How to Paint RV Cabinets Without Sanding

When we bought our RV, the cabinets were brown monstrosities. We painted the cabinets white, but they eventually needed an update because the paint peeled off. So, we decided to swap the white cabinets for matte charcoal ones.

As with all our DIY projects, we were winging it when we painted these. This post isn't a painting tutorial. It’s a journey of our suffering, which surprisingly led to great results.

What you’ll need:

Step 1: Prep the surfaces

We took off all the hardware from cabinet doors to avoid getting paint on them. We used BB Frosch to ‘sand’ the cabinets. It’s a great paint transformer that helps paint stick to any surface. So, you don’t need to sand your wooden cabinets.

A very proud Leila after she removed the hardware from our cabinet doors.

We also didn’t want paint on our wooden countertops. So, we laid painter’s tape on the parts closest to the cabinets. We applied petroleum jelly as a second barrier.

Step 2: Mix in the paint transformer

BB Frosch usually comes in powder form. You’ll need a clean empty container to mix it in. It only takes a couple of heaped teaspoons of the powder mixed with one and a half teaspoons of water. Once you’ve blended that, you can add 8 ounces of paint and shake it well.

Step 3: Get painting

You’ll need an open space where you can lay all the cabinet doors, preferably outside. We used a paint sprayer to paint the cabinet doors outside the RV. It has a duster so you can adjust the flow as you paint.

We used a Sherman Williams paint; it’s very durable. We used chalking paintbrushes to paint the cabinets inside because masking is a pain.

And voila! Our cabinets were all a magnificent charcoal black that improved the look of the entire RV.

We wish you the best of luck in your painting project, and as always, we can't wait to share more of our adventures with you.

To see the final reveal of our cabinets, check out our video below:

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