Black and White, Pt. 1

So life has been a little crazy lately. Let's see- my workload has more than doubled, with everything due by June 30th. I have been feverishly prepping the condo for move-in on the 25th. And I have been trying to pack up the apartment (3 boxes so far- ugh). But the majority of my time has been spent on my next project: painting my cabinets.

Now, let me set the stage for you. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets- while in good shape- were in a pickled style of, for lack of better description, a nude flesh-tone color. Yup, it was prettttttty. HA. So, a few weeks back, I began to reach out for quotes to paint them from professionals. Everyone I had talked to that had done it said it wasn't worth my trouble and totally worth having it done by someone else. Welp, quotes started rolling in and were in the $2-3k range. No, thank you.

Before: Blech.

Before: Double Blech.

That's when I turned to the blogosphere. Yup, my fellow people were my saving grace. With just a simple search on Google, I came across Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations. What a God send! Everything I need (well, aside from paint brushes, dropclothes, and gloves) in one box. And- for only $80. Yipee!

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations.

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations Kit Contents.

Of course, I also needed something to do while everything is drying- a bottle of red and the latest copy of the Washingtonian. Thanks, Dad!!!

My mental release during this process.

It took me about 4 days (2 of those over the weekend- so think 2 full days and 2 evenings after work). The key honestly is making sure the cabinets are prepped properly and have enough time to dry.

Step 1: Remove all cabinet doors and space them out properly, then remove any hinges. Also remove any fixtures attached to the cabinet frame and fill holes with wood filler if you don't plan on using the same holes or fixtures after the painting is done. Make sure to tape up the walls and inside of the cabinets. I used Frog Tape.

The pre-paint cabinet frame- minus the doors.

Removing the hinges from the cabinet doors.

*TIP #1: Make sure to get a dropcloth that has a plastic film on one side so any paint or topcoat does not seep through onto the carpeting.

Step 2: Deglossing. This is honestly the hardest and most labor intensive stage of the whole process. However, it's one stage that takes care of stripping, sanding, and priming all in one. Yes- you read that correctly. No stripping, sanding, or priming with the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit. And when it says to use the deglosser liberally, it's not joking: pour that stuff on there and get scrubbing!

*TIP #2: Pay extra attention to this stage. If it is not done thoroughly, the paint will not adhere properly to the cabinets and all your hard work will be ruined.

Step 3: Wipe down the deglossed cabinets/frames with a damp towel until you see no more soapy residue, and then wipe it with a clean towel. I found a pack of like 20 microfiber towels from Home Depot for like $5. Totally worth it for this project and others around the house.

*TIP #3: Let this dry overnight. I honestly feel that drying overnight saved me a lot of heartache in ensuring the paint adhered to the cabinets/frames.

Dry, baby, dry!

Step 4: Get painting! For the bathroom cabinets/frame, I used 2 coats of the tinted dark color base. I cannot emphasize it enough: LET THE PAINT DRY THOROUGLY! This means 2-3 hours, although I leaned more towards 3 hours. After the 2nd coat, let it dry overnight. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

Coat #1.

As you can see, the first coat is very light.

*TIP #4: Make the first coat a lighter one. It's kinda like painting your nails: just cover all your bases in the first coat, and then go back over it to make it look pretty. :)

Step 5: The protective top coat. For the darker colors, the topcoat will show as a milky-white coat. But keep in mind it will dry clear. This needs to dry overnight in between each coat, and I ended up doing 2 coats on the front of the cabinet doors and the frame. After the first coat, fingerprints were showing pretty significantly, but the 2nd coat helped a lot with that.

*TIP #5: This dries quickly and drips even faster. Make sure you take your brush around the sides of the cabinet doors and the other side of the cabinets to catch any. Otherwise, you will have little pools of dried topcoat to sand down later.

Step 6: Add your hardware! I got a pack of 25 brushed nickel door handles from Home Depot for $30. This will cover my bathroom and kitchen with a few to spare. Totally worth the investment and they look just as nice as those from Pottery Barn.

*TIP #6: Put painter's tape on the area you are looking to drill your hole into for the doors/drawers. This will help you know EXACTLY where you want the door handle and it will prevent the door/paint from splintering.

So that's it- pretty cabinets that look like a whole new vanity for about $95, hard work, and a few days of your time. I did an awesome job, if I do say so myself.