Mini Kitchen Makeover
July 7, 2011
So we took a little vacation last week up and down the California coast and we were gone for six days. Apparently, the moment we locked the front door our refrigerator decided to turn itself into an oven, both the refrigerator and freezer I might add. We came home to a dripping, gooey, moldy, horrible, like something out of a Halloween movie mess, with a super fun odor to go with it!
Thankfully, the refrigerator was finally repaired yesterday, it needed a fancy shmancy part, but I lived without it for a week. Why do I tell you this exciting story? Because of this minor inconvenience I was forced to use the kitchen in our guest studio. Yes, we have a little guest studio above our garage with a small but full kitchen. We’ve had tenants over the years, but right now the studio is used for storage and is available for out of town family and guests.
Anyway, prepping and cooking in this kitchen made me realize I was not in love with the color of the cabinetry, so I decided while I was up there, I might as well just refinish them. I also swapped out the light fixture and added a much needed window shade.
Before:
After:
I swear, it feels twice as big inside with the white cabinets!
The cabinetry you see is actually the same cabinetry that used to be in our kitchen years ago. When we added the studio and new kitchen five years ago, we reused the old kitchen cabinets up here which saved us a lot of dough. We even reused the same sink, faucet, and refrigerator that were still in excellent shape from when the house was first built twelve years ago. Funny, this refrigerator has never given me trouble, but the fancy shmancy one in my kitchen? It has needed to be repaired twice now, grrr.
I decided to use the RustOleum Cabinet Transformations Kit that I had a chance to sample last year to see how it would perform on my own cabinets. This 8’ x 9’ kitchen was the perfect candidate for a quick fix weekend makeover. I chose the color ‘Linen’.
I also did something unconventional that I’ve never done before, I painted the doors and drawer fronts in place! I didn’t bother to remove them like I always have in the past. I just didn’t feel like carrying them up and down to my garage in the July heat!
I only got away with it because of the nifty hinges inside the cabinet, I just painted around them with a smaller brush.
After the deglossing step, I applied the first layer of the bond coat thin enough that I wasn’t worried about drips, but thick enough to give good coverage, I was really pleased with it.
The bond coat has the fluidity of paint, but the texture of primer once applied. It does dry quickly like a primer, but I did not experience the same amount of drag or brush strokes that I have with latex paints (to which I typically add a conditioner like Floetrol to minimize the drag and brush strokes).
I did notice after two coats there were small brush strokes on the surface, but if you’re careful in your application and use a good angled brush (I like the Purdy brand) brush strokes are minimized, and only noticeable when you get up extremely close to the cabinets. I also noticed in some areas, I needed to go back over the cabinets or drawer fronts with a third touch up coat in spots.
The kit also comes with a dark decorative glaze which is optional, but I prefer the clean look without the glaze, so I skipped it. The bond coat dries very flat, which is why you’ll need to add the UV protective coat at the end for a subtle sheen and to seal the bond coat. I have two entire quarts of this protective coat left, which I know I’ll use again and again in the future.
The product is low odor, water based, with very easy to follow instructions. It retails for $79 for the small kit and $149 for the large. Refinishing cabinets the traditional way, I’d typically purchase a gallon of primer ($25) a gallon of paint ($30), a paint conditioner ($8), brush and sanding wedge ($20) and a quart of protectant ($12) for a total of $95, so I see this kit (if buying the large) as a small splurge for a kitchen project, however the ease of use, easy cleanup, and time savings makes up for the cost difference since there’s no stripping, sanding or priming required. The kits often go on sale at OSH, Home Depot and Lowes.
I still stand by my original review of the kit, and I will use this again. I have 2/3 of a gallon of the bond coat left, enough to redo my hall bathroom and perhaps a piece of furniture or two. I do recommend the kit as a great solution for a quick fix or weekend makeover.
I replaced the light fixture and added a new shade as well. The industrial style fixture was a find from my local ReStore, I picked it up for $12 and gave it a coat of spray paint on top.
I love the contrast between the matte nickel top and shiny white underside, it’s perfect!
The woven shade is Levolor, cut as an outside mount to a few inches beyond the window. You can find them at Lowes in five different colors, they cut them for you in the store, so easy!
Here’s a couple more ‘Before’ and ‘After’ shots:
Rug by Dash & Albert.
A fantastic result in one weekend!
This post is not sponsored or paid for by Rust-Oleum. It is my honest opinion and evaluation of their Cabinet Transformations Kit based on my personal experience.
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Tags: cabinet transformations, painting kitchen cabinets, rustoleum
This looks great! You have really made a transformation to this kitchen! I’m a little confused though – which kitchen is yours? You have another kitchen pictured in a different link that you refinished the cabinets to. The other kitchen pictured is in ‘Painting Wood’ under ‘Painting Kitchen Cabinets’ from March 2010.
Do u have any tips for how to add the knobs so they are even and straight? I want to add them, but am scared I’ll use the drill and mess up. Thanks
I’m definitely trying this in my bathrooms–no sanding or priming makes me a happy girl!! I just refinished our kitchen cabinets and man what a job! They look awesome but it was so much work!! Thanks for the review!
Were these cabinets solid wood or did they have any laminate on them?
Thanks!
I was at Home Depot tonight and saw this. I had decided to paint my cherry wood cabinets this summer and so I noticed the set-up when I walked by. I really had planned on painting them white. I am seeing mixed reviews all over when people didn’t use the glaze. What do you think made yours work where others didn’t? Did you use a roller?
This is such a huge undertaking and I am nervous enough as it is doing it on my own. My husbands is extremely leery and trying to talk me out of it.
My husband and I just finished our cabinets with this kit. It took us a week to finish, only because we did ours in the evenings. I have to say that the De-glosser is what makes this kit so fantastic and easy, it saved hours of sanding.
We purchased the Purdey brush as suggested by you, and we used a sponge roller. We used the roller for the paint (along with the brush for tighter spots). But when it came to doing the last step, putting on the top coat, we used just the Purdey brush (you were so “spot on” with that brand of brush…excellent). I would suggest to others to go back and check the work you did once you’ve finished an area. Just when we thought we had it all smoothed out we would go back and find a place that had globbed up in spots…and believe me, you want it all smooth.
We used the light kit on our oak cabinets. I chose the color Linen. I have to say that the color was a little disappointing, it just looks white, and I was looking for, well, a “linen” color without having to use the glaze (I didn’t want the wood grain on my cabinets to stand out). I read many, many reviews for this product and heard a few people say that the colors are true to what is on the box, but was not the case once on our cabinets.
Overall, the cabinets turned out great and gave us a much needed make-over. We are now applying the Rustoleum Countertop Transformations as I type. We picked Onyx. It was very tough to those the countertop color. I wanted to find close up pictures of each of the colors, other than what was on the box…I didn’t have much luck. I’m hoping there is a little definition in what we picked, and it doesn’t look just black. Will have to let you all know.
If you need a kitchen make-over and don’t have the budget for a brand new kitchen…this is the kit for you!
p.s. goes much faster when working with another person.
I was wondering what paint color you have on the walls in this guest studio kitchen. It looks like a gray, do you happen to know the color and brand?
Thank you!
~Edith
Love the cabinets! Debating on how to do ours and wanted to know how visable the wood grain is with this product? I also want to if you have any sugestions on how to best paint base trim and doors. Thanks! Kate
How in the heck did I miss this?!?!?! Painted the cabinets with the doors still on? Oh junk! Those are the same hinges I have on my doors! Ok, let me calm down…. I’m going to do that for my bottom cabinets! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, let me find the post on your island:)
Oh I see how I missed it… This post was done on my anniversary! I was busy girl;)
Hey Edith, the color on the walls was a custom blend I did, but the closest match is ‘Autumn Fog’ by Valspar; ‘Flint Smoke’ by Behr; and ‘Silver Gray’ by Benjamin Moore.
Kate, the wood grain will be visible, so if you have oak, be prepared that the Kit won’t hide the wood grain, it will just change the color.
Shayna, these are solid wood cabinets, alder wood to be exact!
Juls, this kitchen belongs to our guest studio that we rent out sometimes, the other posts refer to the main kitchen in our house.
Kate
What a great transformation!!!
LOVE it!!
I am painting my kitchen cabinets too and I’ve never heard of this before! I will definitely try it. I have a question before: My cabinets are dark cherry color so do you think with two coats will be enough?will it work? I want to paint them white-off white.
THANK YOU!!!!Ana
Looks great! My husband and I will actually be painting our kitchen cabinets this weekend using this same kit. I had a question about the color: I noticed that you have a white stove and you chose the Linen color for the cabinets as opposed to the Pure White base. They look good in the picture, but how about real life? I’m still unsure as to whether to choose Linen or Pure White (both unglazed) to paint our kitchen. We still have a mix of stainless and white appliances, and our trim color is pure white. What would you suggest?
You have inspired me! The cabints at our cottage are in desperate need of TLC! They are mahogany that has been oiled over the years. I refuse to spend $ on new cabinets, and having seen this post I now know what to do! I knew I wanted to paint them out, but was unsure of the process, not now! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You have no idea how excited I am about this! I have been wanting to paint our cabinets, but have been putting it off just thinking about the sanding process. I am going to the hardware store for this ASAP!! Any advice for painting the inside of the cabinets? I’m thinking that’s going to be a huge pain in the ass.
Hey Nikki, I don’t think it’s necessary to paint the inside itself, but whether you paint the inside of the doors is your call, I prefer them painted for a universal look but it will take more time!
Kate
Any update on how the paint is holding up? I’m considering using this product in my bathrooms and kitchen but would like to know how it handles daily use over the long term.
Hi Rachel, great question! It’s our guest house kitchen so it’s not used daily, only a few times a month, but so far so good. i think if you’re using it on a bathroom or kitchen I’d use two of the final protective coats, just for added durability.
Kate
I am considering painting my grandmother’s piano with this product. I have 4 boys and they have not been kind to my treasure; scratches and name carving, etc. Do you think I should sand those out before starting?
What a lovely transformation! I have the same cabinet in my master bath and cannot decide between using the Rustoleom product and using chalk paint to do a makeover..which would you recommend?
Great question Chris! Chalk paint is for furniture and I’m not sure how well it holds up to moisture, so in your case I’d choose the RustOleum product, or you could refinish it like I did with these bathroom cabinets with primer and latex paint designed for bathrooms:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/01/budget-bathroom-makeover-linky/
Kate
Hey Jennifer, I’m suppose you could use the product for a wood piano, and yes, depending on where the scratches or carvings are located, I would sand them down or fill them with wood filler.
Kate
I’m looking into painting my oak cabinets. I know you love this product but I was wondering if you have ever used milk paint? And if so how they compare?? My friend did her cabinet with milk paint and there are no brush strokes.