Kitchen Makeover

Hello, I would like to introduce you to...

My kitchen.

This is what my kitchen looked like a week and a half ago.

I took this picture right before I started taking off cabinet doors...

You can even see the can of paint on the counter.

As you can see, I am not one of those people who can't go to bed without a clean kitchen...

But maybe now I will become one :-)

This makeover has made me so happy.

And it almost didn't happen.

But I was inspired by my sister in law who just painted hers.

I was going to wait to do this until I could afford, new countertops, sink, floor and appliances.

I would have been waiting a very long time... I know this now... I had delusions of grandeur.

I thought that our small fix-up budget would somehow grow

into the thousands we would need....

Anyway, my sis-in-law's kitchen was in even worse shape then mine was.

She had 1970's yellowish countertops and linoleum... With her oak cabinets, it was pretty dated.

But she painted them and now you hardly notice the yellowish floor and countertops,

your eye is drawn to the very beautiful cabinets instead.

I was inspired.

Hello Rachael! Isn't that kind of your motto? "Work with what you have"?

So I did. The paint was $35 for each color and the knobs were $48 (bought on ebay).

I had all of the other supplies on hand.

So for around $120 my kitchen is transformed.

My grey-blue countertops that don't even come close to matching the

granite island don't bother me as much.

(So glad I can blame these bad design decisions on whoever built the house.)

My ugly dingy tile floor no longer looks quite so ugly and dingy.

Everything is so much brighter.

And it feels much cleaner.

Don't ask me WHY I all of the sudden needed to paint the kitchen a few days before

a major holiday where I was hosting a party but there ya go...

I got it done in three days.

Steps -

1. Remove doors and drawers

2. Stand back and wonder what you have gotten yourself into.
Make sure you have enough peanut butter and jelly and paper plates to last for the next few days.

My dog was very uninterested in this whole project. Right there under the table is where he stayed the whole time... Next time I paint cabinets he can help, he's got to know everything it takes by now.

3. Sand. You don't need to sand very hard, just lightly rough up all the surfaces. 2 or 3 passes with the sandpaper is fine.

4 & 5. Wipe and clean - *wear gloves* TSP is a really tough cleaner.

You can get it at Lowes or Home Depot in the paint section.

Add the powdered concentrate to water following the directions and wipe down all the wood. This will also etch the finish on the cabinets so the paint will stick better. Scrape off any grime with a butter knife and wipe again.

This cleaner works really good... I found myself wiping down other hard to clean surfaces while I was at it... the top of the fridge, and this grimy stuff on my microwave vents.

6. Paint.

I used Bher semi-gloss paint and primer in one. The paint person at Home Depot assured me that it would work just fine... I LOVE IT! It has such a smooth finish. And the paint covered really well.

So far it has held up great, no chipping. Pomegranate juice got splattered all over the cabinets the other day and I will confess that the juice splatters sat there overnight... But they wiped right up with no stains.

Roller - I used a basic angled brush as well as a small foam roller made for painting cabinets. Ask the paint people they will show you appropriate tools. 

Paint choices:

Bher paint and primer in one - semi gloss finish - available at Home Depot.

     Once again by using this paint I did not have to prime and the paint finish is smooth and durable.

The color for the upper cabinets Alabaster by Sherwin Williams - color matched by the fab paint people at Home Depot.

The lower cabinet color is Mourning Dove by Martha Stewart - also color matched by the fab paint people at Home Depot.

My kitchen inspiration came from The Lettered Cottage. One of my very favorite blogs. I am blog stalking them. I love everything they do. And they are so cute and fun. You will love them too.

I have my christmas decorations up now, but the yellow curtains you see in the "before" picture look great in here and will be going back up in January. I'll post more pics then.

Tip - If you know that you are going to be using the same paint in the next week, or month... or two... or   six... (I have seriously waited sixish months) Don't wash out your brush or roller, wrap them up in a grocery bag and put it in your fridge. It will be good to go for next time.

Yours truly - tired and happy,