Painting your kitchen cabinets is a perfect way to give a dated kitchen a fresh look, without splurging on a big overhaul. It doesn’t cost much and with the proper preparation, it’ll look great and last long. We’ve outlined each of the steps below, including a video recap of all of the steps that we used to updated our wood kitchen cabinets.
(Rolls up sleeves, looks into the mirror, smiles, fixes weird fly aways, and whispers “let’s do this.”)
It’s finally here. The day that we get to wake up and pad into a kitchen that used to look like this…
And see this…
So here’s how we did it from soup to nuts. Wait, first let me gush a little more. Seriously, it doesn’t even feel like the same room. Scroll back up and picture yourself standing next to the fridge in the “before” shot. The cabinets felt about two feet away from you on all sides. I can’t explain it, but it was like the room didn’t respect my personal space and was always inching towards me. It was all up in my area. Now when I stand at the sink or pantry, I literally feel like I could perform a small musical number (with a minimum of six Glee backup dancers). It just feels so much roomier. Plus no weird cabinet knob-eyes are looking over my shoulder anymore. Bonus.
But let’s get back to the present. Ahh, much better.
Our big cabinet-painting victory hardly happened overnight. We’ve been slowly working up to this sucker for a while now. First we painted the paneling, the fireplace, and the beams. Then we rearranged our cabinets a bit, got new appliances and, oh yeah, got a big beautiful hole busted in the wall. Then some cabinets came in, others came down, and eventually new counters made their way to us. Finally, the painting project was upon us. So first came the primer…
… and, at long last, the paint. Speaking of the paint, we used Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint in Cloud Cover in a satin finish (it’s a soft tonal taupey-gray color, so it’s not quite as bright as our glacier white counters for a subtle layered look). Benjamin Moore Advance paint actually came recommended by a few pro cabinet painters that we know. We went with the satin finish because it’s specially formulated for cabinets (they actually came out with satin first and only added semi-gloss later to help folks who wanted more shine). We used it on our office cabinets a few months back (which still look great after Clara has beat on them relentlessly with wooden fruit) so it’s safe to say that we’ve been extremely happy with it. The fact that it’s low-VOC, self-leveling, and amazingly durable is pretty much the best thing ever.
Since a bunch of you have asked, here’s a rough timeline of the cabinet painting process (we just worked on nights after Clara went to bed and weekends during her naps, so it’s a good indication of what anyone with a day job might be able to follow):
- Day 1: We removed the cabinet doors (including drawerfronts) and hardware (including hinges), applied wood filler to cracks and hardware holes, let everything dry for a few hours, lightly sanded the putty spots by hand, and refilled them with a second layer of wood filler wherever necessary. We did the same to the cabinet frames. Our wood filler of choice was Elmer’s ProBond Professional Strength Wood Filler.
- Day 2: With the wood filler completely dry, we used a palm sander to smooth any putty spots and rough up all cabinet doors in the sealed off sunroom (it’s a dusty job). We then emptied out all the kitchen cabinets and covered appliances with drop cloths so we could also use the sander on our cabinet frames (roughing everything up = better adhesion). After everything was sanded, we wiped it down with a liquid deglosser (we like Next from Home Depot because it’s low-VOC and biodegradable). Read a lot more on the puttying, sanding, and deglossing steps of this process here (there are lots of pics too!).
- Day 3: Cabinet door backs and cabinet frames were primed (we love Zinsser Smart Prime which is high-quality, stain-blocking, and low-VOC – the primer trifecta). We applied it with a high quality 2″ angled brush to get into all the cracks and a small foam roller to smooth everything out and ensure that we were applying super thin and even coats (there’s a video of the application process a bit further down in this post)
- Day 4: We flipped the cabinet doors over and primed the fronts, leaving them to dry another 24 hours, just like the backs. Read more about the priming steps of this process here (there are extra pics too!).
- Day 5: With the primer all done and dry (be sure to read the can – ours said not to over-prime, so one coat did the trick), during Clara’s nap we flipped the cabinet doors over again and painted one coat of paint on the backs (we used Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint in Cloud Cover). We applied it with a high quality 2″ angled brush to get into all the cracks and a small foam roller to smooth everything out and ensure that we were applying super thin and even coats (there’s a video of the application process a bit further down in this post). Clara woke up before we could paint the frames, so after she went to bed that night we put a first coat on the cabinet frames.
- Day 6: We applied a second coat of paint on the back of the cabinet doors and the frames after Clara went to bed. As for applying any sealer or topcoat, the general pro recommendation for cabinet painting is to use high quality stain blocking primer and 2-3 thin and even coats of super high quality paint with ample drying time between coats (Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint is meant for cabinets without any top coat, since sealers can drip, yellow, and even cause things to stick/crack since they thicken the application).
- Day 7: We gave the doors a full day to dry before flipping them over and applying a first coat to the fronts (the reason we did the backs first was that just in case the backs got marked up while we painted the front, at least the front would remain pristine). The day of drying time did the trick though, so the backs look as good as the fronts.
- Days 8 & 9: We applied the first and second coat of paint to the front of the doors over these two days. Read a lot more on the puttying, sanding, and deglossing steps of this process here (there are lots of pics too!).
- Days 10 – 13: We let the doors dry and cure for the recommended time on the can (always read the can!).
- Day 14: We drilled for and installed the hardware on all of the doors (more on that in a sec). We also hung the doors but ran out of time before getting to the drawer fronts.
- Day 15: We installed hardware on the drawer fronts, put the drawers back in, and restocked the kitchen. A droopy but spirited happy dance also ensued.
All that info above (and those three bolded links to the previous posts on puttying/sanding/deglossing, priming, & painting) should be enough to get you going on any cabinet-painting project – but just because I always think a video is worth a thousand pics, here’s a quick one that runs through the process for you. Although at some points I’m so delirious that I make up words (putty brush?) and refer to primer as paint about a dozen times. But it definitely can be helpful to see exactly how to putty a hardware hole or how to prime and paint a cabinet door. Enjoy!
As for the hardware installation details that we promised in our timeline above, we bought these handy Liberty Hardware guides at Home Depot for $7 to help us place everything evenly (centered side to side, and consistently at the same height so all the doors match up). Let’s call it the best seven beans we’ve ever spent (it’s incredibly nerve-wracking to drill through your freshly painted cabinet doors, to say the least – so any tool to make it more of a science is a friend of mine). My only tip is to double check everything ten times before drilling. And see those white blobs on the template on the left? Those are small pieces of masking tape that we used to surround “the good holes” (the ones we were using) so we didn’t accidentally drill into the one to the left or the right.
We also realized that using a small piece of scrap wood would shift all of the handles a smidge closer to the edge of the door, which we realized we liked best (after holding the handle in various places on the template). So we used this scrap wood piece…
… for marking each door with a pencil…
Then John drilled a small pilot hole first (to make sure he was going straight into our marked dot and ensure the wood wouldn’t crack or splinter). Then we went back through with a larger drill bit that would allow the screw that was provided with our hardware to slide right on through.
By some miracle, everything ended up looking nice and even. Whew. You know how sometimes when you reuse something (ex: our oak cabinets from the early 80’s) you think it’ll somehow be wonky or look cheap after something like a paint job? I’m happy to report that they look so solid and amazing. We had completely new cabinets in our first house’s kitchen (to the tune of 7K – ouch!) and we’re just as happy with these. I guess sometimes solid oak from 30 years ago is just as good as solid oak from today. Haha.
Oh and our new hardware is from here for $3.24 per handle. We love the way the satin nickel looks with our stainless appliances (and we think the soft gray backsplash will only add to the fun. We got all the same hardware for every door and drawer, but just placed them horizontally on drawers and vertically on doors. Speaking of money, here’s our entire budget breakdown:
- Wood filler (Elmer’s ProBond Professional Strength Wood Filler from Home Depot): $7
- Primer (we used Zinsser’s Smart Prime from a local Benjamin Moore store: $22
- Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint (in Cloud Cover in a satin finish): $40 (thanks to a coupon)
- All new hardware (see that link above): $84
- All new hinges (from a local hardware store here called Pleasant’s): $89
- Hardware templates (by Liberty Hardware from Home Depot): $7
- Total cabinet makeover total: $249
Not bad when you compare that to the 7K total of the new white cabs that we selected for our first house’s much smaller kitchen. Le yikes. And we love that we added an entire peninsula with secondhand cabinets for under $95 (one of them was even free) – which is definitely one of those DIY coups that makes ya proud. All that storage and extra workspace is already coming in handy.
Anyway, to get back the whole putting-the-room-back-together thing, after we added the hardware, we just needed to reattach the hinges…
… and enjoy the view (don’t mind the clashy dishwasher- we’ll install our stainless one after we lay the cork floors so they’ll run underneath it).
I’ve totally been doing that thing where you spend way more time in a room than necessary, just staring at things. I keep gravitating towards the kitchen (ex: Clara, let’s go read this book on the floor next to the refrigerator!).
Oh and here’s a shot of how things look with the natural oak color inside the cabinets while the doors and fronts are painted. We don’t mind the two tone look at all, and this way we can toss things in there and pull them out without worrying about scratching or peeling paint (we did the same thing in our first kitchen and in our office built-in cabinets, and they really hold up nicely). Our tip would be to just keep a nice clean line around the frames when you prime/paint them (using a small foam roller sort of does that for you). That way it looks intentionally two-toned and not crazy-sloppy when you open the door. And yes, that is a slide out cutting board. Our cabinets may be old, but they still have their tricks. Haha.
For those who can’t watch the video above to see my shot of the painted cabinets up close, the picture below might shed a little light on the whole oak-grain thing. Using high quality primer and good self-leveling paint helps hide a lot although it doesn’t guarantee 100% invisible grain (we don’t see any evidence of grain on the oak cabinets in the office but do see a hint of it on the kitchen cabinets, so it probably just depends how much grain your cabinets have to begin with). We don’t mind painted wood that looks like painted wood though, so a little grain is ok with us, as long as the paint is nice and even and glossy.
Words can’t express how much additional function/workspace our little peninsula added to the kitchen. It’s amazing to think that none of these cabinets were here before our makeover! And the fact that we gained a 3 x 5′ counter on that peninsula already makes eating/baking/spreading out and doing crafts there a regular occurrence.
We mentioned in this post that two of the retrofitted cabinets were 100% seamless, and it’s these babies in the corner. We don’t think Sherlock Holmes himself could tell, even with his nose an inch away from them. Hurrah!
As I mentioned here, the three other retrofitted doors are tad less than perfect. By this I mean if you look at them from an inch away for five minutes (bobbing your head back and forth to catch the light bouncing off of them) two out of ten people might notice a tiny seam. The cabinet hanging above the cereal jars in the photo below is one of them. See how it’s almost impossible to pick up from far away…
But when you get super close and the light hits it just the right way you might be able to catch a super subtle horizontal line? In person it’s so unnoticeable that we can’t decide if it’s worth doing anything about, but we’ll keep you posted if we decide to sand them one more time and use some sort of buildable primer and a few more coats of paint to hopefully make them as perfect as the two corner cabinet doors are.
I don’t know why I love this shot but I do. John’s totally my hero for figuring out how to build in the fridge like that. Mah man.
Oh my gosh, can you even believe that room looked like this last December when we moved in? In case you can’t tell, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around that.
The doorway to the dining room definitely helps bring the light in – and the glossier cabinets and bright white counters definitely brighten things up too.
Here’s the other side of Dark City:
And the same view now that I’m the Mayor of BrightVille!
Of course there’s still tons to do, like…
- hang our backsplash tile
- add floating shelves & a range hood
- redo all the lighting (two pendant lights over the peninsula + inset lights in the cooking area)
- install our mocha cork floors (can’t wait to balance out the brightness with some rich contrast!)
- install the new dishwasher
- add quarter-round and crown molding
- possibly tweak our stools (we’re waiting for the room to take shape a bit more)
…but it’s definitely progress. Hooray, progress. So who’s about to embark on a cabinet painting adventure of their very own? I hope this post full of details (and especially that little video we whipped up) come in handy! Have fun and don’t forget to make up words (might I recommend putty brush?).
Update: Our painted cabinets are still holding up great. Check out a little update post here.
Psst – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Karla says
You guys are amazing!
julie chrissis says
Thank you for this! I often recommend my clients paint their cabinets as they are preparing their homes for sale. This suggestion is often met with fear and loathing. I just posted your suggestions on my Facebook page – a step by step guide really helps.
Kim S says
Un. Believable! It looks amazing! It’s incredible what a little determination and some DIY can really accomplish. Best of luck in the new kitchen!
Megan says
Those cabinets look awesome. We just bought a new to us 1960s rambler and are so looking forward to a similar renovation, although we already have the peninsula. I have my husband on board with building in the fridge. Thanks for the inspiration! Congrats on a job well done and I really appreciate all the painting tips.
Jill says
Kitchen cabinets look fabulous….love the hardware! You two certainly have vision and your hard work most definitely pays off!! Looking forward to seeing it finished, as I know you are too! Great job!
kristin says
LOVE it! great job. so worth the pain of it, right? we’re looking to move and i keep telling the hubs that things don’t have to be PERFECT and highlighting your house for a ‘we could try to do that’ (i’d love to not spend all our money on a house. how’s date night sound when you’ve got 4 kiddos 5 and under? like amazing, right?)
Jenna says
Okay, those pictures almost don’t seem real the cabinets look so perfect! It looks beautiful, congratulations on completing such a daunting task!
Ofelia, México City says
This looks amazing! Great job! No me canso de ver las fotos una y otra vez. Congrats! I even can´t wait to see the new tiles and shelves…
Melissa Evans says
~~HAPPY DANCE~~~…or more like happy kitchen dance…holy smokes!!
SherriEakin says
SCORE!!! Simply amazeballs! Love the hardware. I also liked the stools when you showed them the first time, but I’m moving closer to love in these pictures. It’s all coming together so well. Congrats! :)
Eliza says
Your kitchen is looking amazing! I have a random question – how do you like your glass cereal containers? Is there anything special about the lid that helps keep the cereal fresh? I’m looking for attractive ones for my counter….thank you.
YoungHouseLove says
We like ’em a lot! There’s not actually much seal to the tops (they just rest on top) but I think they’re heavy enough that it keeps things pretty fresh. Maybe we just eat cereal really quickly, but we’ve had no problems with things going stale.
-John
claire says
well, crack open the raisins and celebrate! looks great, youngsters!
YoungHouseLove says
LOL – Clara’s way ahead of you on that one.
-John
Sarah says
Ahhhh.. like a breath of fresh air! :)
I can’t wait to see the final pieces falling into place! But I can totally envision the flooring, backsplash, etc. and I LOVE IT!
I think I’m voting Team Mom on the barstools.. for now.. maybe I just need to wait to see the room complete.
Thanks for sharing! :)
Kristal says
I’m thinking if you somehow could upholster the seats on the stools and paint them a fun color that would def add a fun element to the kitchen! But who knows once you get those floors in there you might want to leave them as is. Can’t wait to see it all unfold!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we’re definitely thinking along those lines too. But we’ve decided to wait until the room is more finished to decide exactly what “finishing” those stools need (if any). So who knows at this point!
-John
Jenna at Homeslice says
Not that you really need a 351st person to tell you how AWESOME it looks, but I’m too excited not to say something! I love it. It looks AMAZING. We have similar plans for ours someday *someday* – so I really appreciate the timeline and the paint tips. Awesome job you two- It makes everything (your wall paint, appliances, and even floors) looks so fresh and new.
Tina says
How exciting! *think you may want to include a link on the ‘rearranged things a bit’ in the paragraph starting with “big cabinet victory” because I found that to be 1 of the things that set you apart from the “we painted our cabinets white” posts online. I wouldn’t have thought to rearrange cabinets like you did. Your commentary made me envision “padding in” this morning right along with you. How exciting!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tina! We did mean to link to that- must have been in a big-reveal tizzy and missed it!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
I’m just curious why the hardware to the left of the stove is centered and none of the other hardware is (maybe I am not looking hard enough)? Is there a specific reason? I noticed it right away and am curious.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s hard to tell from these pics, but that cabinet “door” is actually a raised panel like our drawerfronts – so there really wasn’t any other spot it would fit besides the center of the door. So we decided it was best to go with it since it matched the rest of the drawers.
-John
Kate says
That looks fabulous! I’ve just loved following along as you make your remarkable improvements. One question I had was about the beam that used to go into the pantry. The part that was inside the pantry – is it needing more paint and slightly separated from the ceiling? And is it missing trim around the end? Or is it all a trick of the light? I’ve been wondering for weeks in every picture, so I thought I would finally ask about this super minor detail.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, it’s missing some trim so that’s why it looks that way. They didn’t bother putting trim on it when it was hidden inside the old cabinet. We plan to finish it when we do the trim around the rest of the ceiling (post backsplash tiling).
-John
Elisabeth says
I can’t remember if you mentioned this or maybe I just had a vivid YHL dream but…. are you putting some floating shelves on the back wall by the stove? I feel like you got rid of a lot of upper cabinetry which is normally where all my serveware and dinnerware go. What’s the plan, Stan…. er Sherry?
YoungHouseLove says
Yep, floating shelves is on our to-do list! You’re not dreaming it. :)
-John
Rad Designing says
Wow, that looks amazing! I am always so impressed with how smooth your finish comes out. I have no patience and always end up with drips! Gotta slow it down, Rachel…
Mary says
Wow, that’s a good price on a gallon of Advance… $40 w/coupon. I paid $28 for a quart! I liked it, though, and will use it when I do the kitchen cabinets. Which you gave me confidence to tackle!
Shary says
Your kitchen looks great!!! I’m about to embark on the painting of my kitchen cabinets. I’ve already done the island and can’t wait to get to the cabinets. I got a sander for Christmas which I’m itching to use. For me, it will need to wait until the weather is a little warmer though since I need to work in the garage.
Sherry from BC says
Tried to reply to your reply re the before & afters but couldn’t figure out how to do it. I do agree that a bigger photo is better. Perhaps if you do not put any text between before and afters then it will allow those of us with small airbooks to see both at the same time. I love your before and afters and all the details you provide.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that’s a good idea! If only I could bite my tongue between them! Haha. A lot of times I try to just have one line between them (like the whole Mayor of Brightville part at the bottom). Oh and as for how to reply to comments in a thread, just hit reply to the very top comment of the thread (the one that started it all is the only one to have a reply button for some reason). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessika says
Everything looks AMAZING! Are you going to do the wiring for the pendant lights yourself? If so, please do a step-by-step tutorial so I feel brave enough to begin the research on how to do that myself too! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Alas, we’re going to rely on an electrician. We found a guy we love (he’s very nice and has great prices) and we’re just not pro enough to tackle stuff like wires behind the wall and ceiling of an older house.
xo,
s
Jessika says
Ah. Well, it’s probably for the best for us anyway— we need/want to replace the countertops and sink… and see if there are wood floors under the layers of linoleum… and add a backsplash… before we tackle the lights. Since what we have now is fairly bright and cheery and other projects take priority, the kitchen will likely have to wait. Sigh!
April says
It is just magnificent!! I totally get the spending more time in that room now thing. When I painted our kitchen cabinets white I did the same thing for about a week. You all did an amazing job and I don’t think a professional could have done ANY better!
Elizabeth says
I forget, did you tell us what will be on the wall that backs up to the dining room? Above the new penninsula (sort of). Shelves? Art? Did you already answer this two pages ago and I’m just too lazy to find the response? ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’ll be a big mirror or some art- something pretty and living-ish since we sit at the peninsula a lot and will have shelves over by the stove so we thought we might appreciate something light!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Cool…I love that spot…sometimes decorative beats useful!
Laura @ My Pink Thumb says
Ummm ok — it looks AMAZING!!!!!!!! :) Makes me want to go home and start re-doing my cabinets today! I already told my hubby that we’re definitely checking out our local Re-Store this weekend on the hunt for some new cabinets to add to our own kitchen. Kudos you two!!
LARY says
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Love it!
Erin says
Great job! I think this is the first time I noticed you have a ceiling fan in your kitchen! I guess I never noticed because it blended into the orangy wood before ;) The cabs look AMAZING now- totally brand new!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, it’s definitely standing out to us more too. It’s gotta go!
-John
Jeannie says
Wow, what a transformation! Can’t wait to see the final project! I’m sure people have asked you this before, but do you know if the previous owners of your house read YHL? I bet they’d be amazed at what you’re doing!
YoungHouseLove says
We know they read pretty religiously when we first moved in, but haven’t heard recently if they’re still watching. We had very different styles (they were big antiques people) so hopefully they’re not covering their eyes in horror! :)
-John
Camille says
Happy Book-Draft-Finished Day!! And I cannot wait to see it all with the dark cork flooring, talk about sophisticated and schmancy. I have to get a little warm and fuzzy here: we are only renters and have decided to be so for the next few years, but I get so much inspiration and motivation from your site. Even though I don’t get to paint cabinets and knock down walls, I have been enjoying my house–my HOME–much more since reading your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Camille! We’re still working on our final manuscript (ack – it’s 7:49mpm!) but our publisher said as long as it’s in by 9am tomorrow we’re ok. Whew!
xo,
s
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove says
what a HUGE transformation for almost nothing! Nice job guys!!! I am desperate to makeover our oak kitchen and bathroom cabinets, but they’ll have to wait since they are low on the current priority list. I’ll just keep this in mind for inspiration! :)
Cathy says
this might be my favorite post ever!!! hoping to get my own cabinets started soon. I have a question about the foam roller you used. did you use a new one? whenever I use a new one, I get little hairs all over the paint job. unacceptable! :) or maybe it’s just the brand – what kind do you use?
so, so excited to watch the progress as you go!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We actually reused our rollers between coats (we kept them from drying out by sealing them in plastic ziploc bag in the interim), but broke out new ones when switching from primer to paint, obviously. We ended up with Whizz brand rollers this time, but have used other with the same success.
-John
Cathy says
um, and just to clarify, by “little hairs,” I meant from the ROLLER. not any other kind of way-more-unacceptable little hairs. maybe I’ll try the Whizz brand this time! thanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
LOL – good clarification, though if it makes you feel better that didn’t cross our minds!
-John
Mary says
BTW, when Benj Moore and you both talked about grain showing through, we thought you meant the colors, not the texture! Ack. I’m totally fine with grain texture showing!
Corinne says
WOW that looks AMAZING! Want to come paint my kitchen cabinets? Better yet, want to come fill in a wall and build half of a kitchen?
tjack says
The cabinets look professionally done. Good job.
Are y’all going to have any pops of color in there? It might look whimsical to had orange seat bottom cussions on the laboratory counter chairs. Or any other bright color you like.
That would also look good with the future dark floors.
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely plan to bring in some color (in addition to the walls). Most of it will probably be in accents (artwork, items on the open shelves, etc) so most of that will happen in the final stages.
-John
Chelsea says
Just heard on the radio this morning that “Amazing” is one of the most over used words of the English language…I’m reading through the comments and I see why lol. However, your new Kitchen cabinets truly are AMAZING and deserve the title! Great job guys!
Keri says
LOVE IT! You two are doing an awesome job! My husband and I started on our cabinets last Thursday and got everything put back together last night. Our cabinets were maybe about 10 months old but SUPER boring. All it took was some steel wool and deglosser to prep them for primer and paint. We didn’t paint the back of the doors b/c we only had 5 days to get it done (but we may end up painting them in the future). Paint can definitely transform a room! GREAT JOB!
Michelle says
Looks amazing! What a big difference! I can’t wait for your book to come out! Great job guys!
Brandy@midcenturymodernlove says
Too funny! We just finished painting ours as well and the post headline yesterday was also ‘Hallelujah’! Such a great feeling to have it done!
http://midcenturymodernlove.com/2012/01/03/hallelujah/
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous! I love that we both tossed a hallelujah in there too. Haha.
xo,
s
Megan says
I will probably write a post with just as much giddyness when we do our kitchen as well. I think your bright kitchen with painted cabinets will win my husband over that it is okay to paint them and it won’t look bad. Here’s to hoping I can convince him!
Sheela says
What can I say except, “You guys rock!” Congratulations on a job fantastically done. It looks amazing!
Christine says
The kitchen looks simply fabulous! Bravo, bravo!
Marcie says
Looks AWESOME!
Any other tricks you could share about the paint application? Did you thin the paint? Can you see the roller texture at all? I am asking because I used the BM Advance paint (after seeing your office cabinet post) to paint the bed that I built my daughter. I put the first coat on (the back of the head board where no one would see it!) with a foam roller and found that it left tiny little air bubbles all over after it dried. I ended up doing the whole bed by rolling it on and then quickly back brushing. I prefer the brush texture to the roller texture. As you can imagine, this had to all be done suuuuuuper quickly to maintain a wet edge. I absolutely love the finish of this paint, but didn’t find it that easy to work with. I would love any other tips that you could think of to share! Also, good score on the price per gallon there, I pay close to $70 per gallon for it here in Canada!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I have no idea why that would be! Could your temperature have been extreme (very hot or very cold?). Or could it have been the primer (or lack thereof) that changed it for ya? Otherwise I’m stumped! Ours obviously didn’t look like a brush texture when we rolled (more like a sort of matte flat look instead of glossy striations) but we like the uniform look and it dried looking completely like a factory sprayed finish! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sam/LeavetheNestuptoMe says
Your determination and dedication (and patience!) to your projects is awe-inspiring. I would’ve lost interest after the first day! Looks great.
Sara says
Its looking so amazing! I can’t wait to see the final before and after!!
Captain Micah says
We’re painting cabinets for a new desk THIS WEEKEND but happily waited for your tutorial so we felt more confident in what we were going to do. Thank you so much! Your how-to certainly didn’t disappoint!
How about these for pendant lights? Vintage Revivals just posted this morning: http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-custom-pendant-light.html
I’m going to make one for my kitchen light over my sink. We all need pretty light here and there!
I think you mentioned doing some sort of barn lighting, too, and that would look amazing! You guys are my favorite home blog, for sure! Thanks for sharing so much and helping us all out!
Captain Micah
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow those are amazing! We actually scored a deal on some industrial glass globe ones from a local outlet already so we’ll have to share those details soon- but those DIYed ones you linked to are so cool!
xo,
s
Abby R says
Is it weird that I find myself thinking about your kitchen once a day? I keep thinking “I hope today is the day they do the next big step!”
Needless to say — nice work! I’m hooked :)
Julie says
Wow! Awesome job you guys! I can’t believe that’s the same house!
carly says
I’m actually not a huge fan of white cabinets (I’m more of a cherry girl myself), but WOW. You guys make it look good! Seriously your hard working is paying off big time!!