Move everything on your counters and on top of your cabinets and relocate it for the week. You can leave the things inside your cabinets and drawers.

Sweep the floors. Any dirt and dust that’s on the floor could be kicked up and settle in the paint while you work. Use painter’s tape and sheets of paper and plastic to cover the countertops and kraft paper or drop cloths to cover the floor. Remove all outlet covers and vents, and tape up the edges of anything that’s not supposed to be painted.

Using a marker and a piece of paper, draw a diagram of your cabinets and assign each one a number. This step will provide you with a roadmap to put all the pieces back in their correct spots when you’re done painting.

Start removing the cabinet doors, drawer faces and hardware using a hand screwdriver, or working slowly with an electric drill so you don’t scratch the wood, remove the cabinet doors, drawers, and hardware. Label the doors, drawer faces and hardware as you remove each piece, use a marker to number the door or drawer face according to your diagram. Number cabinet doors in the groove where the hinge fits into, then cover it with tape. Drawer faces can be numbered on the back, which gets hidden by the rest of the drawer when it’s reassembled. Label the hinges for each door as you remove them, too. The top hinge for Door 12 becomes 12A and the bottom hinge gets 12B. Those go in a bag labeled 12. If your cabinets have knobs or pulls, those go into the corresponding bags.

Clean all the wood pieces you’re going to paint with mineral spirits and a scrubby sponge to remove any dirt and grease. This includes the fronts, backs, and sides of every door; the frame of the built-in cabinets and the front pieces of your drawers. Clean the doors and drawer faces in a well-ventilated area and open the windows when working inside on the cabinet frame. Gloves are also recommended. Once you’re done, the surfaces should have a dull sheen, which means the wood is ready to accept the primer. This should take about an hour and a half for a standard-sized kitchen. Use a putty knife to scrape off any remaining gunk and any rubber or felt feet on the back of your cabinets that prevent your doors from slamming — don’t worry, we’ll put new ones on later. You can also take this time to consider upgrading your door hinge hardware.

Using more painter’s tape, tape the inside of your cabinets in order to protect the shelves from paint and everything on them from dust.

<b>Painter’s Tip:</b>Slowly run your hands across the grain of your wood. If you can feel the grain, chances are, that grain will show through the paint when you’re done, which you might not love. You can use wood filler to fill in the obvious scratches, extra-deep grooves, and nail holes.

In the same area, lay down a drop cloth or kraft paper, then two two-by-fours and two dowels. You will end up working vertically and stacking your doors with more two-by-fours and more dowels. Never lay the doors flat on anything like a piece of cardboard, as it can mess up the paint or the doors could stick to the surface!

Prime the backs of your cabinet doors and drawer faces. Paint inside any grooves or recessed parts first, then work your way inside out along the flat areas. Work evenly, so that the primer coat is smooth. Once the backs should be dry to the touch, prime the fronts and the sides.

Use a paintbrush to cut into all the corners, edges, and areas with decorative molding. Then use a roller — working in long, even strokes — to cover the rest. Be sure to hit the sides of any support pieces.

Once all areas of the cabinets are primed stack all your pieces and let dry overnight.

The primer should be completely dry to the touch. Have some coffee and then use Kraft paper to cover the openings to your cabinets. Do it. You’re about to make a lot of dust and this is easier than taking everything out of your cabinets and then cleaning them. Cover your stovetop while you’re at it.

Lightly sand your primed cabinet frames in a circular motion. This will smooth out any paint bubbles or brush strokes. If you skip this step, those imperfections will just be magnified as you add coats of paint. Sand everything you primed. Use ventilation masks to protect against breathing in all that dust!

Use a vacuum with a bristle attachment to vacuum the wood and a normal hose attachment to clean up the floor. Wipe the wood with this sticky fabric-like material to pick up any leftover dust.

Go back and look for any places where the sanding exposed the wood. Use a small paintbrush to dab on primer to fill in those spots. If you can see any dark wood, use wood filler to fill in those spots, let the touch ups dry.

Use a paint brush and a roller to get your first coat of paint on the cabinet frames. Work in long vertical strokes. Be sure to get the sides of the cabinet support bars, too.

Do this just like you did the cabinet frames. Get in the grooves of any embellishments. Sand the fronts and backs. Repeat steps 2 – 6 above.

Notice any wood spots that are showing through after your sanding? Spray them — in a light, even motion, with a primer/sealer will help to hide them and hold the paint when it’s time.

Paint your first coat of paint the same way you did the primer — inside any grooves first, then working your way out. Paint the fronts of your cabinet doors and the faces of your drawers (don’t forget the sides). You want a smooth, thin coat; if the paint is too thick, it will pool up in the corners and drip off the edges.

You may be tempted to flip the cabinet doors and paint the backs today, but do not! You’ll ruin your nice paint job. Even though the paint looks dry, it will still be soft and susceptible to damage. This is not a process you want to rush.

Look for any imperfections — anywhere the dark wood might be showing through. Tag the spots with a piece of painter’s tape.

Lightly sand them until the sheen around each spot goes away.

Using a small paintbrush, dab on some more primer/sealer to cover the spots.

Flip the cabinet doors and give the backs their first coat of paint.

Lightly sand your first coat of paint, specifically targeting any brush strokes or paint bubbles. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe up the excess dust.

Apply your second coat of paint to the cabinet frames.

If the backs feel dry to the touch, you may be able to paint the second coat on the fronts today. If your cabinets feel tacky, wait and do the rest of these steps the following day! Sand the fronts lightly. Again, using a microfiber cloth wipe any excess dust.

Just like you did the first coat, but being extra careful of the backs, which might not be totally dry. (The only reason this is okay is because these are the backs and people won’t really see them!)

Have some coffee: You’re almost done! Lightly sand the second coat of paint and wipe up the dust.

Using a small paintbrush, dab on some more primer to cover the spots.

Two coats of paint might be enough, but three provides added coverage.

Lightly sand the second coat of paint and wipe up the dust. Inspect the doors and drawer faces, look for wood or any dark spots are showing through.

This is the last time you’ll have to paint!  Let the doors dry overnight and go get some rest.

Using a box cutter, slice the tape anywhere it seems like paint might have stuck to it. Carefully remove the tape.

With a damp cloth, wipe up any paint that bled under the tape. The paint will be dry, but soft enough to be wiped up.

Starting with one drawer face, peel off the painter’s tape that you used to cover the piece’s number. Then find its corresponding bag of hardware.

Get out your diagram, and use it as a guide to replace the drawer faces. Repeat until all the drawers are back together.

Again, working one piece at a time, peel off the painter’s tape that you used to cover your labeling system.

Find the corresponding hardware bag and screw the hardware back into the door. Make sure you put the top hinge in the top hole and the bottom in the lower hole. This is why you labeled so carefully before! Pro tip: Put down a drop cloth, a sheet, or some microfiber towels before you put your door down. This will help protect your paint.

Be careful with your drill, as to not chip or scratch the paint and always do the top hinge first. Repeat until all the doors are back on.

Look to see where the doors and drawers hit the cabinet frames and add felt feet — one in each corner. This will make them quieter when they close and also help prevent the paint from chipping. Note: You may want to take this time to consider upgrading your cabinet hardware.

Time to put back any electrical outlets or vents that you had removed.

<b>Be careful:</b> The paint will be dry but will continue to cure. Be gentle for up to five days! Or maybe just take a five-day nap. You’ve earned it!