Kitchen Cabinet Reveal

 Here it is... what you have been waiting for!!! My big kitchen cabinet reveal...  
Baking of any kind is a challenge with limited counter space.  I've been trying to convince my husband that we should buy some base cabinets and butcher block countertop from Ikea for the empty wall. However, I think we need to invest our money in a new stove and microwave first.  In the meantime, this is what we have been living with.  Excuse the mess please.... I took this shot just before I started to paint the kitchen cabinets.  Here is the before.

The cabinets weren't bad. They were in good shape and my husband loves the wood look.  I thought white cabinets would really brighten up the kitchen. I love a nice bright clean looking kitchen.
The color I chose for the cabinets was as Sherwin-Williams pearly white in a satin finish.  I know most people would go with a semi gloss for kitchen cabinets but I had half a gallon of this color just sitting in my basement from a previous project!  I figured if I hated it then I could go buy a little semi-gloss for the last coat.  I was pretty satisfied with the finished product though.  
After I took off all of the cabinets and hardware, I laid everything in my dining room on a tarp and sanded everything down.  After a lot of sanding, I vaccumed and wipped down all of the cabinets.  I painted on one coat of oil-based primer.  After letting that dry overnight, I woke up early and slightly sanded everything down again with fine grit sandpaper. Then I cleaned the cabinets again and painted the first coat.  After letting that dry for 5 hours, I painted the second coat.  I ran to Lowes in between coats and bought a foam roller for the final coat.  I thought the foam roller gave it a cleaner look than the regular brush and roller.
I originally planned to use our Lowes gift card we got from my sister-in-law to buy new hardware. However, I wasn't very impressed with Lowes's selection or prices.  Then I decided I would just clean the hardware we already have.  That, I realized, was an impossible task.  The hardware was gross and not in good shape.  
Plus, the idea of putting the old dingy black hardware on my new pretty cabinets, I don't think so!  Finally, my mother-in-law mentioned that she had some nice knobs to give me.  I found the perfect hinges I thought would go well with the knobs.  First I bought some flat hinges from Lowes, which didn't work because I needed 3/8 inch off set hinges.  When Lowes and Home Depot failed, I found some online for $3.80 a hinge.  I needed 26 hinges, and I knew that would quickly add up.  After browsing the web awhile, I found some on ebay for only $1.00 a piece! Score!  Then I had to wait almost a week for them to be delivered.  It worked out for the best while I waited for my cabinets to dry.  You are supposed to leave them alone for at least 3 days before handling, so not to ruin the new paint job.  Although, I don't think it really mattered since the cat, the dog and Chloe got in trouble for walking on the cabinets when they were supposed to be drying!
Here it is.... our new kitchen.

Paint.... free
Knobs... free
Hinges... $36.00
Foam roller... $1.50
Total cost of kitchen redo - $37.50.  (Nearly nearly losing my sanity re-hanging the kitchen cabinets.... priceless.)  Pretty good if you ask me.  It's a cheap update that makes the kitchen have a fresh new and brighter look.  What do you think?  Have you painted your cabinets for a fresher look? What was the most time consuming paint project you've completed?  Don't forget to check out Maryann's Power of Paint Party and Kim's boring to better party!  Pin It