Kitchen Makeover (Part 2)

If you read my last post, you’re probably dying to find out what the homeowners decided to do for their budget friendly Kitchen Makeover.  Okay… so maybe it’s really just ME who is dying with excitement.  But that’s because they agreed to have their kitchen cabinets painted, and turn the entire back wall into a giant chalkboard!!!  I was really, REALLY hoping they would like that idea as much as I did.  

If you’ll recall, both husband and wife are teachers, who also foster children, but their kitchen no longer made the grade when a wall went up in order to accommodate an additional bedroom.  So we tried to come up with some style solutions that wouldn’t break the bank.  With a plan now in place, I started by getting rid of the existing dark green and covering it with primer.  This way I could paint the wall above the cabinets it’s original off-white color.

Then, I took a quart of chalkboard paint, that costs about $10, and rolled it on the back wall.  There was even a little leftover to paint the bottom of the counter, so the little ones can join in on the fun.

While the paint dried, I prepared for what I swore I would never do again for as long as I lived:  PAINTING KITCHEN CABINETS!  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s an excellent way to update your kitchen inexpensively… it’s just very, VERY time consuming, and if you want it done right, there really are no short-cuts.  

I recommend starting by putting a small piece of painter’s tape on every cabinet door and drawer, and numbering them, so you know where they go when it’s time to put them back.  (I put a “T” for Top and a “B” for Bottom, followed by the corresponding number.)  Once they’re all numbered, it’s safe to take them down and remove the hardware.  Keeping all the hardware in a giant ziplock bag is another good tip.

For the next couple of days I became a Sanding Ninja!  Using two different sanders and my Dremel, it took me about 20 minutes to sand each individual door.  Did I mention there were 17 cabinet doors and 8 drawers?! 

Once done, I wiped everything clean and set up an assembly line in order to spray on the primer.  

Next step in this Kitchen Makeover will be painting the cabinets.  What color, you ask?  Well, I can’t give it all away at once.  Check back in tomorrow and I’ll show you.  Here’s a hint:  It wasn’t the color I originally suggested.