2 shades of light gray. Abalone and Silver Fox to be exact. There's still plenty more to do (see wish list below), but this room already seems a bit more open than it did just last week. Painting the living room drastically changed the make up of that room, but I think emotionally seeing the results of these painted cabinets has done it for me. I now feel like this is my home. Not a place that I'm decorating for someone else. The lighter colors seem to have heightened the room. I can't wait to see what painting the rest of the wood paneling/trim will do.
The technique for tackling this job was similar to that of the living room. But unlike the living room, there was alot more prep work that took place before painting time. For example, I had the pleasure of unscrewing 45 cabinet doors and handles. Yay me!
Because I decided to paint the cabs 2 different colors, I had to create two separate work stations in my basement to keep myself from accidentally painting a door the wrong color.
First, I numbered each cabinet door on paper and then, in real life, with masking tape. He's my lovely illustration:
Next, it was time to take the cabinet doors down. I unscrewed each door from the cabinet, and then, because we weren't replacing our hinges and it's extremely important that all hinges are re-attached with the same door, I only loosened the screw that attached the hinge to the door just enough to be able to rotate it so that I could paint the door without painting the hinge. This cuts down on labeling, bagging, and anything else you'd have to do to keep each hinge with its respective door.
Now, we decided to keep our existing handles (sans cover plate) and, while I'm not certain of the importance to keep the handles with their original door, I decided it would be safe to just place each handle in front of its door. Here's what my little "workshop" looked like (ignore that the doors are already painted):
I used boxes and old canvas art to place the cabinet doors on top of. I even used wood trim that my husband has taken off our basement walls to stain & glaze. The proper thing to use is a workhorse...or something that is level and a bit more elevated and will allow you to paint the door edges with ease. **Because my motto is "lofty for less", and I don't own said workhorses, I was not about to pay money for the comfort. And as a result (of bending down constantly to prime and paint 45 cabinet doors...oh, and hauling 45 heavy cabinet doors from the kitchen to the basement...), I am sore as all get out, but no extra money was spent, and my body feels somewhat worked out.**
Once all of my doors were placed in their proper areas of my basement, I cleaned them all with Krud Krutter and began the 3 hour task of priming them (oil-based). Fun.
Hubby and I decided not to paint the interiors of our cabinets or the door interiors, which cuts out alot of painting time as well as curing time. We like the natural wood contrast when opening the door, but you may not so you'll need to give yourself more time to tackle this project if you decide to paint everything.
After priming, I painted on two coats of paint (which unintentionally took 4 days, #tiredworkingmomprobs). The colors mentioned above are Benjamin Moore colors, but I had them mixed at Sherwin-Williams using their premier Pro-Classic line. I wanted my cabinets to look as professionally painted as possible without much effort on my end, and I have to admit, this did the job. The paint rolled (and even brushed on smoothly), had great coverage and leveling capabilities. I cannot stress enough how much using the proper paint and tools makes any project look more professional with little leg work from you. Oh, and speaking of tools, I used a 4" high density foam roller (this helps to deliver a smooth application) and a high quality 2" brush to get in the nooks and crannies.
Once the paint was applied, the waiting game ensued. Four days for us, but be sure to read your paint label to determine the proper amount of wait time for you.
After time was up, we re-attached the handles and then re-installed the doors - an unexpectedly painstaking process. Lovely!
In the coming months (depending on what sales hit, of course), we plan on doing the following:
- Painting the walls a light cream color
- Installing back splash (light cream) above the counters
- Painting the rest of the wood trim, windows, and doors (white with a touch of beige)
- "Thickening" the trim near the ceilings
- Installing an industrial looking light fixture above the kitchen
- Wood planking the ceiling...should be fun
- Installing a double barn door system to cover the laundry room and entrance to my sewing room
- Installing a new back door (I want one with more windows to hopefully make the breakfast area a sunshine-y mess)!
Stay Tuned!
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