Learn about our proven process for how to paint oak cabinets and hide the grain to achieve a completely smooth and professional finish.

In the past, I’ve talked about how to choose a paint color, some of my go-to paint colors, and how to choose a cohesive whole house color palette. Today I’m going to share my updated tutorial for how to paint oak cabinets and hide the grain. We successfully completed this project by painting oak cabinets white in our kitchen over five years ago to achieve a smooth finish.

How to Paint Oak Cabinets and Hide the Grain

Originally Published on February 16, 2014

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may get a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you shop my link. Please see my disclosure if you’d like more info!

What to Know Before You Begin Your Project

When I set out to do this project over six years ago, there weren’t many resources to be found on doing a project like this, although countless have popped up since, as white cabinets became the norm. I spent many months reading the tutorials I could find, which were more in the “quick and easy” category or didn’t include covering oak grain.

Mostly, I combed through forums for professional painters! I tested many of the products and processes they mentioned, including half a dozen wood/grain fillers, oil-based paints, latex-based paints, lacquers, other enamels, cans of spray paint, chalk paint… the list goes on.

I created a bunch of test swatches, compared them, watched how the paint reacted over time, primarily whether it became yellowed or if the grain showed up. In the end, I was happiest with the results of the process I’m about to share with you, which I found practically by accident. I hope that all of my research will help you as much as it helped me!

How to Paint Oak Cabinets EBook

Click here for the “HOW TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS” Guide

While this tutorial blog post will always be free, this project was admittedly a beast. Frankly, I feel like it’s too much information for one blog post, and you’ll find other follow up posts linked below.

If you’re looking for the entire project conveniently organized in one spot, the ebook is your best bet. It includes an in-depth explanation of what didn’t work, all the frequently asked questions, a budget breakdown, a printable shopping checklist, a review of how the cabinets held up after five years, and much more.

A Quick Disclaimer

My husband and I were already experienced painters when we set out to do this project. In our opinion, it’s not a beginner’s project. If you are just starting out at DIY, we recommend that you speak to a professional about painting your cabinets. We cannot guarantee the outcome of your project. As with all projects, we recommend that you always use proper safety equipment and proper ventilation for paint projects.

I chose and recommended the products I felt were best through research and trial-and-error. There were no sponsors at that time, I chose every product independently. However, this post contains affiliate links, so I make a small commission if you choose to buy your supplies through my links (at no extra cost to you). Read my disclosure here for more information.

Oak Cabinet Painting Questions Answered

How do you paint oak cabinets and hide the grain?

You can hide the wood grain on oak cabinets with a thin layer of Drydex wall spackle. I go through the process of exactly how it works in the tutorial below. Before we dive in, there’s one thing I really want to emphasize. I truly feel that filling in the oak wood grain is what made this project so successful. I know that step is the hardest. However, on our test pieces that didn’t have filler we were left with black grain either after several coats or the grain emerged over time.

Why did you use Drydex as a grain filler?

We tried several products, including many types of wood filler and grain fillers, but we got the best results with the Drydex wall spackle mixed with a little of the sanding dust that remained on the cabinets from the first sanding. I know it sounds strange, but it worked great.

With that being said, please know that this isn’t a magic product. You’ll still see an extremely subtle grain at certain angles on the finished product, just enough grain to know it is wood under there. We weren’t aiming for a glasslike finish. We just knew from previous experiences painting oak that the grain detail sometimes remains black because the paint can’t make it into the tiny cracks. We definitely wanted to avoid grain showing through completely, and this solved our problem!

What kind of paint do you use on oak cabinets?

The best paint for oak cabinets I found is Insl-X Cabinet Coat Enamel in satin diluted and applied with a paint sprayer. Like I mentioned above, a lot of research and testing went into that decision.

Insl-X Cabinet Coat is an acrylic water-based enamel. It was already pretty thin, but through trial and error, we determined that we achieved the best results with our particular paint sprayer when we diluted it 8% with distilled water. The amount may vary depending on the sprayer you use, but no matter what we are being very specific about distilled water. We tried it with tap water and the minerals in our water reacted negatively to make the paint discolor and run. To achieve the correct percentage, that is where a measuring cup (and probably a calculator) will come in handy! Mix it well and record the dilution so that you can mix future dilutions to match.

My favorite aspect of Cabinet Coat, and the reason why I recommend it so highly for painting kitchen cabinets, is that it has really great self-leveling properties. It has provided the closest thing I’ve seen to a cabinet factory finish.

It also never chipped or yellowed within the five years after the project (with the exception of chipping on a spot where the cabinet had rotted beforehand). You can read the five-year review here if you’re curious about the longevity of the finish! Overall, I was hoping for 3-5 years to save up for a full remodel, and the finish more than met the challenge.

What’s the best primer for oak kitchen cabinets?

I used Kilz primer to complete this project, but I’ve also heard good things about the stain-blocking capabilities of Zinsser Cover Stain.

Should I use a paint sprayer on my oak cabinets?

Yes, I highly recommend using some type of paint sprayer.

We have gone back and forth and tried a few different paint sprayers during the years since we completed this project. We struggled with some “orange peel” (air bubbles in the paint) in the early steps of this project but were able to correct it with the proper dilution. At this point, I would recommend the updated version of the original paint sprayer we used.

What is the best color to paint oak kitchen cabinets? Can I choose colors other than white?

Of course, this part will be up to you, but I clearly chose to paint oak cabinets white in our home! With that being said, this tutorial works for any paint color, since the Cabinet Coat can be tinted. I didn’t realize this, so it’s just straight from the can. If I could do it all over again, I would tint it Benjamin Moore Simply White to match our trim, ceilings, and other built-ins.

In its natural state, Insl-X Cabinet Coat seems to have an ever-so-slight blue undertone. Keep this in mind if you are hoping for a warmer color. It’s best to talk to your local paint store expert and see what they recommend.

You can get my tips for choosing a paint color here!

Did You Add a Top Coat or Sealer?

I did not, because Insl-X doesn’t recommend a topcoat. I did apply Polyacrylic with a small foam roller to the flat surfaces inside the cabinets to protect the shelves. I never added a top coat to the cabinet faces and the finish was still undamaged 5 years later.

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Other Considerations in Our Kitchen Remodel

We had additions to this project that you may or may not have to worry about. These didn’t factor into my estimate of this project taking five days in total.

Here was a list of our cabinet to-dos:

• We had to add trim pieces to the doors to accommodate the new hidden hinges. You can read more about that process here!
• Our previous shelves were warped fiberboard and were covered in shelf-liner, so we opted to replace them and built cabinet-grade plywood shelves.
• We added crown molding.
•  We had to do some carpentry to fix and reinforce the sink cabinet to support our Farmhouse sink.
• Some of the cabinets were damaged and sagging, so we also had to reinforce them. They’re not solid wood all of the way through and are made partially from fiberboard.
• We built a custom range vent cover with hidden storage.

Once we accomplished all of these tasks, we could finally start on the painting process. Once you get to the painting, it moves very quickly! Unfortunately, you’re in for a long process before that happy step. I promise it’s all worth it in the end!

CLICK HERE FOR THE “HOW TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS” GUIDE

Project Tools & Materials for Painting Oak Cabinets

You can easily shop these items in one place from my Amazon storefront!

Tools

• Orbital Sander
• Step Ladder
• Shop-Vac with Brush Attachment
• 1 1/2″ Putty Knife
• 3″ Putty Knife
• 2″ Angled Paint Brush
• Mini Roller Kit
• Paint Measuring Cup
• Paint Sprayer
• Air Compressor (optional— for spraying dust off cabinet doors and drawers)
• Caulking Gun (optional)

Materials

• TSP Substitute
• Painter’s Tape
• Plastic Sheeting
• 80-Grit, 220, and 320 Sanding Blocks
• 80-Grit, 220, and 320 Sanding Discs
• Drydex Wall Spackle
• Oil-Based Primer
• Insl-X Cabinet Coat Paint
• Distilled Water
• Caulk (optional)

How to Paint Oak Cabinets and Hide the Grain Step-By-Step Tutorial

Step One: Gather Your Supplies

Make sure you gather everything from the list above. Trust me that you won’t be wanting to make a trip to the hardware store partway through the project!

Step Two: Remove Everything from the Room

I mean everything. There will be a lot of dust created! You will want to completely clean out your cabinets, junk drawers, everything. This was a good opportunity for me to employ some tough-love and get rid of the kitchen utensils and items that have never been used. This process alone can take you quite a while, depending on how disorganized you are (and I was very disorganized!).

Step Three: Remove and Number Doors & Drawers

If you’re saving hardware, make sure to place it in baggies or envelopes with corresponding numbers. We were replacing the brass/porcelain hardware, so we skipped this step. However, we still made sure to number our doors and drawers, since we have custom-built cabinetry (built in place versus individual pre-built cabinets) each door is slightly different in size. No matter what, it’s a good idea to number everything, just in case.

Step Four: Vacuum Cabinet Boxes and Wipe Down with TSP Substitute

You’ll want to make sure that there’s no dust or dirt in or on any of the cabinets because it will impact your eventual finish. Vacuum everything. You can probably use your regular vacuum for this part if you wish. Then wipe down with TSP substitute. Since we were living in the house while renovating, we wanted to avoid actual TSP. The substitute is a good alternative, but it is still a chemical, so make sure to have proper ventilation while you use it.

Step Five: Remove All of the Appliances

To get an all-over finish, it’s best to remove your appliances and put them out of harm’s way. This means out of the room completely. We tried to delay this step as long as possible to keep our kitchen functional.

Step Seven: Sand Cabinet Frames with 80 Grit Sandpaper

We attached our orbital sander to our shop vac to try to minimize the dust impact on the room as a whole. We focused on damaged areas (there were many, especially under the old hinges and around the sink). It’s okay to leave some dust behind on the cabinet faces, since it’s actually helpful in the next step.

Step Nine: Sand with 220 Grit Sandpaper

Use your orbital sander attached to your shop vac. This time you don’t want to leave any dust behind whatsoever. Go around with a tack cloth and wipe everything down (Don’t use a damp cloth. It will remove the Drydex from the grain).

Step Ten: Primer

You’re getting there! This is much less of a job if you are only doing your cabinet faces and ends. We opted to paint the inside of the cabinets as well (there were a lot of stains and damage) so I used a mini foam roller and a brush and Kilz Original Primer to get the job done.

It’s important to use an oil-based primer because of the tannin in the oak. Tannin is an orangey-brown oil that will bleed through if you use a water-based primer. We were told that the Cabinet Coat included primer. It does, which works out great on maple or pine, but on our oak test swatch we ended up with swirls of tannin without the primer.

Step Eleven: Sand with 320 Grit Sandpaper

Do you love sanding yet? By this point, sanding is your best friend (HA!). Sand it all down lightly by hand, because the orbital sander will remove too much of the primer. I recommend a sanding block. Trust me, throughout this project, I tested all options. The sanding block is much easier to hold than regular sandpaper. Then vacuum up all of the dust with a brush shop-vac attachment, and run the tack cloth over it again for good measure.

Step Twelve: Primer Again

We learned that it is much easier to get the desired coverage when you use a few coats of primer to create a mostly solid white canvas for the final coat of paint. Really, the primer is your workhorse in this project (well, other than you, that is!). Repeat the steps above until you feel satisfied that the cabinets are white.

Step Thirteen: Prep Doors & Drawer Fronts

Find a large flat area and repeat Steps 7-12 on your doors and drawer faces. The sanding blocks I recommended are also for this step since an orbital sander won’t get into the door detail.

While using your Drydex, I recommend using a smaller putty knife to get into the detail, if your door or drawer has routed areas.
This is the step where the two optional items on the Materials List come into play- the air compressor and the Kilz Spray Primer. After sanding in between coats it is faster to spray the details with the air compressor to remove dust (rather than using a tack cloth). If you already happen to own one, it’s convenient- but it isn’t necessary to go out and buy one for this project.

Additionally, if you have a space for spraying primer and proper ventilation, it is much quicker to use the cans of spray primer on your doors and drawers. We happened to have access to a professional spray booth, so we brought the drawers and doors there and sprayed the primer on. It definitely got the details better than a brush. It was so much faster, but more costly as we went through at least a dozen cans of spray. As with any project make sure you are wearing a safety mask when spraying with aerosol!

Step Fourteen: Caulk all Cracks and Detail (Optional)

My biggest mistake when we did the project was that I saved this step for last. Five years later, the paint never yellowed, but the caulking did. Learn from my mistake, make sure to caulk before doing the final coat of paint!

I should also mention that this step isn’t required. Wood expands and contracts, which may cause the caulk to crack. After speaking with a local custom cabinet maker, they don’t caulk all of the seams for this reason.

Step Fifteen: Prep your Paint & Paint Sprayer

As mentioned earlier, you will need to dilute the Cabinet Coat with distilled water. It’s best to follow the dilution instructions with your paint sprayer, but it may require even more tweaking. This is where your measuring cup comes in handy! Keep track of how much distilled water you’re adding. Once you figure out the correct dilution, make note of it so you can dilute the refills properly!

Step Sixteen: Test the Sprayer

Whatever you do, don’t immediately point your sprayer at the cabinets and begin spraying. Even after each refill, use a test board (we used an extra leftover piece of drywall) to make sure that your adjustment is correct on your paint sprayer.

Step Eighteen: Set Up Doors and Drawers and Spray

The doors must be set up in an upright position for spraying. We created a “spray booth” of sorts in our basement by putting a drop cloth over our workbench and putting a piece of scrap drywall behind it. We started with the backs and sprayed with the technique described above.

After allowing for drying time, we sprayed the second coat. We then flipped the doors and repeated the process with two coats. We then repeated the process on the drawers, opting to paint both the outside and interior. Your cabinet doors and drawers may end up requiring more than two coats- but we feel that two is the minimum. After all of our priming, two coats were more than enough for us!

After everything was dry, we rehung our doors and replaced our drawers. It was the moment of truth! I could have cried with happiness (but I’m a little dramatic).

Quick Reference (and Printable) Painted Oak Cabinets Tutorial

You can print the card below as a quick reference while you’re completing the project, but make sure to read the steps above for an in-depth explanation. If you love this project, please don’t forget to come back and leave a five-star review!

CLICK HERE FOR THE “HOW TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS” GUIDE

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Have a question about this project?

Check the comments of this post below, as there are more questions answered! You can also visit the FAQs post here or see how the cabinets held up after five years here. For all of the kitchen details, you can visit this page!