Cabinet Refinishing · May 2020
Kitchen cabinets glazed and painted white with a granite island
Kitchen cabinets glazed and painted white with a granite island. These are in-progress and after photos from the job, taken May 2020. This cabinet refinishing project was done by Larry Gaytos and the My Personal Painter crew. We are based in Florence, Kentucky, and our work is covered by a 2-year touch-up warranty.
Kitchen Cabinets Painted White with a Hand Wiped Glaze and a Granite Topped Island
This kitchen has granite counters with gold and tan flecks, a dark subway tile backsplash, and dark stained hardwood floors. The in progress photos start in our shop. One shows our painter wiping glaze off a cream colored cabinet door, with rags, gloves, and a stack of doors leaning on the wall. Another shows painted doors resting on a tall drying rack. Back in the kitchen, the cabinet boxes are already a soft white, the doors are off, and a crew member in a mask works at the island, which still has a dark base. In the after photos, the cabinets are a warm white with a thin line of glaze settled into the door profiles and panel edges. That glaze gives the flat panels depth without looking heavy. The island base is now white to match. Brushed nickel cup pulls and knobs finish the drawers and doors. The photos were taken in May 2020.
How We Painted and Glazed These Kitchen Cabinets
- We removed the doors and drawer fronts and took them to our shop, then covered the counters, floors, and appliances in the kitchen before prepping the boxes.
- Every surface was degreased and scuff sanded, and the dark island base got the same prep so it could be painted to match the rest of the kitchen.
- A bonding primer went on first, followed by two coats of warm white on the doors in the shop and on the boxes and island in the home.
- In the shop, we brushed glaze over each door, then wiped most of it off by hand, leaving a thin line in the grooves and panel edges.
- Once the glaze set, the doors went on a drying rack, and a clear protective topcoat was applied so the glaze would not rub off during cleaning.
- We brought the doors back, rehung them, adjusted the hinges, and installed the brushed nickel cup pulls and knobs on every drawer and door.
Paint Colors Similar to These Glazed White Cabinets
These are similar colors to consider for warm white glazed cabinets. They are not the exact base color or glaze used on this job.
Sherwin-Williams Alabaster SW 7008
A warm, creamy white close to these cabinets, a natural base for a brown or gray glaze that settles into the door profiles.
Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
A soft white with a touch of warmth that pairs well with gold toned granite and dark wood floors like this kitchen.
Sherwin-Williams Antique White SW 6119
A slightly deeper cream that gives a more traditional look under glaze, a good fit for raised panel or detailed doors.
Questions About Glazed Painted Cabinets
What does glazing do on painted cabinets?
Glaze is a thin, tinted coating brushed over paint and then wiped away. It stays in the grooves, corners, and profile edges of the doors. This adds depth and highlights the detail in the woodwork. Most of the flat areas stay clean, so the cabinets still read as white.
Is glazing a good choice for flat or simple cabinet doors?
Glaze shows best on doors with routed edges, raised panels, or applied molding, since it needs grooves to settle into. On very flat slab doors, it can look streaky. Doors like the ones in this kitchen, with a defined panel edge, are a good match for a light glaze.
Does glaze need a topcoat?
In most cases, yes. A clear topcoat protects the glaze from wearing off where hands touch the doors and during cleaning. It also evens out the sheen across the paint and glaze. Without it, the glaze can wear unevenly over time near handles and drawer edges.
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