How to Paint Thermafoil Cabinets

Do you have old cabinets in your home that are tired but haven’t tried painting because they aren’t wood?

That was the case with our bathroom vanity. I didn’t like our cabinets but didn’t know how to change them – until one day I figured I had nothing to lose and I peeled off the vinyl layer that revealed MDF on the surface below.This was what our bathroom looked like for the first 3 years we lived here. There is no major bathroom renovation happening in the near future so instead, I did a $25 makeover that made a huge improvement and only took a few hours. Since I had nothing to lose I pulled off the vinyl cover from the cabinets. On the inside edge it was easy to peel the white cover off and then take off the whole front layer in almost one piece.First, I did a base coat of chalk paint, next I mixed up a custom colour to coordinate with the wall colour and vanity countertop. What I used was a combination of chalk paint and wall paint.The final step was to drill a couple of new holes to accommodate the new hardware that I bought which was where the $25 cost came from.

It has been a year and a half since I painted this vanity which gets a lot of use and the paint is durable. Until a major bathroom renovation happens, I am much happier with the way the bathroom looks and you can’t beat the low effort and cost of this project.

Here is an article from Better Homes & Gardens about different kinds of cabinets to determine which kind you may have.

To paint wood cabinets here is a tutorial using paint:

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