Wait, what the heck is thermofoil and how do I know if it’s on my cabinets? Great question!
Thermofoil is a vinyl wrap that is typically applied over MDF using heat and pressure. It’s a very smooth, durable and easy to clean surface that gives the look of wood but it way cheaper than solid wood cabinets. It kind of reminds me of shrink wrap! Although they are a budget friendly option for kitchen cabinets, they are vulnerable to heat damage and can peel over time. This is exactly what happened to my friend and she hired me to fix them. If you have bubbles like this, there is a good chance you have thermofoil cabinets too!
After accidentally leaving a burner on, the cabinets next to the range had bubbled up and my friend wanted them all redone. All of the other cabinets were in really good shape considering they were over 15 years old, so we decided to start on just the kitchen island to see how it went. I had never removed thermofoil before, and I’d never even heard of it before this, if we’re being honest. Because I knew that they had bubbled up from heat, I had a suspicion that they would be removable with heat as well. After a quick search on the internets and seeing a very encouraging video, we decided to go for it!
This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me pay for operating costs for the blog and are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support!
If you’re planning on doing this too, here is everything you will need:
I started with the panel that had already bubbled up, and it was extremely easy to remove. It was dry, brittle and crunchy, like plastic gets when it’s old and has been sitting in the sun for years. I simply cut into the bubble with a utility knife, and it peeled off in a huge chunk! I got the rest of the panel off with a paint scraper. Hopefully the rest of them come off just as easily!
All the doors and drawers were really easy to remove with the help of this heat gun. Even at a low heat setting, the vinyl wrap would start to bubble and then come right off. After a few panels, I got the hang of it and was able to remove each piece intact! The wrap was only on the front facing panels, not on the back of the doors and drawers. The inside of the doors are a white laminate and do not need to be removed or painted since they are in great condition.
Surprisingly, there was absolutely no sticky residue left after the thermofoil was removed. The MDF underneath was smooth and undamaged. There were a few spots in the grooves where the thermofoil had stuck a bit and pulled off a tiny bit of the MDF, but I was able to lightly hand sand those spots. You definitely DO NOT want to sand MDF with an orbital sander. It will not help make them smooth, instead they will just disintegrate and get worse.
I was able to remove the thermofoil from the kitchen island in about an hour, so we decided to go ahead and do the rest of the kitchen too! There were quite a few cabinets so that took another few hours, but it was all pretty easy to do.
After removing all the vinyl from the front panels, I tried to remove what I thought was the same thermofoil from the cabinet boxes with the heat gun but failed. It was NOT thermofoil on the cabinet boxes, it was a different type of lamination that was not going to be removed with a heat gun. So I left that laminate intact and decided to tackle that a different way. I had painted my laminate kitchen cabinets before, so I decided to repeat the same process for the cabinet boxes since it worked perfectly for mine.
Basically for the cabinet boxes, I just scuff sanded by hand with 180 grit sandpaper, wiped clean, thus preparing it for primer and paint. With a good bonding primer, you can paint laminated surfaces with no problem.
Ok! Now that the thermofoil is removed, we’re ready to paint! Here is everything I used listed below. If you shop at Lowe’s, I’ve put everything into one list to make it easy for you! Click HERE to see the list and order everything online for easy pickup.
- SW Cabinet, Door and Trim PRIMER
- SW Cabinet & Furniture Paint: Color: “Alabaster”, Finish: Semi-Gloss
- Paint Sprayer
- Extension Cord
- Foam Rollers with Handle and Paint Tray
- Plastic Dropcloth
- Respirator Mask
- Protective Eyewear
- Paint Coveralls
- Sash Brush
- Paint Tool
- Easy Pour Lid
- 220 grit Sandpaper
- Painters Tape
I primed all the doors with two coats of primer and my trusty paint sprayer. I laid down plastic outside and went to work! Be sure to prep your area for overspray and wear eye protection and a respirator to avoid inhaling paint fumes and particles. You’ll also want to cover yourself head to toe unless you want paint all over you. I learned this the hard way last time I painted cabinets! Now I wear this paint coverall and a hat to protect my hair.
For the drawers, I used a brush and roller instead of the sprayer to make it easier, but you could definitely tape them off and spray them too! Or even remove the drawer faces if it’s easy. These were not easily removable so I just painted them by hand, plus, there weren’t too many of them.
In between each coat of primer and paint, I gave everything a light sand with 220 grit sandpaper. Don’t worry that the primer looks bad, that’s to be expected! The primer is just to give the paint something to stick to, it doesn’t need to be full coverage or look great. That will come next!
After two coats of primer, the doors and drawers were ready for paint! My client picked the color “Alabaster” from Sherwin-Williams and we used cabinet paint in a semi-gloss finish. I applied two coats of paint with the paint sprayer, waiting 4 hours between coats, as directed by the paint instructions. Once dry, I let them cure for a couple days (probably not necessary) and made sure not to stack them on top of each other to avoid damaging the fresh paint.
Back in the kitchen, I primed all of the cabinet boxes with 1 coat of the same primer followed by two coats of the same cabinet paint. I chose to roll on the primer and paint instead of using the sprayer because the prep work would have taken more time than it was worth, plus making my clients kitchen unusable during the whole process. So instead of spraying, I used a smooth foam roller and a paint brush and went to work. This did take a bit more time than spraying, so I did one coat per day.
After letting the cabinet boxes cure for a day after the second coat of paint, we were ready to reinstall the doors and drawers. I put the hinges back on the cabinet boxes first, then reattached the handles to the doors and drawers. My client decided to spray paint her original hardware matte black, instead of buying new hardware and they came out great!
Here’s what you need to spray paint your hardware:
First, you will want to clean them really well with Krud Kutter to degrease them.
Next, spray them with primer. One coat is fine.
About an hour after priming, you can spray paint them with this matte black spray paint. You may need two coats to get full coverage.
Once the handles are dry, spray them with one or two coats of sealant to avoid chipping.
After reattaching the handles, I put the doors back onto the hinges and that was it! All done!
I can’t believe the transformation of this kitchen island with just paint! The entire room feels lighter, more spacious and more inviting! My friend is really happy with how it turned out and even happier that she saved thousands of dollars by refinishing her existing cabinets rather than buying new ones.
We also made her cabinets more functional by adding some pull out drawers! These are really easy to install, you can either use the sticky adhesive strips they come with, or screw them in with the provided screws. I used the screws and saved the adhesive strips.
That’s it! If you have thermofoil cabinets and are looking to replace them, consider refinishing them instead! This was a pretty easy DIY project that you can do over a couple weekends. It’s definitely a budget friendly way to upgrade your kitchen without spending a fortune on new cabinetry.
Let me know if you’re ready to tackle a project and feel free to reach out with questions. I’d love to see your projects! Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss all the new things!
Until next time, happy DIY-ing!
-Selene Builds Things
