The Cabinets That Were Being Scrubbed to Death
- Location
- Ocala, FL
- Service
- Kitchen cabinet repaint
- Color
- Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog
- Timeline
- Two days
The cabinets were white, and white shows everything. Years of wiping and scrubbing had worn the finish thin in the places a kitchen actually gets used. The homeowner did not want a reface and did not want a remodel — they wanted the kitchen to stop looking tired. A free color consultation landed on Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog, and two days later the room reads as a different kitchen.
White Was the Problem, Not the Cabinets
Nothing was wrong with the boxes. They were sound, the layout worked, and the doors hung straight. What had failed was the colour: white shows every fingerprint and splash, so the cabinets were being cleaned constantly, and years of scrubbing had worn the finish through at the handles and edges. Refacing or replacing would have meant spending thousands to solve a problem that was really about the finish on top.
Choosing the Colour Together, at No Charge
The colour consultation is free on every job, and this is the kind of kitchen it is for. The homeowner knew they wanted something warmer and more current than builder white, but not which colour. We landed on Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog — a soft, muted green that reads modern without dating quickly, and that stops showing every mark the way white does.
Doors Off, Degreased, Sanded and Sprayed
Every door and drawer front came off and the hardware came out, because a cabinet finish sprayed with the doors hanging never looks like factory work. Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease whether you can see it or not, so everything was cleaned with Spray Nine degreaser first — paint will not bond to grease no matter what primer goes over it. Then a sand with 100 grit to give the surface tooth, a coat of Sherwin-Williams white pigmented shellac primer to lock down the old finish and grip the new one, a second sand at 400 grit to take the primer glass-smooth, and a sprayed finish coat of Sherwin-Williams Gallery in Evergreen Fog.
Two Days, and No Remodel
The whole job took two days. No boxes were replaced, no doors were rebuilt, and nothing was torn out — the kitchen the homeowner already had was simply brought back and given a colour they actually wanted. They are thrilled with how it turned out.
What we used
- Degreaser — Spray Nine — cabinets are cleaned before anything else touches them
- Prep — Doors and drawer fronts removed, hardware out, sanded with 100 grit
- Primer — Sherwin-Williams white pigmented shellac primer, sanded smooth at 400 grit
- Finish — Sherwin-Williams Gallery, sprayed — colour: Evergreen Fog
Questions this project answers
Can you paint kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them?
Usually, yes. If the boxes are sound and the doors hang straight, the problem is almost always the finish rather than the cabinets. Repainting costs a fraction of a reface or a remodel, and on this Ocala kitchen it took two days rather than weeks.
Why do white kitchen cabinets look worn so quickly?
White shows every fingerprint, splash and scuff, so it gets cleaned far more often than a darker colour. It is the scrubbing that wears the finish through, usually first around the handles and door edges. Moving to a softer colour means the cabinets stop being cleaned to death.
Do you take the cabinet doors off to paint them?
Always. Doors and drawer fronts come off and the hardware comes out, so every surface can be sprayed flat and even. Painting doors while they hang leaves runs, brush marks and paint on the hinges — it never looks like factory work.
Do I have to pick the colour myself?
No. The colour consultation is included free on every job. Most people know the feeling they want rather than a specific colour, and that is what the consultation is for — this kitchen ended up in Evergreen Fog that way.
How long do painted kitchen cabinets take?
This one was two days. The timeline depends on the number of doors and the drying time between degreasing, priming and the finish coat — the prep is what takes the time, and it is also what makes the finish last.
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