Cabinet paint calculator
Fifteen doors, five drawer fronts, and painted face frames is about 152 sq ft of surface, and two coats of enamel over that is 1 gallon, plus 1 gal of bonding primer. Cabinets are counted, not measured, so start from your door count instead of a tape measure.
How the math works
An average cabinet door runs 3.5 sq ft per face; we count 7 sq ft per door because the backs get painted too. Drawer fronts are front-only at 1.5 sq ft. Painting the face frames and exposed ends adds about 35% in a typical kitchen (our factor, from comparing counted kitchens against frame measurements). Fifteen doors and five drawers with frames is roughly 152 sq ft; two coats of enamel at 350 sq ft per gallon is 0.87 gallons, so one gallon, plus a gallon of bonding primer at one coat.
The primer is not optional on factory finishes. Clean with a degreaser, scuff sand, prime, then enamel. Every peeled DIY cabinet job skipped one of those.
Questions people ask
How much paint do kitchen cabinets take?
A typical kitchen (15 doors, 5 drawer fronts, painted face frames) has about 150 sq ft of surface counting both sides of the doors. Two coats is one gallon of cabinet enamel, plus about a gallon of bonding primer at one coat. Small kitchens land in quarts.
Do I really need bonding primer on cabinets?
Yes, and this is the hill we die on. Factory cabinet finishes are slick; regular paint grabs them badly and peels at the first fingernail. One coat of a bonding primer (after cleaning and a scuff sand) is the difference between a finish and a future regret.
Why count both sides of the doors?
Because you paint both sides. A 15 x 30 inch door is about 3 sq ft per face, 7 sq ft painted including edges, and the backs show every time a door swings open. Drawer fronts are front-only, about 1.5 sq ft each.
Brush, roller, or sprayer?
The paint quantity barely changes, but sprayers waste 20 to 30% to overspray, so add a quart if you spray. Finish quality is another story: a fine-finish roller gets you close to sprayed for a fraction of the masking.
Related
Bonding primer is non-negotiable here: do I need primer? Walls of the kitchen (not the boxes): room paint calculator. The same enamel does the baseboards: trim paint calculator. Materials dollars: paint cost calculator.