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If your kitchen cabinets are drab or outdated, a fresh coat of paint will breathe new life into this sacred part of the home. Here's how to do it right.

Senior Editor / Home and Kitchen

I live in Brooklyn where I write about food subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gadgets and commerce. Anything with sesame is my all-time favorite food this week.

This story is part of Home Tips , CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

You won't truly know how much your kitchen cabinets affect that hub of the home until you give them a fresh new look. Cabinets and drawers loom over everything and if yours are looking drab, dingy or outdated, a fresh coat of paint can totally transform this beloved space. As far as home improvements go, it's not very difficult, either, and requires no special carpentry skills. That said, there is a best way to paint your kitchen cabinets, and if you want optimal results, we suggest not skipping any. 

The good news is you can paint those cabinets yourself and do it for very little money. You'll only need paint, primer and a few additional small tools that shouldn't amount to more than $20. In fact, you could probably get the entire job done for under $50 when you add it all up, though the final cost will vary based on the type of paint you choose and how much surface area you need to cover.

Painting your kitchen cabinets doesn't require any special skills, especially if you follow these simple steps. If you can work a screwdriver and wield a paintbrush or foam roller, you've got what it takes to pull this off. You will have to put in some labor and factor in some time for both the primer and paint to dry. Other than that, painting your kitchen cabinets is as easy as one, two, three.

OK, there are a few more steps than three, but you've totally got this. Below I've outlined how to paint your kitchen cabinets and give the heart of the home a fresh look and a bit of pizazz. For more, check out our tips on how to build DIY pipe shelves  and how to make custom poster hangers for just $1 . 

Read more: Best Cookware Sets for 2022

Acrylic latex paint is a popular choice since it's hearty and easy to wipe clean. Semi-gloss , gloss and satin finishes tend to show fewer smudges over time. Avoid matte, flat and super glossy finishes which are more difficult to clean. 

Semi-gloss paint is a popular choice for kitchen cabinets. 

You'll also want to buy and apply a binding primer  to the cabinets before you paint, so pick some up while you're at the store.

If the cabinets are already painted, you'll have to strip them. This is a tedious and labor-intensive step, so if you're on the fence about replacing or painting, knowing that this will add a good chunk of work might help you decide. 

If they're not painted, simply wipe them down with an all-purpose cleaner such as TSP cleaner . Be sure to get them as clean as possible including any oil or grease stains as they can affect the final result.

Unscrew and remove all cabinet doors and pull out any drawers to set aside. You can empty the shelves if you want to but, unless you're painting the inside or wanting to give the area a good cleaning, you can get away with just removing items in the front so they don't get splattered with paint. Another option is to cover them with a small drop cloth. 

Helpful tip: Keep all your hardware organized in a way that you'll know which cabinet it belongs to since some hinges and fixtures are specific to certain cabinets.

Carefully remove all doors, drawers and hardware using a manual screwdriver. 

Use a wood filler and smoothing knife to fill any holes or big chips to get the smoothest possible surfaces to paint on. Don't worry about the inside of the cabinets as you likely won't be painting those panels. 

Helpful tip: Be careful not to fill your screw holes or it will make attaching the hardware very difficult. 

Using a sandpaper block , sand the varnish or laminate off the cabinet surfaces including the frames, doors and drawers. Sand along with the grain as much as possible. Remove as much of the finish as you can but be careful not to sand too hard or you'll damage the wood beneath. 

Sand off as much of the finish as possible without damaging the wood beneath. 

Use masking tape to protect any edges where you don't want paint. This includes the inside panels where it meets the frame and any walls that the cabinets butt up against. 

Using a small brush or mini foam roller, cover the surface area with primer, but don't lay it on too thick. It's fine if there's still some faint wood showing through from this thin layer of primer. Again, paint with the grain as much as possible.

These $6 painting tripods will make priming and painting the doors and drawers easier and less messy.

For the unattached doors, you can use painting tripods  or lifters to elevate them so you're able to paint the sides easily and avoid a big paint mess. Give the doors a thin layer of primer just like the frames and paint with the grain.

Wait for the first side to fully dry before flipping them to paint the other side.

In a similar manner to applying primer, paint each cabinet frame, door and drawer, going with the grain. Use smaller brushes to paint details, nooks and crannies or embellishments if the cabinets have them. A small foam roller is best for the broadsides since it'll give you the neatest and most uniform results. Plus, it's faster. 

Use a foam roller for more even results.

You might be tempted to screw those beautiful new cabinet doors back into the frames as soon as things seem dry, but letting your paint fully dry will ensure you don't accidentally dent or smudge the surface. You can add a layer of polyurethane for added protection, but it shouldn't be necessary if you've chosen quality paint. 

Once everything is dry, you'll simply reattach all the cabinet drawers and cabinet doors using the same matching hardware. Consider using a manual screwdriver to avoid unwanted stripping. 

For more, check out which color you should paint your front door to raise the value of your house , and how to choose the right color paint for your home office .