Fresh paint on kitchen cabinets?

[OneDollarAtATime]

In an effort to control costs, we have scrapped the idea of a full kitchen remodel in favor of kitchen fix-its.  One of those fix-its involves repainting the cabinets -- although there's some work to be done around the edges, as well.  However, if all goes well, this will be much more beneficial than all the time, money, effort, design / measurements and chaos of replacing the existing cabinets with new ones (and a new countertop).

Being this is my first time embarking on such an adventure, advice from those with experience would be appreciated.  The current cabinets are white with some kind of glossy finish.  There's a few grease spots to scrub out, but are otherwise in great shape.  The DIY sites online mostly focus on changing cabinet colors / painting on raw wood. 

Since I am painting white on top of white, do I need to go through the process of getting special cleaner, sanding, priming, sanding, priming, sanding, painting with 2-3 layers?  Or is it sufficient to simply clean the cabinets off and paint right onto the existing white color paint?

Second piece of this, some of the hinges are slightly loose.  My hope is larger screws solves this issue, but maybe there's a better approach?

Appreciate any advice.

[MrSal]

Yes if you want a smooth job you want to sand between each layer.

I say this from experience. I was in your shoes a few months ago...

[waffle]

You will definitely want to make sure they are clean and do at least a light sanding before you do the first coat. Then if you need to do more than one coat (might not since they are already white) you will want to sand between coats like MrSal said.

For the hinges you will need to remove the doors and hinges while painting so you don't paint the hinges. You can take that opportunity to fill in screw holes to fix any that have worn too large.

[zolotiyeruki]

For holes that have become too large, I take a toothpick, dip it in wood glue, stick it in the hole, and break it off flush.  Voila, smaller hole!

[former player]

A fix for the screw holes that I think I read on this forum is to pack the screw hole with wire wool and then put the original screw back in.  Worked a treat on the sink cabinet in my rental.

[Bearded Man]

I have wondered this recently as well. One of my rentals could benefit from this.

[OneDollarAtATime]

Great advice, much appreciated.  The 'hole fill' ideas are awesome!!

[Mother Fussbudget]

Rustoleum makes a product specifically for this called "Cabinet Transformations".  It works pretty well.  They have a couple of color choices to choose from, and it's probably available at your local Home Depot. 

I painted over some early 1990's oak cabinets with the white "Cabinet Transformations" product, and they came out fantastic.  There are videos on YouTube you can watch to familiarize yourself with the product.  It's a non-sanding process, using a chemical agent and scouring pad to remove the top 'sealant' layer.  But it's a slow process - especially if you're doing this solo.  Also, the 'This Old House' website has a video on painting cabinets - I liked their solution for hanging the doors while drying.

[Shinplaster]

Is the Rustoleum kit melamine paint?   I can give two thumbs up for using the melamine.   We have thermofoil cabinets that were first generation.   After about 6 years, the doors had yellowed horribly - apparently, that was a problem with the first few batches.   But the cupboards and doors were still current, and functional, and I didn't want to replace them.  The manufacturer here in Canada had gone out of business, (yeah, no wonder!) so no help from them.  I got some melamine paint at Para Paints, cleaned them, scuffed them up just a bit, and painted them with a small foam roller.   If you do it very carefully, and don't try to re-roll areas that are already setting up, you get a very nice, smooth finish.  A light sanding, and then second coat.  I did this 10 years ago, and the cupboards still look great.   When I tell people I painted them, they don't believe me.   If they ever get scuffed up, I will just touch them up again.   I used the same paint for a bathroom vanity, and again, it looks super.

[deborah]

Some kitchen cabinets are actually finished with a special plastic type paint that is very difficult to paint over - I had to get a special pre-treatment from the hardware store to use before I painted my cabinets because of this, as even enamel paint beaded. You might try your method out on an inconspicuous area first, just in case you have some problems.

[Spectra]

I did mine last year. Although mine were wood with a glaze (so I primed). I used this paint which is really good a giving a smooth finish

http://www.glidden.com/Products/Exterior/HomeDepot/TrimDoorFurniturePaint

[Capsu78]

I watched my "painter dude" repaint my daughters oak cabinets to white.  He is a very skilled "fewest steps possible" painter and here s what I observed.  He marked and removed all doors.  Set up tarps on the garage floor, sawhorse tables on them.  Had me purchase spray cans of Kilz he used for primer.  Mounted his high intensity lights in the work area.  Sprayed the doors first with Kilz after taping off the hinges (and he rarely tapes anything).  Multiple coats, which he left to dry while he went inside to prime the exterior mounted cabinets.  Remounted the spray mounted doors with the primed cabinets and let dry overnight.  Following day hand brushed on the finishing exterior coats.
Tips:  Take down doors and put them back up in exact sequence.
Decide if the inside really needs to be repainted- we opted not to as it would have busted the budget- and have no regrets with the decision.  This also meant we did not have to unload cabinets.

[NoNonsenseLandlord]

Before you give up on replacing cabinets, try RTA cabinets.  In my rentals, I replace kitchen cabinets when I remodel.  Average cost is ~$100 per cabinet in oak.  Get brand new cabinets for about 1/3 the cost of HD.  100% wood, no particle board.