The kitchen is my favorite place. I love to bake, cook and create. Our farmhouse kitchen is big and open and I loved it’s potential when I first saw it. The kitchen was outdated and lacking the modern farmhouse appeal that I so love. The cabinets were the first on my to-do list. They were a medium oak with older hardware. But were in great shape and made of solid wood, which is hard to find these days without paying a pretty penny. We completed this project back in December right before we were scheduled to have a house warming for all our friends and family.
The picture below is after we had moved in but before we had really started doing any work on the kitchen including paint.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience, this means that if you click on a link and end up making a purchase I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure and privacy policy for more information.
MATERIALS:
- Behr paint in Papier Blanc
- Zinsser 123 Primer (I used the water based, interior & exterior type)
- Paint & Varnish remover (I used the gel spray on type)
- Sanding sponges
- Plastic drop cloths
- Paint roller
- Bin cup drawer pulls
- Cabinet knobs
- Cabinet hinges
- Painter’s tape
Prep Work
First step was to remove all the hardware and remove all the drawers and cabinet fronts. We set up everything in our garage on saw horses to make it easier. I applied the remover to both sides of each one to help remove some of the varnish and stain in the hope that the paint would adhere better. This remove is a gel so it was easier to apply and have it adhere. Per the instructions on the bottle I applied the remover to all the cabinets and waited 5-10 minutes to let it do it’s magic. I then used a rag and soap and water to remove the residue and wipe the cabinets down.
Then using a sanding sponge I roughed up the surface of all the wood to help the paint adhere better. I cut up plastic drop cloths before we started so that food/dishes didn’t get ruined and that way I didn’t have to remove everything from the cabinets.
Next was to prime all the cabinets and cabinet fronts with the Zinsser primer, my absolute favorite primer of choice.
The picture below is just with primer on and already it was starting to look so much brighter!
Paint!
I chose a tinted white paint called Papier Blanc from Behr for the cabinets. My sister-in-law and Justin were a huge help with helping paint and prep. We ended up applying two coats of the paint to all surfaces.
And after starting this project we got hit with a severe cold front through Oregon which definitely hindered our completion time. One I didn’t want to be out in the garage where I had to wear gloves, a hat and parka; and two it made drying slow for the paint. So we ended up finishing the last of the cabinet fronts in the house, where it was warm and toasty.
The below picture is what it looks like today!
We ended up installing new drawer pulls and cabinet knobs and black hinges to match all the new hardware.
It has been 7 months since we completed the project and I am still in love with the cabinets and the way it has updated the space so much. Our next projects will include removing the fluorescent lighting and eventually the drop ceiling and finish painting all the trim white with new white doors. And as you can also see in some of the pictures the linoleum flooring is VERY outdated so that is another project we are hoping to complete in the next year.
