Painting Oak Cabinets: 5 Must-Know Tips To Achieve The Smoothest Finish

Painting oak cabinets is a simple and very effective way to update your kitchen. Painting oak kitchen cabinets is not as difficult as you might think, but it does require some preparation and attention to detail. In this blog post, I will give you 5 tips to help ensure the smoothest finish when painting oak cabinets!

If you buy a home built in the 80s or 90s, you’ll more than likely be inheriting a kitchen complete with oak cabinets. If you’re not a fan of the dated look or want to update your kitchen with an easy and affordable do-it-yourself project, painting oak cabinets is a great way to go about it!

As much as I appreciate how solid oak is as a plank of wood, the orangey hue isn’t exactly my jam. I’m going to show you how I tackle painting oak cabinets, and what supplies and tools I use. Plus, I’ll share why it’s incredibly important to prep them properly before painting (gasp!), and the final steps for a great-looking finished product.

How To Paint Oak Kitchen Cabinets: 5 Awesome Tips!

So what are the secrets for achieving that perfect finish? There are five simple things you can do:

1. Fill in the grain. Yes or No?

First things first – take a look at your oak cabinets. See that distinctive grain pattern? That’s exactly what a lot of people DON’T want to see in their painted cabinets.

I’m going to be honest with you: filling the grain is a ton of extra work! So let me be clear, you don’t HAVE to do this step if you don’t want to. If you skip this step, your painted cabinets can still look really awesome! I find that 95% of my clients don’t care that they can see the grain pattern after the cabinets have been painted. But if you’re part of that 5% who does care about it, and you DON’T want to see it – then you will need to fill the wood grain before you paint!

I’ve learned a lot about filling in wood grain over my 7 years of painting cabinets. I have easily painted thousands of cabinets in this time, and have put together everything I know about how to fill in wood grain in this FREE mini-course!

2. Brush on the first coat.

Look, I get it. Once you’ve done the prep work of dealing with the wood grain, it can be tempting to grab a can of primer and start spraying it. But, DON’T.

If you spray the primer on, you will see tiny black holes/cracks/divots/voids where the paint has not seeped into the grain. Sprayed paint only sits on top of the surface and doesn’t get into the deep grainy areas. Therefore it leaves the surface looking like this!

To keep this from happening, brush on the first coat of primer, then spray all of the other coats afterward. Brushing on the first coat will push the primer into the grain and will leave you with a surface with no black voids – you may still see the grain pattern, but it will look better than if you had only sprayed.

3. Put the water-based primer back on the shelf!

Water-based primers are not the best. I know, I know….this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but trust me, using an oil-based primer is SO much better in the long run when you are painting oak cabinets.

There are a few very good reason for this:

• Oil base primer will block all stain and tannin bleed through (something that water based primers cannot do).
• It will sand as smooth as a baby’s bottom, which is what you want in painted cabinets!
• This type of primer is infinitely better at adhering to oak cabinets versus water-based primers.

Just because oil base is awesome doesn’t mean that people are super psyched about it though. Typically when I mention the words OIL BASED PRIMER, homeowners shove their fingers in their ears and run away from shouting LA LA LA LA LA!!!!! Can you relate? 😉

But, it’s really not that bad I promise!

If you need extra hand-holding and moral support, check out my cabinet painting course. I have full-length videos on everything you need to know about using oil-based primer when painting oak kitchen cabinets. I will walk you through all aspects, from how to thin it, applying it with my signature Roll and Tip Method (which ensures the least amount of brush marks possible), and how to clean it up when you’re done!

Trust me, oil base is the way to go when painting oak cabinets (and any other cabinet for that matter)

4. Choose your sheen carefully.

Here’s a handy rule to keep in mind: the higher the sheen, the more you’ll see the grain pattern.

Semi-gloss and gloss paints will reflect more light which will highlight the pattern of the grain. If you want to minimize the prominence of the grain, which we absolutely do, use a satin or an eggshell sheen.

5. Pick a different wood for add-ons.

When you take the leap to paint your kitchen cabinets, you may want to add on some other features too. Whether it’s additional cabinets, trim, crown moulding, or another feature, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the kitchen of your dreams!

If you’re modifying your cabinets in any other way before painting, then it’s best to choose a wood other than oak.

I recommend using a smooth/closed grain wood for those additions. Once everything is painted you won’t know that different wood species were used.

Using non-grainy wood for additions is especially critical if you’re going to be filling the grain on your existing cabinetry! Trust me, I learned this one the hard way!

I’ll never forget painting cabinets for this one client who added a ton of modifications to her existing kitchen. They built the frames up to the ceiling, added crown molding, beadboard, and other additions. Since her existing cabinets were Oak, she has all of the new additions made of oak so it would “match”. Yikes!

I totally understand her reasoning. But, she really wanted none of the grain pattern to show…so in the end, it created a ton more work for me to fill it in. If they had used MDF and/or Maple for the new additions, it would’ve been loads easier!

Here’s What You REALLY Need to Know About Painting Oak Cabinets!

Remember, oak cabinets are solid and wonderful, but the grain will really show through unless you are extremely careful. I’ll be honest: if you have existing oak cabinetry it is important to know that painting oak kitchen cabinets will require more work than other materials.

That being said, you can still give your kitchen an entirely new look for just a fraction of the cost compared to brand new cabinets.

With a little grit and sweat equity, you can get those beautiful smooth painted oak cabinets!

Have I convinced you to give it a try? By applying these oak cabinet painting tips, you will save money and have the pride of all your hard work. It’s a great way to get creative and add color or update those tired-looking cabinets in your kitchen!

Grab this free list to help you get started with this project…

More Posts To Read:

• 10 Must-Know Cabinet Painting Tips Before You Pick up A Paint Brush
• How To Repaint Kitchen Cabinets
• 10 Worst Cabinet Painting Mistakes
• How To Fix A Dresser With Wood Veneer That Is Too Far Gone
• Learn To Fill Woodgrain: Insider Tips From A Pro