How to Tone Down Glossy Painted Kitchen Cabinets
If you are tired of your glossy kitchen cabinets, and want a new look to lessen the sheen, you can tone them down yourself. You can refinish your cabinets to give them a new look. It’s easy and just requires some new paint and a few tools.
Things you'll need:
- Water-based soap
- Semi-gloss paint
- Sponge
- Polyester paintbrush
- 180-grit sandpaper
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Screwdriver
- Painters tape
- Canvas drop cloths
- Detach the hardware using a screwdriver. This will be either the cabinet knobs or handles to open the cabinets.
- Use a water-based soap and a sponge to wash the cabinets existing glossy finish. Use a damp cloth to rinse the soap residue from off the cabinets. Let the existing finish dry for a couple hours.
- Lightly sand the glossy finish with 180-grit sandpaper. Scour the surface just enough until it feels a little rough. This will allow the new paint to stick well to the surface of the cabinets.
- Cover the countertop and floor with canvas drop cloths, Use painter's tape to hold it down and to cover the corners of the end cabinets by the wall.
- Paint over the existing finish with your semi-gloss paint and a soft-bristled polyester brush. Gently paint the cabinets using vertical strokes. If you desire a muted finish choose a satin latex paint. The semi-gloss paint will give the cabinets and finish that is slightly less glossy than the current one.
- Wash off your brush in the sink. Allow the first coat of paint to set for 24hours. Then, roughen this coating using the 220-grit sandpaper.
- Apply the second coat of paint in the same manner as you did the first coat. Allow the cabinets a full day to dry.