FINALLY, I have some time to sit down and get to the pictures of our kitchen, before and after my husband got his hands on it! I think my husband ROCKS and most importantly, he loves home DIY home improvement projects as much as I love decorating, especially when power tools are involved. Go ahead and grab that Coke Zero. This home improvement, DIY kitchen transformation is amazing! It’s going to teach you how to paint kitchen cabinets~ white.
First I just have to show you what my hubby did! You see that big Magnolia tree in the front yard? Well that tree is gone. It was blocking the front of my house. My husband cut it down….with an ax (because his chainsaw kept dying). I told you he rocks!! And the front of my house looks so much better.
Now the front of my house looks like this.
My landscaper (AKA my dad) has not decided what to do with that empty space yet. I’m sure he will come up with exactly the right thing to place there!
Don’t you just love how green my grass is? David used Scott’s Snap-Pac fertilizer on it and it works amazing!
OK, ok onto the painted kitchen cabinets! Here are pictures of the kitchen cabinets BEFORE David painted them. Thank You to Dyan Pithers, Coldwell Banker, for the before pictures.
Please note these were taken when the previous owners lived here, therefore the home decor is NOT mine!
The kitchen cabinets were VERY orange, and orange definitely was not part of my home decorating plan! Because they are solid wood and the style of them were pretty simple and plain, I just knew that David could bring those babies to life!
And here are what the kitchen cabinets look like after David refinshed them and painted them white! I just love white kitchen cabinets!! They look so clean, classy, and timeless!
NOTE: we finally painted the kitchen island espresso
Didn’t he do a WONDERFUL job! I will be changing the floor to a darker hardwood floor and adding granite or marble countertops. That should help with the designer look that I am going after!
What we did:
We painted the kitchen Sherwin Williams’ Gateway Gray. I had the Sherwin Williams paint guy mix it at only 50% to lighten the paint color a shade.
We replaced the black kitchen appliances with stainless steel kitchen appliances, except we haven’t replaced the microwave and oven. I am yet to find one that I love and willing to spend that amount of $$ for! If you recommend one, please let me know!
David replaced all the kitchen cabinet hardware to brushed stainless steel hardware which we bought at Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. David also replaced the hanging light fixture over the kitchen table with a brushed nickel light fixture from Lowe’s . I was surprised at the variety and prices! You should be able to find one you love that will fit your budget!
When my husband painted the white kitchen cabinets, I’m not gonna lie, it took a while, but he took his time and they turned out great. He began by removing all of the cabinets and drawer fronts, removed the hardware and cleaned them thoroughly with soapy water. He then sanded all of them lightly with 120 grit sand paper. Next he sprayed them with a high adhesion latex primer that we bought from Sherwin Williams, sanded them very lightly again to make sure they were smooth, and then sprayed them with the final paint topcoat. He used an HVLP paint sprayer connected to his air compressor, but (since he had to completely take the sprayer apart to clean it each time he painted), he spent a LOT of time adjusting the air/paint mixture in order for it to spray without splatters. After they were completely dry, we remounted everything and put on the new hardware.
Here is the best tip ever! If you take your cabinet doors and drawer fronts down, number each of them, maybe on the back side. Just figure out something to keep track of what number it is, so when you paint over the number, you will not be like me, frustrated to the max with figuring out where the heck the door goes!! Make a “map” of where each numbered cabinet was hung.
Why do this? Because builders don’t always place screws into the same place on every cabinet and especially drawer fronts. If you mix them around and remount them wherever, you’ll find that a lot of them are crooked and won’t shut right!
We have accomplished alot in the short amount of time we have been here. We have had to prioritize each project for each room because each room has needed attention. Now we get to go back and FINISH our Honey Do list. Unfortunetly, Uncle Sam called and David is needed in Afganistan. All projects will have to be on hold until he returns!
Our honey do list for my Kitchen is still kinda long, but that’s what it will take to complete my home vision!
-add crown molding to tops of the cabinets
-replace the horrible ceramic tile with hardwood floors
-replace counter tops with marble counter tops
-find a stainless steel oven and microwave that has great reviews! any suggestions?
-replace kitchen faucet
-replace glass stove top with gas cook top
-add pendant light over island
-repaint kitchen island a dark color, maybe
I think when this honey do list is complete, I will be one happy chef! Chef? Did I call myself a chef? Well we will just have to wait and see if a beautiful white kitchen inspires me to be one!
Does you kitchen inspire you to cook?
Please subscribe to my blog and let your friends know about me! I have added a facebook “like” icon and other ways to subscribe to my blog. Thanks for following me and please pray for our Troops and pray for the safety of my husband.
Linking to CSI Project
