Oops I did it again. I painted my kitchen cabinets.
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| Original photos from the real estate listing. Check out those totally cool wavey drawer pulls. |
Why?
Builders grade bleached maple cabinets circa 2001. This is not our forever house, so a total reno was not going to happen. The cabinets themselves were in pretty OKAY shape, considering their age.
There were a lot of things about this kitchen that I didn't like. The "cathedral" shape of the upper cabinets, the laminate countertops, the shallow sink, the protruding side by side refrigerator, the absence of a built in microwave, the cabinets and drawers are NOT soft close, and the finish on the cabinets in general along with the layout.
What I DID like was the overall size of the kitchen.
The Plan
Initially I had hopes to switch some of the cabinetry around and replace the countertops, but the hubs was NO-ing me on all of my big plans. I hate the "J" shape, especially because it backs right into the sliders, I dislike the dark countertops (more than the fact that they are laminate) and I really didn't like the warmth of the color palate the previous owners bestowed upon us. I settled for a minor remodel I could 100% do myself (well, with a tiny bit of help from the husband).
I initially wanted all white, uppers and lowers, but I changed my mind halfway through the project (more on that later).
The How
The prep is half the battle. Clean, clean, clean those cabinets, drawers and doors. Then I gave them a generous once over with a deglosser. I let this dry overnight. I absolutely did not sand a thing.
Starting with the uppers, I primed with Zinser. I removed all of the doors and their hardware, labeled them on the backs with painters tape (so I could remember where they go) and primed the cabinet frames and doors. I let that dry for a few hours. Around nap time I slapped on another coat. It started to look like something. That was day one.
Day two I started with the actual painting. I used my favorite, affordable chalk style paint, Rustoleum Chalked. I had great success with it on my last kitchen project, and decided to use it again here.
The only difference between these cabinets and the last kitchen I painted, is the texture. There is a deep grainy finish on these cabinets that were never going to fill in and look smooth. But you can only really notice it up close. Like super close.
Once I started painting them, the white was a little overwhelming. It looked a little stark. This kitchen is big and open and a lot of warm undertones (tile, wall color) so I paused on the lowers. I reflected on some two tone options and decided that going gray on the lowers was going to be the best solution here. (AgAiN)
In the Prospect House, I did a similar technique.
(You can see that and more in my first house tour). Uppers in white, lowers I did a dark charcoal with a light wax finish. Here I wanted to be a little more muted, and muddy, but still cool and modern.
I found the perfect light gray with green undertones at Target by Magnolia. It's called garden trowel and it dries beautifully and covers pretty great. No primer, 2 coats. So👏much👏faster. White is the bomb but you can't beat the coverage on a darker color.
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| DIY remodel with kids at its finest |
Everything is all chalky and dry and needs protection. Cabinets get used and abused and touched by little sticky fingers or grease or spills and need scrubability. I put on a layer of topcoat, heavy and quick. It dries super fast and if you don't put it on evenly, it quickly can turn into a disaster. I would roll on, the brush over it. And then maybe roll again. No streaks, or drips.
It's also important to make sure your paint and finish doesn't get clogged up in the grooves, corners, or millwork. Sometimes I would catch them 15 minutes after I left them to dry. I would just grab a brush and lightly feather any excess paint out.
Some people prefer to sand in between coats. It's extremely messy and unless you are sanding to begin with, and using a sprayer, a little unnecessary in my book. The finish won't be manufacturer smooth but if you apply everything evenly and clear coat them, it will be pretty darn close.
I ordered my knobs and pulls from Amazon because--budget. I've ordered from them before and the quality IS there. You really can't beat the price and selection. Lowes wanted $6 for a similar pull. I needed 8. No thanks!
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
There is some cabinetry missing! I removed a heavy 48" cabinet (and repurposed it!) Because it was just in the way. I turned the two recessed lights above the peninsula into pendants and the juxtaposition of the doors to the lighting would have never worked. So these cool floating shelves still provide style and function, but leave it open and clean sight lines for lighting.
The lights are from Amazon. I purchased lighting conversion kits from Home Depot which were super easy to install and bam, ambiance lighting. We really gave some purpose to that obstructive peninsula.
The wall color. I could not deal with the wheat color that the sellers had painted on every single wall of this house. Especially with all of the cooler tones I added, I had to tone it down. I did not want a full on gray, because it can start to look a little prison-esque. I found a soft brown gray color from Behr and put the swatch up on the wall for a couple of days. Once I began painting, it started coming together. And once I removed that cabinet and patched the holes, I had to paint it anyways. It's a kick ass color that works so well in this house and I cannot wait to carry it into the living room.
Here is the full resource list with pricing:
So my total out of pocket for this project was $316.22. I still want to do a backsplash eventually but I'm really happy so far the way things are looking. On to the next room!
