If you’re thinking about D.I.Y.-painting part of your home, you want to make sure that you get it right the first time. When it comes to your time and money, there is very little room for error. Painting your cabinets, while it seems easy enough, is a task that can easily have you second-guessing yourself.
With the amount of options and tips out there, it can be tricky to figure out the best way to go about painting your cabinets. Whether you’re stuck on selecting the best paintbrushes for your cabinets, or can’t decide if spray paint is a good idea, this article will help you out by covering the following:
- Top 5 best brushes for painting cabinets with a smooth finish
- What’s the best type of brush to paint cabinets?
- Spray paint vs. brush paint for cabinets: which is better?
- How to eliminate brush strokes when painting cabinets
Before we get into the best ways to paint your cabinets, let’s dive into the top paintbrushes for the task. If you’re looking to paint beyond your kitchen cabinets, don’t forget to check out the real cost to paint kitchen walls and cabinets.
Top 5 best brushes for painting cabinets with a smooth finish
If you’re already set on using a paintbrush, you might be overwhelmed when trying to figure out what kind of paintbrush to use on your cabinets. Here are our recommendations on the best brushes for painting cabinets.
1. Purdy Cub Angle Brush XL
Image Credit: Amazon.ca
Quantity: 1
Size: 2.5 inches
Material: nylon/polyester
The Purdy Cub Angle Brush XL is a high-quality brush that can help you paint with beautiful results. The brush is designed to work with all paints and stains, and the nylon-polyester bristles help ensure a smooth finish. The angle of the brush and shape of the handle makes it beneficial when painting the various smaller surfaces of cabinets.
2. Wooster Shortcut Angle Sash Brush
Image Credit: Amazon.ca
Quantity: 1
Size: 2 inches
Material: nylon/polyester
The Wooster Shortcut Angle Sash Brush is a well-designed brush that’s perfect for painting cabinets. It features white nylon and gold polyester bristles for high-quality application. Plus, its best feature is its flexible handle, allowing it to be used easily in smaller spaces.
3. Wooster Softip Angle Sash Paintbrush
Image Credit: Amazon.ca
Quantity: 1
Size: 1.5 inches
Material: white nylon and gold polyester
The Wooster Softip Angle Sash Brush is one of the best paintbrushes for cabinets when using paints with latex or oil bases. The soft white nylon and gold polyester bristles ensure a quality finish on your paint projects. The size and shape of this brush also makes it a great option when you want to be precise with your painting.
4. Pintar Diamond Pro Angular Sash Paintbrush
(Image credit: The Home Depot Canada)
Quantity: 1
Size: 2.5 inches
Material: nylon/polyester
The Pintar Diamond Pro Angular Sash Paintbrush is a great brush for your projects. The brush has a no-slip wooden handle and angled bristles that allow for precision while painting. Its bristles are also crafted using a quality blend of ingredients that helps the brush pick up and release more paint. It performs well in humid conditions, too.
5. Nour Tradition Angular Brush
(Image credit: The Home Depot Canada)
Quantity: 1
Size: 2 inches
Material: nylon/polyester
The Nour Tradition Angular Brush is well-designed for use on smaller projects, including your kitchen cabinets. The materials used are for both interior and exterior painting with various types of paint. The angular shape also allows for great precision while painting.
What’s the best type of brush to paint cabinets?
The best brush for painting cabinets are angular sash brushes. These types of brushes help you maintain control on projects that involve working with raised panels and small spaces. You’ll also want to make sure that the brush’s handle is designed to allow for a good grip with rubber or wood being the best options.
Here are some additional factors for your consideration when selecting the right tools for painting your cabinets:
- Nylon/polyester blends – Brushes with bristles made of this type of material help with the distribution of your paint and ensure cleaner lines.
- Brushes with medium thickness – The stiffness of the brush greatly affects quality, so make sure to go with medium thickness for more control.
- Softer brushes for stains – If you’re staining instead of painting, opting for a softer brush will help with the quality of your work.
- Using a roller – If you’d like to opt for a roller instead of a brush, use one that is small in size (preferably 9 inches or less), and made from foam or mohair to guarantee a smoother finish.
- Using spray paint – If you’d like to use spray paint instead of a brush, look into a HVLP (high volume, low pressure) sprayer, as this will help minimize the amount of effort required to do a decent job.
Spray paint vs. brush paint for cabinets: which is better?
For painting cabinets, spray paint works well if you want to paint cabinets with raised panels and ensure an all-around smooth finish. However, paintbrushes will work just as well if you’re only painting a few cabinets, and/or are inexperienced using spray paint. Your decision should be based on the amount of work required.
When it comes to the spray paint vs. brush paint for cabinets debate, both are great options. While both are guaranteed to give you a quality finish, the real difference comes down to the experience of actually painting your cabinets.
Choose spray paint if…
- Your cabinets have lots of raised panels and hard-to-paint areas.
- You’re working on a large-scale project.
- You have experience with — or the time and ability to practice — using spray paint to effectively paint your home’s interior.
Choose brush paint if…
- Your cabinets have few or no raised panels.
- You’re working on a small-scale project.
- You want to be sure of the precision of your painting.
- You feel more comfortable and confident using a brush instead of operating a sprayer.
How to eliminate brush strokes when painting cabinets
While painting your home’s interior can often seem like an easy enough task, painting without knowing what you’re doing can result in a low-quality look. If you want to know how to eliminate brush strokes when painting cabinets, these tips will help you:
- Clean the cabinets using soap and a clean rag – This will ensure that there is no dirt or debris from your kitchen mixing with your paint.
- Remove the cabinet doors from their hinges – You will have an easier time carefully painting your cabinet doors on a flat surface.
- Sand both sides of your cabinets, and lightly sand in between coats – This will help prepare the surfaces for a fresh coat of paint.
- Use a primer – Primer helps paint stick to create a high-quality finish.
- Perfect your technique – Make sure you’re utilizing the angle of the brush to apply your paint (not holding it straight up and down), as well as painting from top to bottom in one stroke.
- Paint in the same direction as the wood grain – If your cabinets are made of a heavy wood material, following the wood grain will help you avoid creating texture.
Now that you know the best way to paint cabinets, it’s time to decide if you’re ready to take on the task yourself. If you’d like to take the professional route instead, the City Painters are here for you. Contact us here or give us a call to get a quote for your project!