If you’ve been thinking about painting your kitchen cabinets, you’ve probably noticed something pretty quickly: everyone online seems to have a different technique, a different product recommendation, and a different definition of “smooth.”

As cabinet painters serving Crystal Lake, Cary, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, McHenry, Algonquin, and Woodstock, we’ve completed hundreds of cabinet painting projects — and the process really does matter.

Homeowners often tell us they want their cabinet doors to look factory-sprayed, not hand-painted. The truth is, getting that super smooth finish isn’t about luck.

It’s about sanding correctly, using the right primers, controlling dust, choosing the right paint system, and applying everything with the proper technique.

Below, we’ve created a detailed, homeowner-friendly guide that explains exactly how to get a super smooth finish painting cabinet doors, including the same professional steps we use every day.

Whether you plan to tackle the project yourself or just want to learn how the pros do it, this guide will help you understand what it takes.

Why Surface Prep Determines the Final Finish

Before a single drop of primer is applied, your cabinet doors need to be prepared properly. Prep is what separates a rough, streaky finish from the kind of silky-smooth surface homeowners love.

Many people don’t realize this, but aside from cleaning the surface, sanding is the most important step in achieving a super smooth finish.

Use the Right Sandpaper Grit

A common DIY mistake is using sandpaper that is way too coarse. Anything rougher than 180-grit can permanently damage the wood — especially maple, cherry, or other soft species.

For stained cabinets (which most kitchens in McHenry County have):

Use 220-grit sandpaper to dull the factory gloss.
This is enough to break the sheen so primer sticks strongly.
You do not need to grind down to bare wood unless the cabinets are in bad shape.

We use a random orbit sander for efficiency and consistency, but you can also sand by hand if you’re careful.

Why Coarse Grits Cause Problems

Anything below 180-grit can:

Scratch softer woods
Create grooves that show through the finish
Make extra work when priming
Ruin the smooth look you’re trying to achieve

Once the gloss is evenly dulled and the surface feels uniform, the doors are ready for cleaning.

Cleaning Is Essential for Professional Results

Every homeowner wants a flawless finish, but most people underestimate how important cleaning is for the cabinet painting process.

Kitchen cabinets collect grease, cooking film, and hand oils — even if they look clean.

Because cleanliness matters so much, we always clean doors with Krud Kutter De-greaser, our preferred surface cleaner. Though you can clean cabinets after sanding them, we prefer to do the cleaning first.

Why Cleaning Matters

Dust or grease prevents primer from bonding
Oils from cooking can cause adhesion failure
A greasy door will cause paint to separate or fisheye

Even if the cabinets look spotless, cleaning removes the invisible residue that can cause peeling later. Scrub the cabinets with a cleaning pad and rinse with cold water.

DO NOT flood the doors with heavy amounts of water and de-greaser. This will lead to warping and cracks.

Freshly sprayed doors from a cabinet painting job in Lake in the Hills, IL.

Choosing the Right Primer for Smooth Results

Priming is another major contributor to how smooth your cabinets will look. Using the wrong primer can lead to a bad paint job and a big headache.

Why Solvent-Based Primers Are Best for Bare or Stained Wood

Homeowners often make the mistake of using latex primer and paint on cabinets because they’re low-odor and easy to find. But latex primers raise the wood grain, especially on oak cabinets.

That means extra sanding and more texture showing through. Latex primer also does not prevent tannin bleed (wood oils appearing in paint).

Instead, consider using:

White pigmented shellac primer (Zinsser BIN)
Oil-based primer (Kilz, Zinsser Cover Stain)
Pre-catalyzed lacquer primer (our preferred system)

Why We Prefer Pre-Catalyzed Primer

We use a pre-catalyzed primer from Sherwin Williams because it provides a strong foundation that lasts. Our pre-catalyzed (pre-cat) primer is lacquer-based and designed for cabinets and spraying only.

Pre-catalyzed primer is best for the kitchen environment because it’s durable and it:

Seals wood effectively
Dries fast
Resists chipping
Sands extremely smooth
Prevents grain rise
Levels out beautifully (no orange peel)
Creates a perfect surface for your topcoats

The pre-catalyzed system is one that has performed well for us which is why we continue using it for all of our cabinet painting work in Crystal Lake, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, and the surrounding areas.

Fill the Grain for an Ultra-Smooth Finish

Homeowners with oak cabinets often struggle to understand why their finish still looks textured after painting. The reason is simple: oak grain is deep. Even after primer, you can still see the pores.

For a truly smooth, factory-like finish, you need to skim-coat all six sides of every door with one to two coats of grain filler.

How Grain Filler Helps

Fills the open pores in oak
Levels the surface
Reduces texture showing through the paint
Creates a modern, updated appearance

Grain filling takes extra time, but the difference is dramatic — and it’s one reason homeowners hire experienced cabinet painters nearby instead of attempting it alone.

Sanding Between Coats Makes the Finish Flawless

Sanding before priming is important, but sanding between each coat is where the real magic happens.

Here’s the grit guide we use:

After cleaning and initial prep: 220 grit
Between coats of primer: 220 grit
Between coats of paint: 320 grit

Never sand between coats with anything coarser than 180, or you’ll leave visible scratches that will show through your finish.

Why This Works

Each sanding step:

Removes dust nibs
Smooths the primer
Levels the surface
Helps the next coat bond strongly

This is one of the most overlooked DIY steps, but it’s essential for a smooth finish.

We spray-painted these cabinet drawers for a customer in Mchenry, Illinois.

Why Spraying Creates the Smoothest Finish

If you truly want a factory-smooth finish, spraying is better than brushing or rolling.

Brushes — even expensive ones — leave faint lines. Rollers leave stippling. Sprayers, when used correctly, leave a smooth, uniform film with no texture.

Sprayers That Work Best

You can use:

An airless sprayer with a fine-finish tip (we use Graco sprayers)
An air-assisted airless sprayer (expensive and a little complex for first time use)
An HVLP sprayer (slower, but produces a beautiful finish)

If you’re trying to achieve a smooth finish as a homeowner, an HVLP cup sprayer may be easier to control, in terms of over-spray, but you will have to refill the cup repeatedly to spray a set of cabinet doors.

As professionals, we prefer airless sprayers when it comes to painting cabinets with pre-catalyzed coatings because they’re more efficient and produce a beautiful finish using a fine finish spray tip.

Dust Control: The Secret to a Professional Smooth Finish

Dust is the enemy of smooth cabinet painting. One stray particle can leave a bump or crater in your finish and ruin it.

How to Control Dust Like the Pros

Never sand in the same area where you paint.
Sand outdoors or in a garage.
Use fans to blow dust away from your spray area.
Wipe doors with a tack cloth before spraying.
Use an air compressor and blow gun to clean inside grooves and corners.

Dust control is one of the biggest differences between DIY and professional results.

A cabinet door sprayed to perfection using pre-catalyzed coatings.

Choosing the Right Paint for the Smoothest Finish

Just like primer, your paint choice affects how smooth the final finish looks — and how durable it is.

What Homeowners Can Use

High-quality trim enamel, like Emerald Urethane Enamel, is a good choice. It contains leveling agents that help eliminate brush marks and create a smoother surface.

Advance interior paint from Benjamin Moore is another option, and other brands sell similar products that can be used on cabinetry, but most of these products are not dedicated cabinet coatings.

What We Use

For our professional cabinet painting projects in Crystal Lake, Cary, Huntley, McHenry, Algonquin, Woodstock, and Lake in the Hills, we use pre-catalyzed primer and paint (lacquer-based).

Why? Because pre-catalyzed coatings:

Dry fast
Harden much stronger than enamel
Are designed for cabinetry
Resist chipping, scratches, and moisture
Produce an ultra-smooth finish without orange peel
Allow easy cleaning of spills and splatters

This is the same type of coating used by cabinet manufacturers. It’s extremely durable, but it must be sprayed — not brushed.

This is how we mask a kitchen for spraying. The picture features a cabinet painting project in Huntley, IL.

Masking and Protecting the Workspace

When spraying indoors, taking the time to do proper masking is critical.

We protect the kitchen using:

Plastic masking film
Leak-proof floor paper
Masking paper
Frog Tape
Zip Wall poles and plastic to seal off the room

This creates a temporary paint booth inside the home and helps prevent over-spray from drifting into other areas. Even if you plan to brush your cabinet frames, you still need to cover the floors and counters.

Sanding, Priming, and Painting Sequence (Step-by-Step)

1. Remove Doors, Drawers, and Hardware

Label everything so it goes back exactly where it came from.

2. Clean Thoroughly

Degrease using a cleaner like Krud Kutter.

3. Lightly Sand the Gloss

Use 220-grit sandpaper and an orbital sander.

4. Fill the Grain (for oak cabinets)

Apply grain filler, then sand smooth.

5. Apply Two Coats of Primer

Use a solvent-based or pre-cat lacquer primer (for spraying only).

6. Sand the Primer Smooth

Use 220-grit sandpaper.

7. Spray the First Coat of Paint

Maintain proper gun distance and overlap.

8. Sand Between Coats

Use 320-grit sandpaper for an ultra-smooth finish.

9. Apply Final Coat

This is where the semi-gloss sheen levels beautifully.

10. Let Cabinets Cure Properly

Even though paint dries fast, full curing takes longer.

Check out these cabinets we spray painted white in Huntley, IL!

We Paint Cabinets in McHenry County!

As cabinet painters in Crystal Lake IL, we help homeowners across McHenry County transform outdated kitchens into modern, clean, and durable spaces.

We regularly complete cabinet painting in:

Crystal Lake
Cary
Lake in the Hills
Huntley
McHenry
Algonquin
Woodstock

Whether you found this article while searching for cabinet painters near you, or you’re just doing research before starting a DIY project, our goal is to give you helpful information you can trust.

Look how we transformed these oak cabinets for a customer in Algonquin, IL.

Should You Hire a Cabinet Painter Near You or Hire a Pro?

Kitchen cabinet painting seems simple, but the reality is that it’s one of the most difficult and time-consuming interior painting projects.

DIY homeowners often underestimate:

How long cleaning and sanding takes
The importance of dust and over-spray control
How technical spraying is
How slow brushing can be
How quickly mistakes show up in the finish

Cabinet painting is do-able for the right homeowner — but it’s time-consuming and requires the right equipment.

We complete cabinet painting projects quickly because we have the tools, systems, and experience to get flawless results the first time.

We transformed these oak cabinets for a customer in Woodstock, IL.

Final Thoughts

Painting cabinet doors is one of the most rewarding DIY projects, but getting a super smooth, factory-like finish requires the right process.

From sanding with the correct grits, to using the right primer and paint — each step matters. If you’d rather save time and get guaranteed results, our team would be happy to help.

We specialize in cabinet painting in Crystal Lake IL and all surrounding cities, including Cary, Huntley, Algonquin, Woodstock, Lake in the Hills, and McHenry.

Want beautifully smooth cabinets without the stress?

Contact us for a free cabinet painting estimate.

How to Get a Super Smooth Finish Painting Cabinet Doors