Well, I haven't painted custom cabinets, just my crappy "oak" laminate bathroom vanity (matching kitchen & laundry cabinets are on my to-do list), but your skill as a painter is going to be put to the test! Part may depend on your goal: do you want a factory looking finish, or are you okay with possible brush-strokes? Are you going to be in the house for a long time, or will you possibly sell soon? A buyer may be more critical of your painting skills than you are. At least you're aware that it's a royal PITA. In my case, I had nothing to lose...if I had thousands invested in cabinets, though, I'd might rethink it. If you do it yourself, make sure to get lots of advice and practice your technique!

Are you good at painting and do you enjoy it? How many cabinets are you talking about? My concerns would be if you haven't done a lot of painting and then find yourself not liking the results and/or you find it to be a serious pain, which for me, usually results in me being sloppy :-). I love to paint, but Cabinets can be difficult. If you opt for doing it yourself, I'd probably pay to have them primed.

Thanks for the feedback and sanity check. My kitchen is relatively small - 29 doors/drawer front's and ~ 35 lineal feet in total. I am a decent painter but don't love doing it. I would commit to taking my time and doing a quality job if I commit to going this route.

It CAN be done- I primed and painted our unfinished maple custom cabinets last fall. I had great advice from the guys at the Ben Moore store (couldn't have done it without them).
I used oil-based primer, then sanded lightly, then 2 coats of White Dove in oil. The BM guys had me add both paint thinner and another additive to the paint to make the finish SMOOTH. I used a small wool roller to load the paint on and then brushed over that.
It was a lot of work, but I took my time and spread it out over several weeks. The results look good (I think), but there are imperfections if you look really really carefully. If I had to do it over again, I would pay to have them primed and then do the painting myself. It was a little nerve-wracking, but like you, I want to be able to touch-up when necessary, and the sprayed on finish was too perfect.

We are currently painting our custom cabinets. My husband is a cabinet maker - so I have the pleasure of getting shaker style, beaded-inset custom cabinets.

We have approximately 25 linear feet of cabinetry with 27 doors and 9 drawer fronts.

I dont want to scare you but. We've been priming and painting since Thanksgiving LOL and we are just now finished with the cabinets and moving on to the doors.

It's quite and undertaking to say in the least. not just with time, but also technique. I have finally gotten to the point that stopped crying when I paint LOL. It was very stressful to learn. Lots of trial and error, sanding and repainting.

I work fulltime, so some evenings I just didnt have the patience. My hubby tried to help out but we quickly learned that he hadnt quite mastered the technique.. which meant more paint, more sanding.

We did not use oil paint - we used BM Satin Impervo. Wonderful product although it sets-up very quickly. That's where paint extenders come in handy.

Can it be done? Yep!! You could save yourself some time by having them pre-primed. We love that our cabinets dont look like they are "sprayed on". The little imperfections dont bother us and to be honest, we're the only ones that see them :)

My only suggestion is to be realistic on time and energy that going into the priming, sanding and painting.

HTH!!
~ D ~

If you are confident in your painting skills then I say yes.

I am a competent painter and have done 4 sets of existing cabinets. If you work out the process in your head and have a plan, you should be fine. Actually sanded, clean, newly built cabinets seem like a dream to work with. =)

It WILL take time, seem daunting, and get tiresome but usually I become driven with this type of project and I don't realize how much time it takes in the positive sense. Seeing those cabinets take life is just pure inspiration!

When Macybaby was painting her cabinets I recognized so much of myself in her posts. Putting on another coat of primer after 9 at night just so you can be ready to get the 1st coat of paint on first thing the next morning!!! Really it is amazing how much you want to get done.

My cabinets are custom too and I keep wondering if I should take the option of painting them myself just to get my hands on them quicker!!!

I'm STILL painting my cabinets! Though we are still making them too . . .

Most of my cabinets were painted before assembly. It's so much easier to do them that way, and then you never have the problem with wood movement that results in a line of unpainted wood appearing.

Because I can't stand that happening, I personally would not buy assembled raw wood cabinets and paint them, I might consider primed, if they do that before most of the assembly and I was painting them a similar color as the primer.

I live in a cold climate and heat with wood - I get a lot of variation in temps and humidity levels, and anything wood moves around.

I also sand between each coat, and I've found that helps to give a smoother finish. That is very hard to do with fully assembled cabinets. You will also have a better finish if your items can dry horizontally, and that is hard to do with assembled items.

I've always enjoyed painting, but I'm looking forward to the time when I won't be thinking about what I will be painting next. I don't think I've gone more than three months without painting something (walls, fences, buildings and now cabinets) since 1998 (long story, but it's been three houses too).

BTW - I just bought my fourth gallon of cabinet paint. That and two gallons of primer (so far) and it's almost all been put on with a brush. And we haven't made the doors yet.

And get yourself some good brushes - quality brushes make a world of difference in the finished product.

Here's another vote that you can do it.

I would note that a variable as to how much of a pain it is is how much detail there is. If they are slabs, they are a breeze -- a deep-carved Spanish fantasy, well, you might shed a few tears and and say a few bad words, but you'll get it done.

I will also note that when I look at professional paint jobs -- they are not perfect either.

It is best that you have, or get, some painting experience first though. I would practice on a couple of projects around the house -- even closets or something inconspicuous, to get back a feel for how much paint, and the tools you plan to use.

The greatest danger is drips, pools or waterfalls, particularly in or around any molding, from too much paint on your brush. It can look fine while you're putting it on, then slip as it dries.

But also messing with drips as they are drying to try to eliminate them is bad. So sometimes knowing when to stop and living with a few drips is better than overworking the paint and getting a roughened surface.

I can't stand the plasticky sprayed on factory look or feel. I had my regular contractor paint my made-by-woodworker custom cabinets, and I love my brushstrokes! The cabinets are about 2 years old, holding up great, and I love that I can touch up, or even change, the color any time I have a whim.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and tips - all very much appreciated!

Babushka

I'm painting mine right now.

I didn't fuss with the insides of the cabinets too much, just primer (Ben Moore Natura) and BM Aura semigloss rolled-and-tipped. I've got the doors primed, and am about to start finish coats today. Nervous!!! I'm going to sand the primer with 220 first, and then use a little extender in the paint, because Aura starts setting up quite quickly and although I don't mind brush strokes, I'd like to see less on the doors.

I'm using a small 4" roller to apply the paint in a nice even coat and a high-quality 3.5" angled brush to tip it out. My strategy is:
1) paint backs: center panel first, then stiles. use gloved finger to wipe around the perimeter to be sure no drips are on the edges.
2) after a few hours, come back and do the edges, again using finger to wipe both front and back planes to ensure to drips.
3) next day: flip and do fronts in the same manner.

I've got everything set up in my basement, with the doors propped up on paint cans and things like that. That way the edges don't touch anything. If I were doing a whole kitchen (this is just 12 doors) I would have considered investing in those nifty gizmos that suction into the hinge hole so you can hang the doors up and access both sides.

thanks stacey - super helpful info!

You're welcome... just wanted to add (now that I've completed the first finish coat) a couple things:

If you have paneled doors, first use the brush to paint the inside raised edge of the stiles (around the panel).

When you're rolling on the paint, use a "plaid" technique: roll it on a loose zigzag in one direction, then go 90 degrees and roll for full coverage, then 90 degrees again. This makes a really nice even coat ready for tipping with the brush.

Tip out the panel first, then the stiles. For the stiles, choose a method and stick to it: I do top and bottom first, and sides last, so the brush strokes (barely visible) match the construction on the doors, where the side stiles are full length and enclose shorter top and bottom stiles.

thanks again, so helpful!

after researching the co the GC suggested to "spray them" i decided i would do the painting myself (might pay to have them professionally primed, am debating). am now considering the benjamin moore cabinet coat paint - the guy at the BM store spoke highly of it.

I have been using cabinet coat on my moldings and trim and it is great. It has a subtle sheen to it, but not too much. I'd recommend the foam brushes for the primer coat and using a brush for the paint. Since your surfaces are wider, you may even want to try a 1" foam roller for the primer. My moldings and windows all have tight spaces.

My most important tool is my ipod that I download audiobooks onto. They are free from the library and keep me from losing my mind. I have had to sand, prime and then paint (2x) all the old windows and trim, paint the new windows and trim (2x) and paint most ceilings and all walls in the reno (involving 5 rooms, a bathroom, 2 closets and a laundry room). Luckily, I have discovered Aura, so did not need to prime all the walls. I bought one can of "oops" in Regal though, but that is for the closet and will be used for stenciling as well. The ceilings need primer though :(.
I have been painting every single day for weeks and sometimes more than 12 hours in a day on my days "off", although with 2 kids and a dh to also clean up after, feed and clothe, it has tested my sanity in many ways. Luckily, I work 4 days a week from my office usually and have been able to do more from home, although my business calls have been all on speaker phone while I am covered in paint, lol. The funny thing is as I survey each element, I have a clear memory of what book I was listening to as I painted or prepped. It is a great way for time to pass faster because your hands are engaged and you mind is as well.

The cost of hiring out was $3,500 for priming everything and painting the ceilings with me still painting the master bedroom, living room, dining room and den walls, PLUS all the moldings and trim. The painter would have painted the kitchen walls. Our budget has been stretched to the breaking point, so I just added to my list and am plugging away at it all. I can say that the painter seemed very qualified, but no one will paint as carefully as I do. I may not be as fast as he'd be, but the end result will be as good or better. When you are doing it on your own home, you just care more. If I am going to live with and take the credit/blame for how it comes out, there is no way I'd do a sloppy job!