I'm so excited!

auntiejane, Thank you. Reading the Google remarks it seems that, in most cases, sanding is advisable, unless the wood is clean and very smooth. The sideboard is quite old, and shiny, so I doubt that any paint would stick well to it. I think that my son has a sander, so maybe I can twist his arm into prepping it for me!

I have a few buy to let properties and when I buy a new one one of the first things i always do is replace the kitchen but I buy second hand units on ebay and they look fab once fitted. I take old old dark units and replace with white or cream. You can get a whole pre used kitchen and nice cooker for £300 sometimes.

Wow Willow What a transformation!

I feel a project coming on.....

Gorgeous Willow.
Good luck with transformation OP. I think our environment at home really can influence emotions. I've been feeling a bit flat since before Christmas. The sunshine is helping but generally having brighter or lighter things at home provide a boost too

I bought an electric sander cheaply in one of the supermarkets and it worked a treat.

Look up Frenchic paint it’s a bit dearer but is really hard wearing and has a lovely finish. Look up Frenchic on Facebook to see what others have done.

I've painted kitchen cupboards before and they've looked great. Had to have new doors on this one however as the actual doors were falling to pieces. Still MFI after about 15 years I suppose that wasn't too bad.

I paint almost everything I own, eventually.
Cupboards, doors, floors.
It's great when it works out better than expected.

I've got 2 wooden bedside cupboards, not sure what kind of wood though. Do you have to pre treat them before painting them? I'm not keen on the "distressed" look and want a smooth clean finish.

phoenix is Mr P doing the work or are you getting the handyman to do it? At least the handyman would be finished before Christmas 2020! It will make a great difference to your working environment which I think is important.

Charleygirl how wise you are!

Mr P, lovely chap that he is, isn't exactly what might be called "dynamic"!

In all fairness, he does work full time, and has a fairly long drive each day.

If he was doing it, I can imagine that the project would take about 6 weekends whereas Adrian will get it done in 2 days, 3 at most.

So, GN'ers, which would you opt for?

Green gran, you don't need to sand down but you will need to give the cupboards a wash with something to get rid of any grease. Sugar Soap does the trick..
Also, I wouldn't recommend chalk paint unless you've used it before. I find it's difficult to get an even finish, it doesn't spread easily and dries too quickly. I'd go for water based eggshell. It gives a good satin finish that's washable.

phoenix. my DH would be off like a shot if a friend or neighbour asked for help, but doing jobs at home......"Yes, I'll get around to it!"
I remember, many years ago, that I had finally got him motivated to join me in decorating the hall, stairs and landing. We had just started scraping off wallpaper when there was a knock on the door. "Could he go to camp with the Cubs, as a leader had been taken ill?" I have never, in my life, seen a man pack a bag so fast! "See you in a week," and he was off!
I wasn't prepared to put the job on the back burner, so I completed it all by myself - even the awkward, very high bits over the stairwell! I wish I was as capable now!

Thanks, Hannah. I will try an unobtrusive patch first, and see how it turns out.

WOW willow 500 your cupboards look amazing, what a difference! Such a good idea ,saving so much money & hassle.