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Kitchen Makeover Phase Two: Painting the Cabinets

The Kitchen Makeover is moving along….

It’s been quite the undertaking, especially since the space has had to remain in working order throughout the entire process.  To be honest though, it really hasn’t been too bad, but I am very thankful that it’s almost done.  After the completion of the countertops last week, this week’s task was to paint the cabinets.

What do you think??

After much thought (and a few sleepless nights), I decided on a color that is primarily taupe, but has undertones of blue, green, and gray.  The actual color is Benjamin Moore – Berkshire Beige.  I have used this color before and it is truly one of my favorites!

Thanks to my gracious friends at Benjamin Moore who kindly supplied the paint for this project, I was on my way to transform these beauties. 

Bye-Bye to oak and Hello to taupe!

For this project, I used the Benjamin Moore Aura paint in a semi-gloss finish – It’s an amazing product and gives complete coverage!

As you’ve seen a few times from other posts, the before cabinets were a stained oak finish.  I had updated the hardware last year (which I love), so that was the only element that was remaining.  After the countertops were transformed with the Rust-oleum Transformations Kit, I was ready to get painting.

If you haven’t seen the kitchen before, here it is…

I started off with the peninsula section of the kitchen. Using a latex based primer, I applied the paint with the ‘W’ technique. Note: Many DIYers like to use Oil based primers and paints for cabinets because it’s more durable and is easier to clean, but I felt comfortable enough that in this application, the latex paint would be fine and hold up over time.

After this part was done, I worked on the remainder of the kitchen in sections.  I first removed the upper cabinets, painted them and the face frame, then moved on to the base cabinets.  Because my kitchen had to be functioning at all times, it was best to break it up and work in “small doses” instead of removing every door at once.

Design Tip

The key to creating smooth brush and roller strokes is to use a paint additive, like Flood Floetrol.  This was the first time that I’ve ever used an additive when painting and it gave amazing factory finish results.  And the cost?  Less than $10 a bottle (depending on the size).

Once the doors were off, I was ready to paint.  I used a brush-and-roller-combination technique (fancy, huh?!).  I first used the brush to get into the recessed crevices of the door, then worked my way to the outside panel and sides, and finished the center area with the roller.  Once the cabinet face is covered with paint, it’s important to go back with the roller to smooth out any ridges or roller marks (very important to create a smooth finish).

Tip: Roll the roller in the same direction as the wood grain.

Moving on to the cabinet face.  Using the same brush-and-roller-combination technique, I painted the cabinet fronts. ( I can’t believe I’m letting you peak into my cabinets…they’re a mess!)

All the cabinets are complete…they’re done and you’re so excited.  BUT wait right there…it’s time to remove the painter’s tape.  For me, this is always the tricky part because I find the tape often pulls off the paint.  The solution to this is to use a sharp blade to score the line where the tape meets the painted surface.

If some paint does peel off, lightly sand the area, then use a small brush for touch-ups.  Take a look at my areas of oops, the paint peeled

After a few touch-ups, I really was finally done with the cabinets.  And here are the results~

I still am resisting to show you the entire space because there is still some more to do before this makeover is complete.  Did you happen to notice anything else in the kitchen that is new???

Check back next week for Phase Three of this kitchen makeover!

The product mentioned in this post was provided by Benjamin Moore, but the review and opinions provided are 100% my own.

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