I know. Painting cabinets is as fun as....well, you can fill in the blanks. I would say, painting cabinets is as fun as... going to the dentist. We know it needs to be done, but we really don't feel like going through with it. In an Instagram post a while back, I said that painting cabinets was like childbirth---we all know it's going to hurt but somehow we keep having children... haha! Sometimes, the things we need to do in life are hard to swallow, but in the end, we know that it'll all be worth it.
Wouldn't you like to take your cabinets from...
THIS:
TO THIS!!!!!!
I know I would! And I did!!
Now, there is nothing wrong with a dark kitchen, it's just not MY style. Some people flat out told me that they thought I shouldn't paint them and they liked my dark kitchen, but I honestly love WHITE!
I took everyone along in my Instagram Stories, but I also promised a blog to detail all of the steps for anyone who may want to tackle this big project.
MY WILD ROSE COUNTRY HOME ISLAND
The first phase that started all of this was lining my island with "shiplap". Really, they are just 8 inch x 4 ft knotty pine boards from Home Depot. Very inexpensive and easy to install and can bring such a fun rustic look.
We used a table saw to cut the pieces and an air gun to fit them in place. I didn't fill the nail holes because I wanted the rustic look to stay.
I used two quarters taped together to get the spacing correct between each board.
After the boards were installed we sanded them down slightly to make sure none of the edges were too rough. Then we stained it a natural color with Minwax stain and coated with Poly Acrylic to seal it.
After we put up the pine boards, I definitely felt like painting the cabinets was a must!
PREPARING FOR THE CABINET PAINTING
Here are the supplies we purchased for the job. You can find all of these items at Home Depot.
We love paint can lids because they keep all of the instructions on your can clean. I hate it when paint cans are covered with paint. Hashtag pet peeves!
Painting pyramids are great to keep your cabinets elevated while the job is being done.
The best thing you can do for yourself is prepare well. It can feel tedious, but trust me, preparation is your friend.
Start by setting up tables where you are going to paint and place some plastic drop cloth on the floor. I purchased those plastic banquet/folding tables from Canadian Tire.
Then get a big piece of cardboard and start an area where you will have all of your supplies and paint. The cardboard will protect whatever surface you'll be using.
Using a screwdriver, remove all or your cabinet fronts and lay them out on your tables. Ok, this is super important: Take each hinge and label it as "top" or "bottom", that way, when you go to reinstall them you won't have to readjust all of your cabinets again. We learned that the hard way if you know what I mean ;). Place each set in a separate Ziplock bag and put it in the cabinet box (or drawer) that matches for later when you go to reinstall.
Another SUPER important tip is label each door as you go. We used the alphabet. The first cabinet was "A" and the second, "B" and so on....Leave a piece of labelled tape on the inside of your cabinet box and on the door that matches. The piece of tape that you have on the cabinet door will go right beside it on the painting table. This helps you match up your cabinet or drawer to the right section.
Remove the bumpers that are on each cabinet door gently with an exacto knife.
CLEANING, SANDING AND WIPING
Purchase some Krud Kutter Gloss off cleaner and wipe all of the dirt off of your cabinets and outsides of your boxes, spreading it all over with a cotton rag. It doesn't need dilution, but I recommend using thin painting gloves for this. Let it do it's thing for 10 minutes then wipe off with a damp cloth. This will help prep your surface for sanding. I got mine at Home Depot.
Next, lightly sand all of the cabinet doors with a 150 grit sand paper to roughen up the area for priming. Don't forget your cabinet boxes too!
Clean off the excess sawdust with a quick vacuum and then a damp rag.
I should probably say that these tables are covered with plastic, but I actually switched to parchment paper after a while because I found that anything else would stick to the paint.
Next step is taping with painters tape all around the areas where you don't want paint to accidentally go.
After all of that prep, go ahead and place your cabinets on top of the painting pyramids. Mine fit in the grooves nicely.
PRIMING AND PAINTING YOUR CABINETS
It's time to prime. This is the bonding primer that we used (purchased at Home Depot):
We did one coat, waited an hour, then reapplied. We used the brush for the indented sections and a roller for all flat surfaces. I know that a sprayer would be the best way to do this for a flawless look, but we didn't have one, so we used a brush and roller.
After you have completed two coats of primer, go ahead and very lightly sand with a 220 grit.
The biggest pain with painting is the drips you can get around the edges. I have to say, that I still haven't completely mastered that. I was a little bit impatient and wanted to get the paint on thick!
Finally! It's time to actually paint. We used the best paint out there for cabinets (in our opinion) Benjamin Moore Advance Pearl (or Satin if you live in another country). This paint is made for cabinets so it is very durable and will stick really well.
I used the color Bit of Sugar by behr even though it was BM paint because I really liked how the walls turned out in the rest of my home. The white is not too stark and it doesn't have a bunch of annoying undertones in it that make it look like yellow, or gray or pink.
It took us 3-4 coats to fully get rid of the dark wood sanding lightly in between as needed with the 220 grit sanding block.
CURING AND LOTS AND LOTS OF PATIENCE
Here's the bad news, you have to let each coat sit for 16 hours to cure. That's a long time, but it's a vital part of the process. When you have painted all of the cabinet doors, you have to let them sit for 3-5 days to fully cure. This takes a lot of patience believe me!
I recommend reinstalling with a hand held screw driver instead of a heavy drill to avoid slipping and damaging the paint job.
After the curing time period is passed, it should be fairly straight forward when returning your cabinets to their rightful spots (if you prepared right). Be gentle with them of course, and there's no need to poly because this paint doesn't require it! yay!!!
THE WILD ROSE COUNTRY HOME WHITE CABINET LOOK
It was very important to me to add my personal touches to this space to bring in some warmth against the contrasting black and white. I made these basket lights out of waste baskets and added a cutting board feature on the side of the island. I also added a round jute rug to the space. It feels so much more cozy.
I did a little diy project on the pantry door too. I painted some plywood with black chalk paint and installed it over the tempered glass. Add a fun boxwood wreath, and voila! A fun cozy corner.
This gives it that extra little country touch.
What a huge change!
I have a fun tutorial on Instagram for the diy basket pendant lights and the pantry door. Please, feel free to head over to the highlights section and click on it! I'd love to say hi!
I hope this helps anyone out there build up the courage to do this. It IS a big job, but in a few short weeks, your vision can come to life!
I also have a contest going on for one more week! Subscribe to my email list and you'll be entered to win a $25 Michael's gift card. I can't wait to see who wins!!
Have a great week friends! -Jenn xoxoxo