Best Cabinet Paint Kits

A cabinet paint kit can be the solution to your outdated, dingy, old cabinets.  A pre-packaged, easy to use solution, a cabinet paint kit, can easily transform your cabinets.  A paint kit provides step by step instructions and materials.  Therefore, using a cabinet paint kit to update your cabinets does not require any special skills.  A cabinet paint kit is a budget friendly option to get a fresh, current look in your kitchen. 

Hopefully, with this article, we not only provide you with the options available for cabinet paint kits, but also some real kitchen photos with kitchen cabinets that were updated using a cabinet paint kit to achieve the look.  When considering cabinet paint, it is important to determine the transparency and sheen that you desire in your final product.  Each paint will vary in that way and you will need to choose the correct the paint properties to suit your needs.   With a little sweat equity, you can achieve professional results.

Best Overall Cabinet Paint Kit

Our best overall cabinet makeover kit is the Nuvo 1 Day Cabinet Makeover Kit.  With minimal prep work, it goes on easy, dries quickly and looks great.  The kit is perfect for wood, laminate, primed cabinets or painted metal cabinets.  No top coat is required and there are less steps to completion than other similar kits.  The coverage is complete and the finished look produces a look of high end new cabinets.  

Best Budget Cabinet Paint Kit

The INSL-X cabinet coat enamel kit is our pick for an affordable, yet beautiful cabinet finish.  It requires a bit of prepping but the kit covers 350-450 sq. ft.  The kit itself includes useful, quality items and the paint is a beautiful satin.  You can tint the paint in the INSL-X kit to whatever you desire.  The INSL-X paint dries to handle in a day to a smooth, durable finish that will be difficult to tell that you do not have brand new cabinets. 

1 – Nuvo 1 Day Cabinet Makeover Kit

The Nuvo Cabinet Paint Kit is perfect if you are looking to efficiently update your cabinets to a clean modern look.  A popular choice, the Nuvo Cabinet paint has a solid transparency and satin sheen.  The Nuvo Kit comes with 2 quarts with a coverage of 100 sq. ft.  It can be used over wood, laminate or metal cabinets.  The kit includes two 31 oz cans of Nuvo cabinet paint, 1 roller arm, 2 roller covers and a 2” angled paint brush.  The paint is solid transparency with a satin sheen.  It is available in many colors.  The Nuvo paint is available in black, celadon, coconut, driftwood, earl gray, hearthstone, sage, oxford blue, tidal haze and titanium infusion.  It dries quickly and comes with easy to follow, step by step instructions.  You can really achieve that manufacturer brand new cabinet look with the Nuvo Cabinet Paint Kit.

2 – INSL-X Cabinet Coat Enamel, 1 Gallon Kit

The INSL-X Cabinet Coat Enamel Kit is a great option to refurbish kitchen cabinets.  INSL-X paint produces a factory like finish that will be a big payoff in your kitchen.  It is available in both satin and semi-gloss sheens.  The paint is a solid transparency with great coverage. The INSL-X Kit is budget friendly and comes with a gallon that covers 400 sq. ft. per kit.  It includes paint, a can opener, mixing sticks (2), sand paper (2), small roller and tray and a wipe down cloth.  This kit does not come in different colors, but can be tinted.  A helpful instruction leaflet is also included in the kit.  The kit dries quickly to a smooth, durable finish for a flawless look that will be truly enjoyed.

3 – Rust-Oleum Transformation

The Rust-Oleum Transformations Kit is a complete cabinet refinishing kit.  Each Rust-Oleum Kit provides a natural stain sheen that is semi-transparent.  The kit covers 100 sq. ft and does not require sanding and priming.  It includes a deglosser, bond coat, decorative glaze, protective top coat, decorative glazing cloths, scrub pads and several stir sticks.  An instructional DVD and printed instructions are also included with the kit.  The Rust-Oleum kit provides an optional decorative glaze.  You would use the decorative glaze when you want a more antique look to your cabinets.  As far as Rust-Oleum colors, the kit comes in a dark tint base or a light tint base.  The dark tint base provides 24 color choices for a custom look while the light tint base provides 11 color choices.  Rust-Oleum is a more time consuming thorough kit, but has long standing proven results.

4 – Beyond Paint All-In-One Refinishing Kit

The Beyond Paint All-In-One Refinishing Kit is a little more pricey than some of the previous kits, but yields great results with a more flat, matte sheen with a solid transparency.  A kit that always yield great results, the Beyond Paint All-In-One Refinishing Kit comes with 1 quart that covers 50 sq. ft.  It includes one paint, brush, a roller and a pan.  The paint has a thick consistency that helps with brush marks.  It requires minimal preparation and Beyond Paint comes in various timeless colors.  The kit comes in bright white, buttercream, licorice, linen, mocha, nantucket, off white, pebble, pewter, poppy, sage and soft gray.  Beyond Paint is a bit pricier, but does not require sanding or priming and has an all in one paint that is considered a bonder, primer and finisher in one.   

5 – Wood Lookin Specialty Paint Kit

The Wood Lookin Specialty Paint kit is the perfect kit if you desire a paint that resembles wood.  This kit is unique that it is a kit that aims to be a paint that looks like wood.  The kit is a two step staining process.  Since it is a stain, it is semi-transparent.  With this kit, you don’t need to sand and there is no need to prime over solid white clean surfaces.  The kit includes 2 pints that will cover 100 sq. ft.  In total, the kit includes 1 pint of Step One, 1 pint of Step Two and 2 chip brushes.  The kit comes in Driftwood Gray.  You can achieve that rustic, reclaimed wood look with this type of kit.  

6 – Retique It Chalk Furniture Paint by Renaissance Kit

The Retique It Chalk Furniture Paint by Renaissance DIY Kit is a unique kit because it is chalk paint.  Chalk paint gives you that distinctive, matt, chalky finish.  The paint is designed to be reliable, quick and easy to use.  Although it is semi transparent, the coverage is great.  Since it is chalk paint, it is less likely to drip than other paints and it is water based.  So, it is easy to clean.  The Retique It kit covers 100 sq. ft.  The kit includes a quart of paint, polyacrylic top coat, 2” oval brush and a 3” wonder brush. This kit is unique in that it comes in a variety of colors.  It comes in grays, blacks, whites, browns, blues, greens, reds and pinks.  There is definitely a Retique It color to suite your needs and tastes.  This paint dries ultra fast and a little goes a long way.  You will not be disappointed with any shade of Retique.   

Alternative Cabinet Paint Kit

An alternative to purchasing a cabinet it is to buy all the items necessary separately and choose a paint that is suitable for cabinets.  This option might be a bit pricier and a little more complicated, but with a little research can work great.  Behr interior Semi-gloss enamel is highly recommended for cabinet painting.  It is easy to apply and durable.  It does require some light sanding when some cabinet kit paints do not, but you do not need to use primer with this paint.  It has a solid transparency.  You can tint the paint to your color liking and needs.  Because it is semi-gloss, you do not need to use a top coat with this paint.  As far as the other items that you would need to complete a cabinet makeover, it is recommended to have sandpaper of various grits, rollers, paint brushes, tray, tarps, mixing sticks, wipe down cloths, some sort of cabinet cleaner and a plan! 

Helpful Hints when Painting Cabinets

It does take some time and careful effort to refinish the cabinets in a kitchen.  Helpful hints from those that have done it before can make the process quicker and easier.  At the beginning, when removing the cabinets, numbering the cabinets and hardware in numbered bags or labeling the individual items on a sketch will make it so much easier at the end when you install them back into the kitchen.  When painting, try to avoid brushes and use a roller on the trim pieces to avoid brush marks.  I can’t say enough about disposable trays for the paint.  Place the disposable tray in a real tray and viola…such an easy clean up.  So worth it.  Another super helpful hint when painting is if you need to pause, wrap your rollers and brushes in saran wrap or baggies.  If overnight or long term, you can even put the wrapped rollers and brushes in the freezer to preserve them.  Just thaw them out the next day and good as new.  Lastly, although many cabinet paint kits don’t require prepping, a little bit of sanding and priming might just make your job easier in the long run.

There is a cabinet paint kit that will work for your kitchen.  Refinishing the cabinets will have such a huge impact in your kitchen.  Not only will you be able to enjoy what feels like a brand new space with updated cabinets, but updating your cabinets will significantly increase the value of your home.  You will wonder why you did not do it sooner.  Whether you are looking for a true white or to pick from predetermined colors, cabinet kits offer durable options for both.  It is alot of work to refinish your cabinets on your own, but well worth the effort.  Hiring someone to makeover your kitchen cabinets can easily be thousands of dollars compared to hundreds and some elbow grease.  With the help of a cabinet paint kit, refinishing your kitchen cabinets is really doable.  All of our picks perform superbly and it is just a matter of what works for you and your kitchen.

Related Article: How to Update Kitchen Cabinets Without Replacing Them