A loonnggg time ago (November!) I posted this post about starting to paint our kitchen cabinets.The project took about 2 weekends to complete, but I didn't post about it because I wanted to wait until we had more done in the kitchen to show off. With the counter, sink, and faucet installed on Friday we're getting there - now we're painting and waiting for our backsplash tile to come in.
Ok, but back to the cabinets. Here's the big bad before of our kitchen (this is before we moved in):
And after:
Excuse the mess - the only photos that I have of the cabinets with the old counter are very unstyled and messy! Go ahead, judge all you want...
I was skeptical about painting the cupboards, but after a LOT of reseach we decided to take the plunge. It really was quite easy and I think it made a huge difference in the kitchen. Here are the steps we followed for the project.
1. Remove cabinet doors, and remove hardware from each door. Label each door as you remove it so you know where it gets put back (this is a REALLY important tip!)
You are left with cupboards that look like this - I did the same as many others did and kept all the goodies IN the cupboard! No sense wasting time and effort removing everything since we were not planning on painting the insides.
2. Tape off the wall and all the sections you don't want painted. We opted to paint the outer frame of the cabinets but not each shelf.
3. Prime and paint the frames and cabinet doors. We used a small foam roller for all the painting to ensure we would get a thin coat. We used "Cabinet Coat" paint (which gives it a melamine-like finish), in Benjamin Moor White Wisp (OC-054). For the doors we set up a painting station on a table in our basement. We made little platforms for the cabinet doors by putting a couple of screws through scrap wood:
Part of the reason this project takes so long is you have to prime, and then do coats of paint to each side (we did 3 coats on each front, 2 on the back). So we would set up our cabinet doors, do all the coats on one side, flip it and do the other side. You have to be really careful and watch out for drips since the doors are elevated.
4. Reattach your hardware, and put the painted cabinet doors back on (this is when labelling them when you take them off in Step 1 REALLY comes in handy). Then you can step back and enjoy what a difference a little paint makes!
*I apologize for the utter lack of styling and not so great photos..these were taken before my new year's resolution of taking better photos with manual settings!
I'll be honest - the painted cabinets aren't perfect - if we wanted that we could have sent the kitchen cabinets to be sprayed (but we still would have had to paint the frames ourselves, so we figured we should just do the whole thing). Even though this project was a bit of work on our part, I am so happy with how it turned out. I think it's a dramatic difference to the oak cabinets we had before.
17 comments:
They look FANTASTIC! Awesome makeover, Heather, and really inspiring. I really need to get on my kitchen revamp (thanks for making us all feel inadequate and lazy :)
What a difference and now I want to see your counter top! I did the same thing when I moved into my condo. Didn't want to spend $ks to get rid of the entire kitchen and get all new appliance. So I ha my cabinetry doors sprayed and I painted the frame myself. With the new stone top, the kitchen looks shiny and new!!
Looking forward to the next post!
T
It took me forever to paint our cabinets too but the result is so worth it, they look brand new!
Can't wait to see how they look with the new counter top :)
Looks great - I can't wait to see the counter and the new faucet. And what perfect timing! I was just sanding and priming some of our cabinets today. When you did yours did you get the primer to be really even (like a paint application) with the foam roller? I find ther primer stuff so sticky and streaky but I was using a paintbrush.
Cheers
Ava
Oh yeah big difference from the oak cabinets and they look so much nicer. I would probably add crown moulding and a bridge over the window frame for a more finished look. Can't wait to see the rest.
Such a huge difference!!! Looks like a totally new kitchen with just some paint. Love it :)
WE just had our cabinets painted and it was such a huge job. So happy with the results, too! Love your cabinets - white rules in the kitchen!
www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com
They turned out beautifully! And don't you find you appreciate it all the more knowing all the hard work you put into it!? Really looking forward to the rest of your kitchen reveal pics!
Painting cabinets is always the biggest little wow bang for your buck. We sprayed the doors in our investment house but I had to hand-paint the rest of the cabinets - but the before/after is awesome!
Wow, you did such an amazing job Heather! Painting cabinets is a big undertaking...but soooo worth it. These cabinets are beautiful!
looks great heather and josh!!!! definitely a big project to tackle but so worth the effort!
It looks great!!! It is a ton of work but well worth it. I can't wait to see your new countertop:)
I am continually amazed at the difference this makes! Great decision - looks awesome :)
These look great! Love the new hardware too!
Ohmygoodness!!! It looks amazing! This makes me so excited... I can't wait to get busy painting my doors now!
Yowsers! You have a whole new kitchen here -- and I love the granite you chose. Could have fooled me. I thought it was marble. It's lot of work, isn't it? But so worth it!
Camille
Really beautiful..what a difference
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