Kitchen Mini-Reno, Part 1: Seven Things to Consider Before Having Your Kitchen Cabinets Painted
Check out what a difference a fresh coat of paint can make! I’m unveiling part 1 of my kitchen mini-reno, sharing my experience, and highlighting seven important things to consider before painting your cabinets.
Hey everybody! Today I am sharing something a little different on Baking a Moment. Instead of a recipe, I want to show you pics of my newly transformed kitchen, and talk a little bit about how this first step in my mini-reno came about!
We bought this house five years ago, and the first time we walked through it, it was the kitchen that sold me. It’s airy and bright, with a little sunroom off to the one side that I knew would be just perfect as a playroom for my kids. I could be in the kitchen, doing my thing, and they could be right there doing theirs. But the best thing of all was how spacious the room is, with tons of cupboards for storage. It all worked out perfectly and we’ve been enjoying it ever since.
The only thing I didn’t quite love was the color of the cabinets. They were a very pretty medium-brown stained wood, but I had just always had my heart set on white. After five years of hard wear and tear, from a very cooking-centric family, they were looking even worse for wear. So I got it into my head to paint them.
There are tons of articles on the internet about how to paint your cupboards, and I’ve probably read most of them. Enough to know that it’s a multi-step process, involving taking off all the door and drawer fronts, sanding, priming, and multiple coats of paint. I’ve DIY’ed many home projects in my day, but at the stage I’m at right now, in my life and career, I knew that this was just going to be way more than I could handle. I mean, we’re talking 48 cupboards in this kitchen, a few of them with glass fronts (so they’d need to be painted inside and out!), plus a very tricky wine rack. This was best left to the pros.
I’m hoping that my experience can be helpful to you, so here are seven questions I asked myself, before taking on this project. I had NO idea what to expect at the outset, so hopefully what I learned might be useful, if you’re also thinking of improving your home in this way.
1. How Much Does it Cost?
I opted to paint the walls and the trim, as well as the manymanymany cabinets I mentioned above. I got two quotes and they were wildly different. The first one was for $1800, but he had a 2-month backlog of work to get through before he could squeeze me in. While I waited, I got another quote for close to $6000. To be fair, the second quote also included painting the ceiling and installing the new pulls I had picked out. (It costs nothing to get a quote, so I would definitely recommend talking to at least 2 contractors, if not 3 or 4.) In the end, that was just more than I could afford, so I waited it out and went with painter #1. I was very pleased with the job he did. If you live in the Delaware Valley, email me at bakingamoment(at)gmail(dot)com and I’m happy to pass his contact info along.
While $1.8k isn’t exactly chump change, I knew a project like this would have taken me weeks or even months to do myself, and as someone who earns her living (mostly) in the kitchen, that just wasn’t gonna fly. Also, I knew that installing all new cabinetry would have run in the tens of thousands, and cabinet refacing would probably be at least $8k. So, I was willing to save my pennies and wait it out 😉
2. How Long Does It Take?
The painter arrived on a Thursday morning and the job was wrapped up by Tuesday afternoon. He worked from about 8:30 am ’til around 3:00 pm on weekdays, taking about an hour for lunch. He had an assistant with him for 3 of those days.
I’m glad I hired somebody I could trust. I got the recommendation from a friend. Consider this carefully: these people are going to be in your home. Alllll up in your biz-nass. If you work outside of the home, they might be there unsupervised. If you and/or your kiddos are full-time at home, they’ll be there with you. Be safe, hire someone you know or someone with lots of good references.
3. Will It Totally Interfere with Your Life?
For me it really wasn’t too bad! While the job was in process, we had no doors on our cupboards. For the first day, there were dropcloths over everything. I didn’t have to empty out all my cabinets, just the glass-fronted ones and the lazy Susan in the corner. I was able to get in the kitchen to prep a few quick recipes, but mostly I tried to stay out of their hair. They put the doors back on before the final coat of paint was applied, and we left them ajar so they could dry/fully cure in place for about 2 or 3 days. Everything looked like ass for about a week but we managed to deal.
4. How Much Work Will You Do Yourself?
Even though I hired a contractor to do most of the work, it wasn’t as if I just sat back and did nothing. After the painters packed up and left, things were in a state of disarray. It was messy, and so I did have to clean thoroughly and put everything back in order. Also, there were knobs before, and I wanted to switch to pulls, so I needed to drill holes and screw on the new hardware. My pantry cabinet doors had been put on upside-down (honest mistake), so I also needed to fix that and touch up some of the paint along the bottom edge. And lastly, I had to make a hardware store run to pick up those stick-on bumper things, and put them on every door and drawer. It took me about 2 afternoons before things were back to normal.
5. What Colors Should You Pick?
Like I said, I’ve always dreamed of white, but my kids and husband are HARD on stuff. I was afraid for the lowers, especially. I imagined white cabinets would get destroyed. Sorta like what my 8-year old did to my fridge?
Shooting hockey pucks at it, in case you were wondering. Mm-hmm. Anyhow, I thought gray might be a better choice to hide scuff marks and finger prints, so I went with Benjamin Moore’s Platinum. I’ve used this color on other items in my home and to me it’s the perfect light gray. Not to green-y, not to purple-y, as grays can sometimes be. For the uppers, I went with Pure White, off the shelf. Same goes for trim, and the walls are Lime Rickey (also Benjamin Moore), which looks cah-RAZY, almost neon on the chip, but I just adore that fresh Spring green when it’s up on the walls.
6. What Might You Wish You’d Done Differently?
I actually wish I had picked the white off a chip, instead of just going with the off-the-shelf stuff. I don’t hate it, but at certain times of day it does read a little blue-ish. It’s not an exact match for the white subway tile backsplash, and the difference kinda stands out to me. If you’re thinking of doing what I did here, I would definitely recommend grabbing a few chips and picking a creamier-toned white.
However, I am in LOVE with the gray! For something that was a “second choice,” it ended up being my favorite thing in the kitchen. I almost wish I had done everything in this color! Plus it covered the dark wood a lot easier. By coat number 4 of white, I think the painter was getting a little annoyed with my selection.
7. What about those Cabinet Pulls?
Yes, they’re gold. Or rather, brushed brass. If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, it’s coming back in a major way! I was ready to jump on the bandwagon, so I chose these pulls. My first choice was these, but at $13 per pull, that would have broken the bank at over $500 just for cabinet hardware! I knew there had to be a more affordable option, so I’m really happy I found this site.
Which leads me to the question I want to ask YOU! Now that I’ve got a few touches of warm gold, what do you think I should do about the light fixture over the island? I’m seeing 3 possibilities and I’d love to get your opinion! Click your vote in the survey below and we’ll make this decision together!
*If you aren’t familiar with Rub ‘n Buf there’s a great explanation here.
I hope this was fun for you, even though it’s not the kind of thing I normally post here. I’m hoping to make this a multi-part series, so if you really enjoyed it, please let me know by liking, sharing, tweeting, and pinning! And if you have any other questions I can answer, leave me a comment and I’ll do my best!
What a beautiful kitchen! The white/gray/green color scheme works together so nicely! I have major kitchen envy.
Aw thank you! I’ve wanted it for so long! 🙂
I am so in love with your new kitchen! My kitchen is huge and functional but I dream of white cabinets. I am so happy for you. And I, too, would hire professionals to do the work. You have enough going on. Such a big difference between the two quotes though! Reminds me of when I got quotes for my blog redesign… 😉
So true! Always get more than one quote. I hope you get your white kitchen someday Meggan!
omg it looks AMAZING!! so jealous!!
Aw thank you Kayle! I’m still pinching myself 😉
I love the fresh new look. Please tell me where I can get that breadbox.
Thank you so much Sandy! It’s by Polder and I ordered it from Amazon. Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/Polder-KTH-916201-Retro-Bread-White/dp/B001AQS2CG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429052300&sr=8-1&keywords=polder+bread+box
This is something I would love to do! My kitchen hasn’t been updated in over 10 years lol…and I would love white too! Your kitchen looks beautiful!
Thank you so much Veronica! I’ve been wanting it for a long time. I hope you get your update soon too! I thought this was a great way to get a whole new look on a pretty small budget.
I really love the changes! Since your cabinets and other furnishings were still good, a paint job is a great way to freshen up the kitchen without having to redo the WHOLE kitchen, which would have been way more expensive. I love that you offered suggestions and tips to help others make the right choice to have their cabinets painted.
Thanks Connie! I’m so glad you liked it and found it helpful! Thanks for the great feedback 🙂
Your kitchen turned out beautiful and thanks so much for sharing your experience and things to consider with regards to painting cabinets. I’ve debated to have mine done (what I’d really love is a total kitchen remodel!), you’ve given me much to consider, think about…and inspiration! 😉
Thanks Cristina! At first I was thinking a remodel was the only option- I’m so glad I thought to get it painted because it really saved so much money. Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
Your kitchen turned out great, Allie! Love the light colors.
Thanks so much Jen! I’m still doing a double-take every time I step in there, lol!
Your kitchen is the DREAMIEST! And thank you for all the tips–we have never renovated a kitchen (mostly because we have rented for so long) but I’m definitely keeping these in mind when it finally comes time to buy a house! I can see why you were sold on this kitchen, and all the work you have done makes it even more welcoming!
Aw thank you so much Amy! I used to help people with remodels all the time in my previous career, but those projects were always MAJOR and cost a ton. I don’t know if I’ll ever do one like that, but I’m loving the way this turned out and the price wasn’t too bad!
Oh my goodness, this is incredible, Allie! These ‘before and after’ photos belong in the pages of a magazine. You could transform people’s kitchens as a sideline!
P.S. Just love the hockey puck effect fridge … one of a kind!
It’s one of a kind, for sure! That’s one nice thing you can say about it 😉 Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Helen! I’m loving how things are coming along so far 🙂
Wow, your kitchen looks so great, Allie! I LOVE the white. That would be my color of choice for kitchen cabinets too. My new life goal is to have a kitchen as big as yours. 😀 Gorgeous!
It’s nice and big! I’m telling you, the minute I walked into it that first time, I was totally sold! I’m so glad you like the white too. Thanks Beth 😀
It looks AWESOME!!!!! Totally love the two-toned cabinets, what a change! Can’t wait to see it in person. 🙂
Yes! You’ve gotta come over and see it! Thanks Kellie <3
First off, LOVE the look you’ve got going. Second, thank you for this post! The whole world of renovation and interiors is very daunting to me so it’s nice to have some real-life experience to refer to!
It is daunting, I agree! Even though I used to help people with big renovation projects all the time, the idea of actually doing it in my own house was super scary! Paint is relatively easy, but there were still a lot of questions I had going in. I’m so glad you thought it useful! Thanks so much for the great feedback <3
Love it. I must know about that breadbox. Where can I get one? I’ve been looking but haven’t found the right thing until now. I hope it’s still available.
Hey Sandy! Sorry for the late reply. I got that breadbox on Amazon about a year ago. I was able to dig it up the link for you- here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Polder-KTH-916201-Retro-Bread-White/dp/B001AQS2CG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429052300&sr=8-1&keywords=polder+bread+box. Thanks so much!
Thanks for taking The time to look that up. I’m headed to Amazon now
Wow! I LOVE your kitchen – such wonderful light! My kitchen looks like a dank cave! I’m totally with you on the cabinet colors, I love clean white! And I love the pulls and subway tiles. The hockey puck dents in the fridge are an especially nice touch 😉
Haha right?! I am trying to keep a positive attitude about those dents 😛 Thanks so much and I’m so happy you like it!
Wow, what a transformation paint can make. Your kitchen is now so bright and looks like you had a full renno. Thank you for sharing and I hope you enjoy you’re new look, I know I am 🙂
Thank you so much Janette! I really am enjoying it- it’s like a breath of fresh air!
Absolutely gorgeous! LOVE the new look.
Thank you so much! I’m still pinching myself. So nice of you to drop by and I really appreciate the sweet comment 🙂
LOVE the change Allie! It looks like a brand new kitchen… so bright and airy! Absolutely stunning!
Thank you so much Chris! I still can’t get over the change!
Allie, I LOVE your new kitchen!!!! and love the shot of your aspiring hockey player! 😛 you need to send that photo to the Philadelphia Flyers! 😛
Haha yes! He is obsessed! Thank you so much Alice!
Love it!
Hooray! Thank you so much Linda!