Painting Kitchen Cabinets - Other Than White

Need to refinish some kitchen cabinets by painting in a brown tone. Removed all the doors and hardware but now need ideas on the best way to prep the cabinets. Looking for a method to remove the gloss finish that will not require sanding. The new finish will be satin. Also, which "cabinet paint" has anyone used with success? I can spray the doors and drawer fronts but don't want to mask off everything else that is still mounted, so I'll be brushing/rolling the boxes.

FWIW I had oil-finished trim work that I wanted to paint white semi-gloss, but with all of the footage and features, I didn't want to sand, never mind the sanding dust.

I tried non-sandable deglossers, both regular and odorless, (reg worked better) but both allowed the final paint coat to chip off if hit.

Then a friend told me about STIX, a water-based bondable primer. It is amazing! I still washed down & cleaned any wood work 1st w/ TSP. The STIX product is white so it finishes with a paintable surface. It has held up extremely well, even in high traffic or wear areas.

If not going white, consider a light dove gray. That's the new color for house interiors, replacing all the neutral beige tones.

I am in "the same boat" with my kitchen cabinets and a total repaint is in the future.
they are currently a light cream which looks like smoke damage - ugh
thanks Dale for the tip on STIX..... I have seen it and read the info but never used it.
I will be going with gloss white kitchen and white appliances.
https://jclicht.com/the-best-bonding-primer-you-can-buy-stix-acrylic-primer/
and a painting forum that I visit: https://www.painttalk.com/f2/stix-primer-useless-27102/
https://www.painttalk.com/f90/
https://www.diychatroom.com/f4/

now - the next project is to paint over 1957 PINK ceramic wall tile in the bathroom
it looks like STIX will work for that one too..... thanks again Dale !



.

I've painted a few kitchens with some success. I don't know anything about the chemical prep products or Stix, so can't comment. Keep in mind to prep the old surface you need only sand enough to give the primer something to bite. You do not have to remove the old top coat completely. Just rough it up.

For the paint coat I suggest you take a look at a Sherwin Williams product called Pro Classic. Maybe the folks at the paint store can say if it will work with STIX. To apply the paint, use a small roller and tip off with your brush. Maintain a wet edge (this is critical). The finish is amazingly smooth and will be free of brush marks. Last kitchen I did had a lot of panel doors. My HVLP gun never came out of the box (in fact it doesn't work well with this kind of paint).

I have renovated several homes when I worked for a HandyMan company.
my last reno was my own personal homestead that my family has had since 1963.
my dad put T&G lumber paneling throughout the house and it was beautiful back in
in the '60s and '70s'. After I inherited the Family Homestead in 2008, I stripped out all the old wood
and did a total rewire and plumbing with all new drywall - no wood paneling.

here is how the original kitchen looked in 1963


and here it is after a two year renovation in 2014.





I kept the original wood cabinets that my father made just for posterity
and let the new owners choose their own style.
all the wood was varnished and had to be scrubbed with TSP first - then a solvent based deglosser.
it took 3 coats of KILZ Stain Blocker primer to keep the wood from bleeding through.

I just purchased a 1957 Florida style block home and
will be redoing the kitchen in all white the same way.
I already have the center island made (it never had one).


.

The renovation looks great. Good job

Awesome! What a difference!

very nice work