There was a thread about this awhile back, but I can't find it now.

Here are my black bathroom cabinets. It was an Olympic paints brand, but I can't find the name of the color for the life of me!!

BEFORE

AFTER

I don't have black cabinets (yet, LOL!!), but here is a little craigslist find that I painted black and added new feet to:

Below is a link to a black kitchen I saw today on RMS.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black kitchen

Some of the cabinets in our basement kitchen are gloss black. They are linked from "My Page".

Citymom, your makeover looks incredible. I had to scroll back and forth between the pictures a few times to compare. What a transformation!

Wow, thank you! It was pretty fun to do. We bought this house on foreclosure and it needed some serious love! Here are some more pics of the bathroom before and after...

BEFORE

AFTER

WOW! That is amazing, I would never have guessed the black cabinet once looked like that! I can't believe how much difference a coat of paint and knobs make, it looks like you installed new cabinets.

Yes, paint is AMAZING! I was so nervous to paint the cabients, but I am so glad I did it and so proud of the way they look now. Check out how awful the kitchen was before!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Great work CityMom!

I swear, I don't know how you guys do it: painting cabinets seems like such an intimidating project to me that I'm terrified to do it. Yet when I look at these photos, I am so impressed by how beautifully done the paint work is: it looks so professional!

I was FREAKED to do it! But it's really easy if you use one of those 2 in foam rollers. I barely had to use a brush at all. They don't leave lines and they make the paint go on so smooth. I think the primer helped a lot too.

More than anything, it was time consuming. I would stay up late at night after my kids went to bed painting away!

I painted my bathroom vanity black in my last house:

Did you put a lacquer or sealant on it, too? I'd be afraid of chipping!

I am curious what finish you used of paint Citymom!

Thanks
Alicia

I used semi-gloss finish. And I actually didn't use a sealant because I was worried about it yellowing and flaking off. I do have a few scratches and chips after almost four years, but honestly they still look really great! The only cabinet that has some scratching is the one under the kitchen sink. I will be touching those up sometime soon.

If you use a good primer and a good paint with quite a few coats, I think the paint will hold up really well. And I have three little kids who are HARD on things and a big yellow lab. And a husband. And actually, I am my own worst enemy when it comes to being hard on things! But I am really happy with how they look. I am considering sealing them now if I can find some more info on what to use. I think I posted about it awhile back, but I lost the post. Go figure.

Reno - LOVE that bathroom. That tile floor is too cool the way the colors alternate. I will have to remember that. We want to tile the laundry room and I think that would really add some interest. What color paint is on your walls - do you remember off hand? It looks sort of russet on my monitor. Pretty and warm.

Those are really great paint jobs you folks did. I am NOT NOT NOT handy or nimble or knowledgeable about that kind of stuff; I am, however, completely out of $$ after our build-out and kitchen reno, and we're stuck with our 30-yr old oak vanities. I'd love to spiff them up as you did so beautifully -- can you give me a few tips, please?

Should I remove the doors before beginning? The tops most definitely have to be replaced -- take them off first? Do I need to sand the cabs? By hand? How fine a grit? You mentioned primer -- is that a Must? Do I use semi-gloss or enamel?

Any help will be most appreciated.

Wow! I think I'll go for it. Its amazing what a little paint will do. Thanks everyone for taking the time to post your projects.

I love the black vanity and the accessories on it. You did a wonderful transformation.

Citymom -- what color paint is that in your kitchen and bathroom? It is lovely!

Oofasis, definitely remove the cabinet doors and all hardware. Do a search on painting oak cabinets. There are lots of posts with step by step instructions. I repainted my oak cabs white and am extremely happy with how they came out. I am currently prepping to paint a hutch black, that's how much I like the look!!

Yep, I took all the doors off first. I just used a bucket of warm, soapy water and cleaned everything off. Then we sanded a tiny bit and filled in the holes where the old handles were and wiped them all down again.

I personally think the primer is a make or break deal. You need to get a really good primer to make the paint adhere. I did two thin coats of the primer on everything. Then I used a semi-gloss paint and did three coats of that. I used a 2 inch foam roller from HD. I had to use a brush very little because the roller got in the cracks pretty well!!

My kitchen color actually goes throughout most of my downstairs and up the stairs too. It's Lowes American Tradition Churchhill Hotel Hazy Yellow. It is a gorgeous warm yellow - here's a truer pic of what it looks like...

The bathroom wall color is called Timeless Taupe from Olymic at Lowe's. I can't remember what the black is at all, but I'm pretty sure it's Olympic as well.

Thanks so much for answering. Stupid question: Did you paint the insides of the cabs too? And the sides of the drawers? (Please say no!) I'll ask at the SW store for a good primer.

Also, did you sand by hand? Did you use a fine grit?

I'll do a search now for those step by step instructions.

Citymomof3- I love your transformations! I clipped your kitchen cabinet transformation before I embarked on mine. That black vanity is amazing!
Oofasis-yes to sides of drawers and NO to inside of cabinets (except the frame part that the cabinets rest on)!! I used an electric sander, went a lot faster than by hand. You only have to scuff the surface so the new paint will adhere to it.

Hi everyone, I'm new to posting here, but I have been lurking for a couple months. Everyone here does such great work and your homes are beautiful. I am inspired to start a project, thinking it is going to be my small upstairs bathroom. I did a search for the directions on painting oak cabinets, but couldn't find anything. If someone finds them could you please post the link. TIA

I did paint the insides and sides of the cabinets. Sorry!! LOL, it did take some extra time but it made it look so much more finished. Here's a link for you on the steps for painting cabinets...

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Cabinets

Thanks again, this time for the link!

I'm about to paint my bathroom cabinets. I will be using oil-based paint - no chipping, and no chance of a black paint turning yellow.

I used oil-based in my kitchen (I painted the cabs white, but used an anti-yellowing formula from Sherwin Williams) and they turned out great - that was 3 years ago. No chips, dried like glass.

I'm so glad to have found this thread! City Mom, I saved your vanity picture a while back. It's identical to the inspiration photo I had, the only difference being the color of the cabinets. The black makes all the difference. Your vanity is now my inspiration, and I had been wondering what color the walls were. I hadn't recorded your name, though, so I didn't know who to ask. Thanks so much for sharing your information!