Painting Kitchen Cabinets (Painted Cabinetry)

This is the second post on the details of my recent kitchen makeover.  Today, I'd like to share my cabinet painting experience.  At the end of this post, I've included all of the paint colors used in the kitchen project.  Later on this week, I'll be sharing more details on how we customized our builder-grade kitchen cabinets. 

Back to cabinet painting...I often watch (with excitement and anticipation) as clients go through this process.  It was good for me to experience it first hand, in my own home, to remind me what it's like living through a re-model.  A taste of my own medicine :).

  At times it was pretty stressful, but so worth it in the end. 

I would do it over again in a heartbeat.  I'm so happy with the results.  

Here is a look back at what they looked like originally, (medium tone birch)...

{Before}

And here is what they look like now...

{After}

{After}




 Since this is design for real people, I'm going to be real about this experience.
Before the transformation was complete, there was a "during" period.  This is the part of the post where the pictures are hard to look at.


Here is what my home looked like for many weeks in between the before and after...

{During}

{During}

{During}



Here is how it went down...

I decided to have the cabinets brushed as opposed to having them sprayed (Both options are great.  My personal preference was the old fashioned way).  I hired a professional painter {Bob's Home Improvements Pontiac, Mi}.  He began the  process by removing the doors and creating a tent of plastic around the kitchen.  He gave everything a good sanding (which made a huge mess, even though the kitchen was wrapped in plastic) followed by a coat of (really stinky) oil based primer.

Then came three coats of oil based enamel {satin finish}.  Due to excessive heat, high humidity, and a ton of dust in the air, the painting all had to be done inside, with the windows closed.  The house was turned into a make-shift painters warehouse for several weeks.  The smell was pretty strong so the kids and I made ourselves scarce.  We took a trip out of town to escape the fumes.

Tips for anyone considering this project...

~Research the process thoroughly if you are going to attempt it DIY style.  This is one project you don't want to do twice.
~Use a licensed and insured professional if you choose to hire the job out.  Don't be afraid to interview several painters and ask to see examples of their work {specifically kitchen cabinetry}.
~Pack up the contents of your kitchen, it's much easier than dealing with dust on your dishes and in your food.
~Get yourself, the kids and pets out of the house while the paint is wet {Especially if using oil based paint}.
~Be prepared for a huge mess.  Expect to be inconvenienced for a while.  It's temporary, you'll get through it and you'll be happy in the end.

Here are the paint colors used in the kitchen makeover...

The paint used for the cabinets was an oil based enamel.  The painter chose his favorite brand of paint and had it custom mixed to my color choice.  I chose the same color as the trim throughout our home, Martha Stewart's "Tailors Chalk". In the image below, you can see how the cabinets match the super thick crown molding (which is really an optical illusion, you can read about, here).

In this image, you can also see into the dining room.  The color in that space is a dark green based gray also by Martha, "Crevecour".

The light grayish green of my new kitchen is a custom mixed color based on a very old Martha Stewart color, "Coir".  This color is so old, that it was actually part of the paint collection sold at Kmart.  This color can also be found in my living room, breakfast nook and foyer.  Since it has been discontinued, I had to have it custom matched to a small sample I had laying around from previous touch up job.  I've had so many emails asking for this paint recipe that I seized this opportunity to share it with you...

Here, again,  is "Coir" on the walls of the breakfast nook and "Tailors Chalk" on the trim and molding.  The black doors are Martha Stewart "Silhouette".

For the doors, molding and trim, I used a latex satin finish paint, for the walls I used a latex flat finish.
After experimenting with a few different paints and finishes, the painter achieved the best results using a high quality, satin enamel mixed with a paint leveling additive.

This experience was similar to having a baby.
When the project was complete and I saw my brand new kitchen for the first time, I completely forgot about the delivery.