Pro Spotlight: Update Bathroom Cabinets with Britney Mroczkowski of Build It Brit, Inc.

May 31, 2023

As a licensed general contractor and real estate investor, I know that priming is a fundamental step in completing any paint project. Without primer, paint may peel, crack or flake, resulting in a poor and unsatisfactory finish. And when it comes to achieving a flawless and Instagram-worthy finish, primer is absolutely essential. KILZ^® Primers are a good choice as they offer consistent, dependable results.

Recently, I decided to do a quick weekend project to update my mom’s ensuite bathroom cabinets. The bathroom has beautiful solid wood cabinets but are a little outdated with a medium-to-dark wood finish. The bathroom has also not been renovated in over 20 years and needed a modern refresh. Painting the cabinets was the perfect solution to updating the space quickly while also making the room brighter.

Her primary suite is located on the second floor of the home overlooking a beautiful lake just outside Tampa, Florida. She has been in this home for over 35 years and raised our family here, so it was nice to be able to give back to our family home. To minimize the mess, I removed the cabinet drawers and doors and took them downstairs to the garage where I set up a workstation.

In the garage, I used a few drop cloths to make sure everything stayed clean and pristine. I set up two tables to create an “assembly line of painting,” where I would sand, prime, and paint. The cabinets were solid wood but had a lacquer finish that I wanted to make sure we could cover. To start the process and ensure a beautiful end result, I scuff sanded down all of the doors and drawers with 150-grit sandpaper and then did a final pass with 220-grit paper. Don’t forget to wear safety gear during this step, I made sure to wear a mask and eye protection.

After sanding, I was ready to prime! The primer that we used for this project was KILZ^® MOLD & MILDEW Primer. This primer is a water-based, primer-sealer-stain blocker that is specially designed for residential surfaces in high humidity, moisture, and temperature environments such as kitchens, bathrooms, powder rooms, and laundry rooms.

KILZ^® MOLD & MILDEW Primer offers excellent adhesion to the surfaces of the bathroom cabinets, ensuring that the paint would stick and stay in place even with high moisture levels typical of bathrooms. Additionally, the EPA-registered active ingredient in this primer creates a mold and mildew-resistant film that protects the primer film from developing mold and mildew growth.

This was particularly important for this personal renovation project for my mom, as it would ensure that her bathroom cabinets would stay mold-resistant in the damp environment. The primer also helped us to achieve a smooth and flawless paint finish.

I applied one coat of KILZ^® MOLD & MILDEW Primer, allowing it to dry for 2 hours before moving on to the topcoat. We chose Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines^® Cabinet and Trim Paint which I was excited to use for the first time. My mom looked at the color options online and choose the color “Emmie’s Room” which is a very light shade of green.

This very light green color complemented the existing white and green tiles in the bathroom perfectly, creating a cohesive and modern look. We applied two coats of the topcoat, allowing each coat to dry completely before applying the next. The final result was stunning and transformed the old and dated bathroom cabinets into a fresh modern look and personally, I think it made the room look much larger.

Not only did this bathroom cabinet refresh make the room look brighter and more modernized, but it also saved my mom a significant amount of money compared to a complete bathroom renovation. When I finally let her come in to see the final results, she couldn’t believe it was the same cabinets. She told me they looked brand new and straight out of a home renovation TV show.

In conclusion, priming is a crucial step in any paint project, no matter how big or small. Not only does it set the foundation for a long-lasting and beautiful finish, but it also ensures that the paint adheres properly to the surface. KILZ^® MOLD & MILDEW Primer is an excellent choice for bathrooms and kitchens.

Overall, this project was a personal one for me, as it was a renovation for my mom, who has been my biggest supporter throughout my career. Recently, we started renovating a few investment houses together so it was an honor for her to ask me to work in our family home as well. With KILZ^® MOLD & MILDEW Primer and the right workspace, we were able to achieve a beautiful and modernized look for her bathroom cabinets.

To learn more about primer solutions, visit kilz.com.

Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.