Here's How Long It Takes For Painted Kitchen Cabinets To Dry

Sprucing up your kitchen cabinets with a coat of paint is a great way to give the room a fresh look. If you decide this is a job you want to do yourself, it's important to understand the full process of what this entails, including the amount of time everything needs to dry. Although the cabinets may be dry to the touch within a few hours, it can take up to a month for them to fully cure, depending on the type of paint in use.

There is a difference between drying and curing that's important to understand, especially with kitchen cabinets, which can be susceptible to chipping and peeling. Once the solvents evaporate, it means the surface is dry to the touch. When the surface dries, it means the paint will not come off when you touch it. It no longer smudges when you brush or press against it, either. 

However, curing is often the true measure of how long it really takes for paint to dry, ensuring that it is far less susceptible to chips and other issues. During the curing process, it fuses to the surface and becomes extremely hard, limiting the chances of scratches or gouges occurring. When it is only dry, you might bang a pot or pan into the surface, which results in chipping. You can reduce the possibility of chips by giving the kitchen cabinet paint time to cure, rather than just starting to use the cabinets after they are dry. 

If you want to have the best chance at giving the surface the ability to fully cure, it's important to set aside plenty of time to do the work. You may be tempted to follow the easiest way to paint your kitchen cabinets to speed up the process, but you want to do the job right, too.

"My top tip is to give yourself plenty of time, don't rush it!" says Victoria Yardley of Victory Colours, in an interview with Homes & Gardens. "Thinner layers of paint are better than thick layers (less is more) and make sure you let the paint dry fully between coats. Paint needs to cure for quite some time, often up to 28 days."

If you simply don't have the ability to not use the cabinets for a few weeks — which is completely understandable — make sure to give the cabinets 12 to 24 hours to dry before touching them. Then be extremely careful over the next few weeks for how you use them. Avoid banging things into them and don't drag items over the surface that could cause it to gouge or smudge. "Keep the bashing about with pots, pans and tableware to a minimum for a while," says Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux, in an interview with Homes & Gardens. Just be as careful as possible while using the kitchen cabinets until the paint fully has time to cure.

Although it can take up to a month for paint on kitchen cabinets to fully cure, some situations can require a shorter amount of time, too. The type of paint in use will play a key role in the amount of time required for the surfaces to dry to the touch and then to cure properly. It also affects how quickly you can add a second coat.

If you are using a latex-based paint, it should dry to the touch within a couple of hours with normal ventilation in the room. Wait about four hours before putting a second coat onto the cabinets. The curing time for latex can be as long as 28 days. When making use of oil-based paint, it should become dry after several hours to the point that you can touch it. Do not put another coat on for at least 24 hours, though. Curing time for oil is far shorter than for other options, as it usually takes about seven days. When applying chalk paint to kitchen cabinets, it should dry to the touch within an hour. Wait about 24 hours before applying a second coat. The full curing time is roughly a month.

As you are purchasing your paint, the label on the can should tell you the amount of time required for both drying and curing. It also should recommend the amount of time to wait before applying the next coat.