I wanted the kitchen cabinets updated, he didn't.
Do you have a family member who is stuck in the past, maybe a parent or a grandparent who just doesn’t want to do an update to their kitchen? I do—and it took some talking to get Jamie’s dad to let me give his kitchen cabinets a makeover. His house is a 100 year old farmhouse. The kitchen was updated in the 70’s, long before we bought this house. There are many updates that need to be done, but for now, I am just tackling the cabinets.
Here is the before and after. Quite a change, don’t you think?
The steps involved were as follows:
- Wash all wood with TSP
- Lightly sand all surfaces with fine grit (220) sandpaper
- Wipe down all surfaces
- Remove doors and drawers and all hardware
- Put hardware in a safe place, being careful not to lose anything
- If necessary, sand (built up grease) edges of doors
- Use painter’s tape and newspaper to protect inside of doors from paint.
- Add picture frame molding for detail
- Prime all wood surfaces with a light coat of primer
- Allow to dry
- Lightly sand all surfaces, apply another light coat of primer
- Allow to dry—lightly sand
- Apply a light coat of Semi-Gloss paint
- Allow to dry—lightly sand
- Apply a second coat of Semi-Gloss Paint
- Allow all surfaces to cure well before re-installing doors and drawers. I waited two weeks after last coat of paint. Due to storing the doors/drawers in the garage, they were still a little tacky. The facings and other surfaces in the kitchen cured much more quickly.
- Drill holes for new knobs, reinstall hardware—I switched from handles to knobs
- Spray paint hinges/drawer handles, install hinges and doors. I used Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint
- Step back and SMILE! Pat yourself on the back!
I used the touch up roller for the first coat, but after that I switched to this foam roller. The foam roller does a much better job getting in tight places around the trim.
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I have a Homeright Finish Max paint sprayer that I used on all of the doors and drawer fronts. It really makes the job go quicker. I find it works best with the surface held vertically. I sprayed the surface with the Zinser oil based paint, then laid the door down to get the edges.
I used this combination square to make sure the molding is all equidistant from the edge.
A handy nail gun, and some wood putty made this job easy.
I used EasyCare in semi-gloss (Sugar Sweet) on these cabinets. A good paint brush is a must.
I made a little template out of some thin plywood to insure all my knobs would be placed the same. It was two-sided—one for left knobs, the other for right knobs. I placed the dot into the corner where the knob was to go, marked it with a pencil, then drilled my hole.
Some new bead board and the window frames got a nice coat of paint also.
In addition I bought two new blinds to brighten up the space.
Is the kitchen fully updated? No—but this was a huge step in the right direction, and Jamie’s dad loves the new look!
How about you? Do you love the updated look? Is there someone in your family resisting change?
gail
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Hi. The remodel looks great! I'm not clear about how to add the molding. Did you use wood glue and then nails? How many and where? Apologies if I missed these details in your instructions - I'm no quick study when it comes to these types of projects! Thank you!
Gina,
No glue, only nails. It wouldn't hurt to add glue, just know that it may be visible when painted (if any oozes out) 🙂
I don't mention how many nails, but I would guess about every 10-12 inches. Don't shoot them too near the corners, or the molding will split.
You can see how I did my molding on my fireplace with glue only here: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/its-coming-along/
good luck!
gail
Great job! I am thinking of doing the same with some drawers I have. I am concerned the trim with come out of place or buckle since the slab drawer front its glued on top of will contract and expand throughout the seasons. Have you noticed your peices moving out of place? Also, are the old cabinet doors made of solid wood or sometime of plywood?
Since these cabinets are not in my own home, I can't just walk in the other room to check them out. But, last I saw them, they were doing fine. With the glue and finish nails, I don't think they will move. Someday, they may need some caulking if there are any small issues.
They were real wood doors from the 70's.
gail
Was the reason that you didn't paint the backs of the doors because you did not want to paint the inside of the cabinets?
Yes, Marsha. I wanted the cabinets to look uniform when the cabinet door is open. In addition, not painting the inside of the door made the job go twice as fast. 🙂
I'm really happy I did it this way and don't regret it one bit. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
gail
The cabinets look great! My neighbor and I are getting ready to do this exact same thing to her cabinets. How far in did you go with the molding. 1 or 2 inches?
It's difficult to say.... I think it would depend on the size of your doors Tanya. Looking at the combinatin square it appears that I put mine just over an inch. It really doesn't matter how far, just that you make them all the same around each door. 🙂
good luck, have fun!
gail