How to Give Your Kitchen Cabinets a DIY Makeover on a Budget

Bored of your drab kitchen cupboards, but can’t afford to replace them? With Frenchic’s self-priming and self-sealing paint it’s never been easier to give your kitchen cabinets a facelift on a wallet-friendly budget.

Watch the video or read on to find out how you can give one of the most important rooms in your home a DIY makeover for a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen.

What you’ll need:

• Frenchic Paint – the Al Fresco or Lazy Range work best & need no sealant. Craig uses Wise Old Sage Al Fresco
• Frenchic Concentrated Sugar Soap
• Fine sandpaper
• Sponge and cloth
• Oval paintbrush or hand-held paint sprayer
• Optional - Frenchic Finishing Coat and Frensheen mineral powder for adding a metallic finish to the door handles.

How to paint your cupboard doors:

Step 1 – Prep

Kitchen cabinets are exposed to all kinds of grease, grime and steam, so you’ll need to clean them down well before you begin painting.

Firstly, remove any hinges and handles. Then, using some diluted sugar soap and a sponge, clean the door down and scrub off any residue that could prevent the paint from sticking.

Next, rinse off the soap with some clean water and a lint-free cloth, and dry off with some paper towel or allow to air dry. At this stage, you should double check that all of the grease has been removed.

Step 2 – Sand

Once the door is clean and dry, lightly sand it with some fine sandpaper or a sanding pad. The aim is to lightly score the surface to help the paint adhere better.

Once you’ve finished sanding, remove any dust with a damp cloth and dry with some paper towel.

Step 3 – Paint

Now that the prepping is out of the way, you can begin painting. To do this, you can either use a small hand-held paint sprayer or an oval paintbrush designed for use with our chalk paint.

If you’re using a paintbrush, make sure you are working with the grain of the wood and spread the paint as evenly as possible. Hold the brush at around a 45 degree angle and work in long strokes, taking extra care to feather the paint out at joins. While our paint is self-levelling, this will help to ensure a smooth finish and prevent drips.

If you choose to use a paint sprayer, apply the first coat top to bottom and the second left to right for an even finish. Hold the machine around 15cm away from the surface and use a smooth sweeping motion. Although Frenchic paint is non-toxic, it’s a good idea to wear goggles and a mask whilst you work.

Whichever method you decide to use, if you need to apply a second coat, make sure you leave at least two hours between each. 

Take extra care for the first 48 hours until the paint is fully dry and sealed. After two weeks, the paint will have cured and become highly resistant to any scrapes, knocks or stains.

Step 4 – Handles

If you want to revamp your door handles as part of your DIY kitchen cupboard makeover, try mixing some of our Finishing Coat with one of our Frensheen mineral powders to create a metallic effect.

This self-sealing mixture is easy to create and applies to your handles just like paint. It works on almost any material, including wood, plastic and metal and will leave a highly durable finish to protect your frequently used handles.

Thinking of starting your own DIY makeover project?

For further tips and tricks and easy-to-follow tutorials from our Brand Ambassador Craig Phillips, subscribe to our FrenchicTV Youtube channel.

Whether your cupboards look dated, or you just want to try out a new colour, you can use Frenchic’s Al Fresco or Lazy Range paint to give your kitchen cabinets a quick and easy makeover on a budget.