Thirteen years ago I
refaced and refinished my kitchen cabinets.
At the time it was the most economical way to go, especially as I was
also in the middle of adopting my youngest and trying to push all extra cash in
that direction. Other than a fresh coat
of paint on the walls the kitchen hasn't been touched since then and needless
to say it needed some love.
My decision to
reface my cabinets rather than replace them wasn't just to save money but to
also save a kitchen full of perfectly good cabinetry from ending up in the
landfill. While I didn't love the look
of the 1979 dark stained wood cabinets, they were in excellent condition. I decided to update them instead and I've
never been sorry for that decision.
It took me three
weeks and I spent less than $100 on wood lathe strips, paint, supplies and two
contractor's packs of brushed nickel knobs.
I sanded off all the old varnish (that was a huge job! Messy too!) and then added the lathe strips
to all of the doors and drawer fronts.
Then painted everything in Dried
Basil paint, drilled holes and added the knobs. I loved it!
Not only was I proud of myself for pulling it off, but it updated the
look of my kitchen tremendously.
Fast forward
thirteen years and the much loved shade of green paint was fading and worn
out. Some of it was missing in places
and I'd run out of touch up paint long ago.
It was time for a makeover. This time
I chose Magnetic Gray in the Behr
Marquee paint from Home Depot. This is
some pretty awesome stuff to paint with too.
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Sanding station |
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Cleaned and drying |
We did one half of
the room on Saturday and the other half on Sunday and this time I had two fantastic
helpers! My oldest is awesome at taping
off things and I really appreciated
it too. We lightly sanded the doors and
drawer fronts and cleaned them off with TSP and hot water.
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We borrowed our neighbor's project table |
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Painting station in our dining room |
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I don't know how that can be comfortable |
We gave the cabinetry
two coats of paint allowing it to dry well between coats. We started with the doors first since they
have two sides to paint, then the drawer fronts and finally the base cabinets. I can tell this is a much better quality of
paint then I used the first time around.
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Cool Whip containers to corral the screws and hardware |
All the knobs went
into a bowl and were soaked in TSP solution to make sure they were all clean
and shiny. I boiled the hinges in TSP
solution to get off the 13 year accumulation of grime in all the nooks and
crannies. Then gave them all a once over
with a scrub brush and air dried them.
Once they were dry I lubed them all up with a little bit of WD40. Then it was time to put everything back
together.
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Before
After upgrading the cabinet it needed some paint |
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After
I like the gray |
And wow! Not a huge transformation, but a big
difference nonetheless. Freshened up and
looking new and modern once again. My
girls are really proud of themselves too as this is their first time really
taking part in a big paint project like this and they were very hands on this
time. I love seeing them take pride in a
job well done. And knowing that they'll
be able to fix up and care for their future homes is quite fantastic. No doubt in my mind they'll be very capable
adults.
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Before - a little bit worn |
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After - ahhhhhhhh! |
Well, I already had sandpaper, one sponge brush and the TSP (from the
last time I did the cabinets). I
purchased a quart of paint, four sponge brushes, a foam roller (didn't need)
and a small paint tray. I used a $25 Visa
gift card I had earned taking part in a wellness program last year at work
leaving me with $7.36 balance. So for
less than $8 I updated my kitchen cabinets.
Not too shabby, if you ask me!
It looks wonderful! You & your ladies did a great job. It looks fresh and modern.
ReplyDeleteThank you Candace!
DeleteLove it! I bought and remodeled a home last year. The kitchen, only got new appliances, a new wood floor. Subsequently, when the existing faucet sprayer died, I upgraded to a touch on, Moen chrome faucet. Next up, when funds allow is to replace the back door with a full light door (northern room) and to have the existing brown cabinets, only 6 years old but a darker brown, painted white. I'd get a tile backsplash and white porcelain sink. I may have the room repainted as well. No funds now, so lots of time to plan ahead
ReplyDeleteYou have done a beautiful job on your home. When you get ready to do the kitchen I'll be watching!
DeleteThose look great. I agree about the benefits of the daughters helping. They will know in the future that they can accomplish things, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteLooks gorgeous! I will miss the green for awhile because it made me think of my first house and my own green cabinets.
ReplyDeleteBut the gray you picked is really nice, and it makes your kitchen so fresh and new-looking. Great job!
I know Sue. But we have fond memories to look back on. :)
DeleteYour cabinets look great! Nicely done!! We're planning the same project this summer.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It has made an amazing difference.
DeleteWow, Great job!! Your kitchen looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, Janie
Thank you Janie. I love it!!
DeleteWow, that looks so great! Isn't it amazing how much paint can change the look of things?
ReplyDeleteTania
Paint is amazing! Thanks for inspiring me to get it done!
DeleteLooks great and you can't beat the price!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint does!
DeleteWow !!! Your cabinets are gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteI know it was a lot of work but the payoff is spectacular. You and the girls make a great team. Everyone should be proud of the great job done.
Vanessa
Thank you Vanessa. We had a lot of fun working on this project together. I am so very pleased.
DeleteBeautiful.. Love the gray color.. You and the girls did a great job.
ReplyDeleteThank you Judy. I'm really happy with the color too.
ReplyDelete