Kitchen Makeover: Lighter & Brighter

This kitchen makeover shows just how much color can impact a room. I've included the progression of photos documenting the project to show you how much each stage of the process can change the look of your space.

I am updating a kitchen for a repeat client. I previously painted her kitchen cabinets almost 10 years ago. She's now purchased a new home and wants to update the kitchen.

If you're in a hurry you can double click any of my photos to pull up a carousel which you can quickly browse through.

KITCHEN TOUR, BEFORE:

Welcome to my client's kitchen! It was built in the 1980s and hasn't seen a makeover before. 

The kitchen features a floor to ceiling pantry cupboard.

Original stained oak cabinetry.

Dark cabinetry with off-white appliances.

The orange wall color darkens the space.

Decorative spindles in the kitchen.

My client does not like the decorative spindles, so our first order of business will be to remove them.

Standing in the entryway looking through the spindles into the kitchen.

Once the spindles were cut it was easy to tear them out with bare hands. Don't worry they were merely decorative and not supporting the ceiling!

Decorative spindles removed

The holes left from the spindles were filled with wood filler. Once it was dry it was sanded smooth.

Man wearing RUSH t-shirt while patching holes.

It was a small change, but we all agreed it seemed to open up the space quite a bit.

Removing the spindles visually opened the space.

Compare this photo to the previous photo and you can see just how much the look and feel was changed with paint. We painted the walls in a lighter color (Carter Creme from the Joanna Gaines collection). It immediately brightened up the space! 

The lighter wall color immediately brightened the space.

Here's a close up of the original countertop. It's in good condition, but my client didn't care for the color. 

The dark countertop will be replaced.

We replaced the countertop with a budget-friendly Formica purchased from Lowe's. The integrated backsplash was slightly lower than the original, so it will require some patching later.

Making progress with a new wall color and countertop.

CABINET DOOR REMOVAL

I will paint the cabinet doors at my house and later return to finish the base cabinets. To start this part of the project I removed the cabinet doors and hinges. I used painters tape to label each of the cabinet doors from left to right. 

Cabinet doors removed.

Older cabinets can be finicky if you try to screw in a hinge to different spot. So, I labeled the flat surface that is mounted flush to the cabinets with a permanent marker. I didn't use tape since I planned to scrub the hinges and paint them later. 

Label the hinges as you go.

PAINTING KITCHEN CABINETS

I will show you how I achieve a sprayed-like finish without expensive equipment such as a paint sprayer and spray booth.

Minimal space is required for the actual painting, but a lot of space is needed to spread out and let the paint dry. My paint table is set up in the workout room in my basement.

Staging kitchen cabinets for painting.

I used cans and boxes to elevate the cabinet doors around the perimeter of the room. I put as many as possible on a table, but there are also doors around the perimeter of the room.

Using cans to elevate the cabinet doors.

I still needed more room, so I also used a table in an adjacent room. 

Cabinet doors spread out prior to painting.

I thoroughly cleaned all the surfaces one-by-one with Surface Prep (it now comes in easy-to-use wipes). It helps de-gloss and de-grease the wood. Don't be deceived even if they looked clean and ready to go! This step is essential!

De-glossing cabinet doors.

I used an old towel to wipe away the cleaner after scrubbing. You can see on the towel just how effective the surface prep is!

Wood cabinet de-glossed.

PRIMER

The paint I am using has a built-in primer, so using a primer isn't technically necessary. However, since my client chose a white paint over dark wood, I knew multiple coats of paint would be necessary. 

(The photos I'm sharing show the front of the cabinets. I used the same process to paint the back of the cabinet doors prior to working on the fronts.)

Primer is a little thinner than paint, so this gives a thin base coat to start with. Also, it never hurts to have an extra layer of adhesion and stain blocking. I brushed the primer onto the recessed area (in between the center panel and rails).

Applying primer with a brush.

Next, I used a 4" paint roller to apply the primer to the flat surfaces of the center panel and rails.

Rolling the first coat of primer.

While the paint was still wet, I ran a tooth pick around the frame to clear out any paint that settled in the gap at the bottom of the bead trim.

Remove wet paint from the gap with a toothpick.

I let the primer cure overnight and then inspected each piece for any trouble spots. There were a few sections of bleed-through on a few of the cabinet doors. Thankfully it was minimal! I sealed those areas with shellac and let it dry.

Apply shellac over the primer.

PAINTING

I prepared a 50/50 custom mix of the colors Cashmere and Bone. (Hint: buy direct from the company and wait for a sale to save $). Essentially, I poured one quart of each color into an empty 1-gallon paint can and then mixed thoroughly.

Fifty-fifty mix of paint colors.

The paint combination is a warm yet bright white.

Custom mix of white paint.

I used a brush to apply paint to the recessed areas.

Brushing paint into recessed area.

Then while the paint was still wet, I immediately applied my roller back and forth over the brushed paint. This gives a uniform look to the paint finish.

Rolling over the brushed paint.

Comparison of brushed vs rolled paint.

I used a 4" roller with a 1/4" nap on the flat surfaces of the cabinet doors.

Rolling paint onto the flat surfaces.

I also used the roller to paint the edges of the cabinet doors. The trick is to off-load as much paint as possible into the paint tray. Too much paint will result in lots of drips.

Rolling paint on the cabinet edges.

While the paint was still wet, I used an open cell roller to gently glide over the paint. This helps removes any paint bubbles on the surface.

Removing paint bubbles with an open cell roller.

Here's a short video clip of how I smooth out the paint with the open cell roller:

I don't always use the open cell roller, but the white paint will require multiple coats of paint, so I want to ensure that each layer will have the smoothest finish possible.

This extra step will ensure a smooth finish.

After each door is painted it's time to let the paint dry.

Waiting for paint to dry.

I lightly sanded the painted finish with a flexible sanding sponge before beginning another coat of paint.  It sounds time consuming, but it really isn't. I gently wipe the sponge over the doors.

Gently wipe the sanding sponge over the dry paint.

All-in-all it takes less than 30 seconds to sand each door. But the finish feels oh-so-smooth afterwards. I used a damp microfiber cloth to remove any sanding dust. I ended up applying three coats of paint overall.

The light sanding will make the finish luxuriously smooth!

AFTER

We still need to install a backsplash and new floor. But my client sent me a few photos of our progress so far. She is very pleased with the transformation so far!

Kitchen with new countertop and painted cabinets.

Paint brightens the kitchen.

Painted kitchen cabinets.

Before and after painted kitchen.