Paint inside of kitchen cabinets also?

jmd87

Planning on doing a facelift on existing kitchen cabinets by painting white & installing new hardware. Would you paint the insides white as well? Existing cabinets are fairly beat up so will need a lot of prep work, including the shelving on the inside.

Not looking to be trendy, just want to do the right thing (within a budget of course)

ddawg16

What are the existing cabinets made of?

If real wood....I would wipe them on the inside with an oil stain with a neutral color such as Watco's...or a color that is close to what you have....then once it's dry....one or two coats with a water based varnish.

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jmd87

Thanks for the quick reply! Unfortunately the cabinet shelving is some sort of particle board. The rest of it is "real" wood.... I put real in quotes because it's not a hardwood throughout but a wood ply in the backs, real on the rest.

Aside from replacing the shelving, is there anything I can do to make it nice? I'm handy so any options are welcome.

Once we figure out the shelving, do you maintain your original answer on a stain + varnish? Would you stain white?

Thanks!

Dillonz

If white is your preference, go for it. You can sand the particle board smoother so the paint holds better. Personally I would put some laminate wood on the inside simply because I think particle board looks tacky.

But that's just me.

MissKat

I painted the insides of my upper cabinets a complementary color to my walls. The hubz laughed at me, but it makes me happy to open them and see a finished product. We have stained wood cabinets. I may be the only person who notices the color, but people think I'm way more organized than I really am because it looks 'done'.

With white cabinets, you could go with just about any color.

sdsester

You cannot just paint interiors any more than you can exteriors. You must do proper prep. Clean, etch and degloss. Absolutely or paint will not stick.

Then paint them white for more light or purple.

Why would you not paint interiors of kitchen cabinets if you are painting all around them. You painted the interiors of your closets last time?

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s4s4u

Paint 'em up. Will be easier on the eyes when you open them as well. I like to use white melamine for cabinet backs, even in hardwood cabinets, just to brighten them up a bit.

Wandererone

Paint them I say!
A nice glossy white which will make them easy to wipe clean AND easier to see whats inside
Nothing worse than trying to peer inside a dark cupboard looking for that elusive item.

jmd87

Thanks for the reply's everyone. Looks like I'll be painting interiors too... perhaps one at a time. I will do the doors & framing all at once though.

jmd87

Quick afterthought regarding the particle board shelves: Instead of painting the shelves white, what if I added white formica to the shelving (or completely new melamine shelves), and painted the rest of the wood interior to match? Is this any kind of interior design fo paux?

sdsester

I have never seen two coats of paint come close to the cost of doing interiors of cabinests with laminate.

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jmd87

To be clear, I would only laminate the shelves, not the rest (the shelves are particle board but the rest is real wood.

sdsester

Sticking by my comment. You can apply two coats of Melamine paint in a fraction of the time it takes you to:

- Pull the shelves
- Prep the shelves
- Apply contact adhesive to both sides
- Join the surfaces
- Route the laminate edges.

Melamine paint can be tinted to any color, by the way. You could even paint the total interiors of your cabinets with it.

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jmd87

Well now Melamine paint is something new to me, and worth looking into. Thanks for the tip

jeffnc

Except perhaps taking out a glass and having paint sticking to the bottom of it. Make sure you use a paint that will cure hard and not stick to things that sit for months at a time (standard latex is a bad choice).