Nip & Tuck: Super Facelift

I have been trying to keep my home renovation project under budget, which is why I have done a lot of the work myself (and with the help of my father), but sometimes you need to call in the professionals (plumbing, electrical, granite).  From the beginning I KNEW I couldn’t afford a complete new kitchen, and I had to transform my kitchen on a penny, that’s right- not a dime, a penny!  Luckily, I was lucky enough to have stainless steal appliances come with the home.  However, the cabinets were completely outdated.

It’s all good though! I know some one who paints furniture, wink wink!  I was going to use chalk paint originally, but screw that; it would prove to be way more work- between painting, smoothing, and waxing.  SO, I decided to use latex paint with my paint air gun, and set up shop outside at my parents house.

To save on costs, I chose to coordinate the paint for the cabinets with a bathroom.  This way I was able to get a gallon and utilize the whole thing.  I decided on Benjamin Moore’s “White Down.”

The Cabinets had been properly cleaned and prepped.  I applied two coats of “White Down (In an eggshell finish) to the cabinets, and immediately the cabinets were COMPLETELY transformed!  I loved the color choice- they aren’t a bright white, and they aren’t a heavy cream color, I feel its a good balance between the two!

Once the paint had a few days to cure, I knew I had to seal them properly in order to prevent them from chipping, scratching, and also allow me to clean them with soap and water down the road. I did not to wax the cabinets, and I certainly couldn’t use a polyurethane because it would yellow the paint, so I decided on Minwax’s Polyacrylic Clear Satin.

I have used this product before, and it does leave a protective coat with a nice sheen.  However, I have had some instances where it was not so great, especially over whites.  If you apply the product too heavily it can yellow when dry.  After all the work I had put it already, I was really nervous about this happening.  I had posted a video on Facebook before I began… I was semi-freaking out.  I EVER so gently, applied the polyacrylic with my air gun.  The first coat came out AWESOME!!!!  I used 400 grit sandpaper in between coats.  I applied a total of 3 coats. Here is the finished product:

ALL DONE! Now I just need to paint the cabinet frames, and once they are done, I can hang the doors back up, put on the hardware and call the kitchen a wrap!

Advertisement