How Durable are DIY Painted Kitchen Cabinets?

Let’s be honest—painting kitchen cabinets yourself has a bit of a reputation. For every stunning DIY kitchen makeover you see online, there’s someone in the comments saying, “Looks great for now, but how long will that actually last?” I get it. Kitchen cabinets take a beating, and no one wants to invest the time (and elbow grease) into a DIY project that starts chipping six months later. That’s exactly why I’m sharing this post on how you can expect DIY painted kitchen cabinets to hold up after five years of daily use. Spoiler alert: it’s good news if you do it right.

collage image showing kitchen with outdated orange oak cabinets before and after being painted gray

I have been a DIYer for over 23 years, and I have painted kitchen cabinets myself three times now! So I definitely speak from experience. With that in mind, let's dive right into answering the questions I regularly get about our DIY painted kitchen cabinets!

When did you paint your kitchen cabinets?

We painted the outdated, orange oak cabinets in our kitchen in 2014. And we did it without sanding or priming them. We didn't even pack up the contents of our cabinets! I know, it sounds outrageous and too good to be true.

It's now 2025. It has been over eleven years since we painted those cabinets. And I still regularly get asked “how did your painted kitchen cabinets really hold up?” Don't worry, I promise I'll get to the answer. But I need to answer some other important questions first!

photo of oak kitchen cabinets in the process of being painted a light gray color

What products and process/method did you use to paint your cabinets?

You can see an overview of the products and process we used below. If you are looking for the full tutorial, you can find it here: how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding or priming.

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Overview of Our DIY Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Time to complete: About 4 days
Durability: Held up perfectly after 5+ years of heavy use
Paint used: General Finishes Milk Paint, a high-quality acrylic paint
Topcoat used: General Finishes High-Performance Top Coat
Full tutorial here: how to paint kitchen cabinets without sanding or priming
Overview of the process:
- Removed all cabinet doors and drawers
- Did not pack the contents of our cabinets
- Cleaned the cabinetry
- Did not sand or prime anything
- Applied 3 coats of protective top coat
Pros: Incredibly durable, no sanding or priming required for wood cabinets, excellent coverage and adhesion
Cons: Not a ton of colors to choose from, three coats of top coat needed for best results, top coat is best applied with doors laying flat

How long did you use your DIY painted cabinets?

We used them daily for over five years before we completely gutted and renovated that kitchen in 2019 (you can check out the before and after photos of that kitchen renovation if you are curious).

And you need to know that we almost never eat out and love to cook, so our kitchen was used heavily. Our twin girls were young at the time and we had a big dog. So we were not “easy” on our painted cabinets–we definitely gave them a run for their money.

**How did our painted cabinets really hold up after 5 years?**

Y'all, they held up beautifully. Frankly, they held up even better than we expected.

We were confident that they would be durable because of the quality paint and topcoat that we used, but I really expected to see some chipping or wear and tear after a couple of years.

Check out this video that I made about 22 months after we painted them to see how they were holding up at that point. It will play after a short ad :)

And this photo was taken about two months before the cabinets were ripped out as part of our full kitchen renovation. They still looked almost perfect (just the minor wear and tear shown in the video in this post).

photo of kitchen with light and dark gray cabinets decorated for Christmas with mini Christmas wreaths on the kitchen cabinet doors

How much money did you save by painting the cabinets yourselves?

From the research I've done, hiring a professional to paint kitchen cabinets can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of your kitchen, the type of paint used, and your location. That’s a lot of money. We spent under $250 on all the supplies that we needed. So, I figure we saved ourselves at least $2,700.

Do you have any regrets about painting kitchen cabinets yourself?

Absolutely NO REGRETS. Over the past eleven years, I have painted kitchen cabinets THREE different times using TWO different paints and methods. I chose methods that required the least amount of prep work so that the process was as quick and easy as possible. And I have never regretted it! Each time, the results looked professional and were incredibly durable.

Do you have other tips or ideas for budget-friendly kitchen makeovers?

Yes! I'm a big fan of budget-friendly kitchen makeovers. You are seeing a bit of our first DIY kitchen makeover in this post. But years later, we gave my friend Thea's kitchen a makeover for less than $1,000. And when we moved to a different house, we tackled yet another budget-friendly kitchen makeover.

photo of Tasha Agruso of Kaleidoscope Living standing on a ladder in painting clothes in front of partially painted kitchen cabinets

Of course, they all involved painting the kitchen cabinets! But here are some other ideas for updating your kitchen on a budget:

Kitchen Countertop Ideas

You can update your countertops by painting them to look like marble (yep, we've done it). And that's just one of many affordable DIY countertop ideas.

If you have butcher block countertops that have lots of wear and tear, don't rip them out! You can easily refinish your butcher block countertops.

Kitchen Backsplash Ideas

There are tons of good budget-friendly backsplash ideas out there. One of my favorite ideas is painting and stenciling a tile backsplash. Yes, I have done that, too! Here's my tutorial for how to paint a tile backsplash.

Of course, even installing a new tile backsplash can be really affordable if you choose an inexpensive tile. And installing a backsplash isn't as hard as it sounds–learn how to install a backsplash the easy way here.

The Bottom Line

So there you have it! Our painted cabinets absolutely stood the test of time—no peeling, no chipping, and no regrets. If you’re on the fence about painting kitchen cabinets yourself, I hope our long-term results give you the confidence to go for it.

Take it from me, as someone who has painted kitchen cabinets myself three different times… With a little patience and the right materials, you can get professional-looking, durable cabinets without the professional price tag. The key is in choosing high-quality products and applying them correctly.