!
Courtneys Homestead says
Hi Ayden! I'm so sorry it took me so long to see this. I used Kilz Oil Based Primer.
kimi says
Thanks for all the great tips! I love the color. I have the same cabinets. They are natural wood finish that are 20 years old but still in great shape. I'm going to try it but will sand them first and probably paint both sides.
Courtneys Homestead says
Hi Kimi! I painted both sides in my kitchen and did not in my bathroom. The inside has a few dings on it in the pots and pans cabinet but other than holds up pretty good. I’m sure they will turn out great! Thanks for stopping by Kimi!
david cavalcante says
Did you use any kind of wax or polyurethane on top of the paint to add another layer of protection?
Courtneys Homestead says
I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner. No, I did not. I just did the more expensive cabinet paint and was very careful for the first month while it cured fully.
Sandra lee says
My ikea doors are starting to split.(the finish is splitting)
Can I still paint? IKEA doesn’t sell this size anymore.
Thanks.
Courtneys Homestead says
Hmmm. I would probably try to lightly sand the doors so it’s a smooth finish before trying to paint them.
Julie Rusk says
@Sandra lee,
My Ikea cabinets and drawers are cracking and splitting as well and are no longer made as well. How did you find repainting yours? I'm just researching how to do it and any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and have a great day!
Karin says
Hi Courtney,
Did you sand the cabinets first?
Thanks!
Courtneys Homestead says
Hi Karin!
I did not sand them first. Hope that helps! ❤️
Charlotte Hauter says
Do you recommend a degreaser? My cabinet are about 10 yrs old, great shape but Im sure I will have to degrease before painting. Is the primer iso sanding?
Courtneys Homestead says
I’ve heard good things about purple power degreaser and have used it. But any good degreaser will do. The primer just helps everything stick on well.
Leila says
Hi there - thanks for this!! I just did some but used regular Benjamin Moore paint and didn’t get the finish I wanted (it’s okay but don’t love it). Will Benjamin Moore Advance give me a glossier finish and can I roll it on? (I used sprayer and it’s a lot of fuss)!! Many thanks.
Courtneys Homestead says
They have different sheens, if you get glossy it will be glossy. I went with a more matte look because that’s what we did with our other cabinets. I rolled them but you usually get a better finish with spraying. On most of my cabinets you can’t tell they are rolled but one of them you can see a bit of a roll mark if you are looking really close. I hope that helps! ❤️
Claudine says
Hi
Thank you !
DId you remove all doors to paint them ?
Is it easy ? I'm afraid to do it, but not well, and then ask and pay someone to do it.
Thank you
Courtneys Homestead says
Hi Claudine! If you are just painting the fronts you can keep them on. If you are painting both sides take them off. It’s a big project to take on but if you are patient with dry times then it’s totally worth doing! I hope that helps! ❤️
Loretta white says
What color did you useon the island and brand of paint
Courtneys Homestead says
Hey Loretta! I used Benjamin Moore Advance paint which is meant for cabinets. The color is called Chelsea gray. Hope that helps!