How to Paint Cabinets and a Contrasting Trim

This post is sponsored by BEHR® Paint but all opinions are my own.

I’m so excited to share this laundry room update with you today! For months I’ve been wanting a try a new color on the cabinets along with painting the baseboards, trim, and doors a contrasting color. With everything painted white, minus the cabinets, the laundry room seemed a bit washed out and bland. But not anymore! Here’s a look at the before and after of the laundry room.

A successful paint project comes down to the type of paint you use. Knowing that I was going to be painting trim, doors, and cabinets, I knew the exact paint that would give me professional results: BEHR PREMIUM® Interior Cabinet & Trim in semi-gloss. And let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. Here are a few reasons why I went with this paint by BEHR: 

• Excellent flow and leveling
• Dries to a hard, durable finish
• Resists dirt, grime, and household chemicals: prolongs the life of the paint. 
• Easy soap and water clean-up

If you’ve ever wanted to paint cabinets yourself but didn’t know where to start, here’s how I transformed mine. It’s easier than you may think. Here’s how to get a professional look at an affordable price point.

How to Paint Your Cabinets

What You’ll Need

• BEHR PREMIUM® Interior Cabinet & Trim (tintable in a full range of colors)
• BEHR® Kitchen, Bath and Trim Stain-Blocking Primer & Sealer No. 75
• Degreaser
• Nylon angled paintbrush
• 220 grit sandpaper

Today Let’s Paint! 

First, wipe down the cabinets with a degreaser to get rid of any grime, dirt, or grease. Now is also the time to remove any loose or peeling paint. Luckily for me, my cabinets were in great shape and just needed a good wipe down. 

In order for the BEHR PREMIUM® Interior Cabinet & Trim to adhere properly, prime the cabinet surface using BEHR Kitchen, Bath and Trim Stain-Blocking Primer & Sealer No. 75 first. This is the best primer to use with this particular paint. Once the primer is dry, sand the primer using a 220 grit sandpaper. This will allow the topcoat to adhere even more successfully.

Apply the BEHR PREMIUM® Interior Cabinet & Trim using a 100% nylon angled brush while working in 12-inch sections. This will help to avoid hard paint lines. Apply a thin coat and follow it up with a second coat once the first is dry. My rule of thumb is to always apply at least two coats of paint. This will give you the true paint color and it will increase the durability of the paint once it dries.

Painting cabinets can be tricky because of dry time and wanting to get cabinet doors back on. Luckily, BEHR PREMIUM® Interior Cabinet & Trim has a fast drying time and doors won’t stick after two hours. Sometimes it’s the little things like this that make the biggest difference!

When painting doors, trim, and baseboards, you’ll follow these same steps for the best results. I’m also very excited about using this BEHR paint on these areas because of the wear and tear they receive as well. I know they’ll be ten times easier to maintain and will continue to look brand new over time.

Now, let’s chat about the paint colors I used. The cabinets are painted Space Black and the trim, baseboards and doors are painted Unmarked Trail. These two colors work beautifully together! 

Space Black is a softer black with some gray undertones. I knew by wanting to paint a contrasting trim, I needed a bold neutral for the cabinets. This color allows the cabinets to work with the trim color while also standing out on its own.

If you’ve been wanting to try a contrasting trim in your home, Unmarked Trail is the perfect color! It’s a very soft and creamy beige that had me jumping with excitement with the first brushstroke of it on my baseboards. It’s such a gorgeous color and gave our laundry room space exactly what it was missing. 

I’m so impressed with finish of the BEHR PREMIUM Interior Cabinet and Trim paint. It dried very smooth and professional looking! And not only with a fast drying time, but knowing the doors wouldn’t stick after two hours, made this project even more of a success.

I hope this gives you the confidence you need to try painting cabinets in your home or with trying  a contrasting trim. The BEHR PREMIUM Interior Cabinet & Trim truly does set you up for success and will leave you feeling like DIY professional. To see more of a behind the scenes of this project, make sure to head over to Instagram where the project will be saved to my highlights! Until then, happy painting! 

Want more BEHR Paint inspiration? Check out how we painted our garage floor.

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