Revamp Your European Cabinet Doors Easily

Transform melamine European cupboard doors with this simple painted cabinets before & after idea. It is very affordable and looks fantastic!

Are you hoping to refresh your kitchen cupboards but cannot manage a complete replacement?

I have certainly experienced that feeling numerous times!

Here is an example of a highly economical method to completely alter a kitchen's appearance with minor adjustments. We executed this makeover in a prior residence, and it remains one of our preferred room updates.

View the links at the end of this post to see the entire room's change; it is quite striking!

Reasons for my Painted Cabinets before & after makeover:

I was informed my cupboard doors were 'European Style.' They are not terribly flawed; in fact, they are the finest cupboard doors I have ever owned. I just encountered a couple of minor problems with them:

Operating the doors and drawers without knobs or pulls often resulted in damaged nails. (The wooden strips detaching unexpectedly when opening doors added some drama!)
I simply disliked the look of that wood…(Is that an overreaction?) The 'European' style did not harmonize with the rest of my home.

I used to get excited watching home renovation shows featuring kitchens with these doors, hoping for tips. Yet, they usually discarded all cabinets for a total rebuild, which I wished to avoid…

Therefore, we proceeded with plan B.

The Guide to This Painted Cabinet Before & After Project

1. Detach the doors from the hinges.

Even if these European doors seem dated, their hinges are quite lovely!

To take them off, I simply loosened the two screws on each door, allowing them to slide away!

2. Apply painter’s tape along the top wooden rail.

For this job, I only painted the stained wood section, as the melamine part remained in good condition and color.

To ease strain on my back, I positioned the doors atop the kitchen cabinets for painting.

Note that I did not remove the drawer fronts; I just pulled out the drawers and painted them, which worked well.

3. Using a disposable brush, apply two coats of oil based primer.

I had oil based primer available, so I utilized it. Nevertheless, modern latex primers are significantly better than older formulas.

I advise consulting your local paint store for specific product advice; you require a primer that effectively seals against stain bleed-through.

(I buy inexpensive brushes solely for oil-based paint and discard them afterward; cleaning them with paint thinner is not my preference. However, I maintain one excellent brush for latex, which I clean thoroughly after every use.)

4. Apply two coats of paint matching the melamine doors' color.

You may need to take a door into the paint store to have a color matched perfectly to yours. The color that I used was Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White in a semi-gloss finish. Let each coat dry thoroughly before adding an additional coat of paint.

5. Remove painter’s tape from the doors.

****Important Tip Alert!!! When you’re ready to remove the painter’s tape, run an x-acto knife along the top edge of the tape (where you painted). I tried this as an experiment, and for the first time, paint didn’t peel off with my tape!

I used this same trick when I painted metal doors with plastic trim and it worked like a charm!

6. Add cupboard pulls and knobs to the doors.

Last yea,r a friend found a great stash of cupboard pulls and knobs at a garage sale and gave them to me. (Thanks, Mary!) Today the Mr. was able to help me drill the holes for the “bling”… and I already love how much more functional they are!

The cabinet door makeover before and after reveal:

So here are the cupboards before:

And here they are after a bit of “spiffing up”!

(…and I painted the window while I was at it, too. Same paint, same method. Except, I had to stand on the sink ledge!)

Other Budget Friendly DIY Home Decor ideas for a Kitchen Remodel:

Every little piece of our kitchen makeover was documented here on the blog. To find the rest of the kitchen remodel posts, click the link below:

Kitchen Remodel Before & After REVEAL!! (Under 200!)

For more tips on painting for the home, check out the posts below:

Would you like to do a room makeover in your house, but don’t know where to start or how to do it? I created a FREE course with you in mind. Click below to find out more and join today!