Kitchen Makeover – I love you paint!!!

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When we first moved into our house, scratch that, when we first looked at buying our house I said, “The kitchen MUST be painted white asap!”.  The cabinets were in great shape, I just couldn’t stand the color.  When you walked in it was like you were being swallowed by oak.  Oak cabinets, oak island, oak floors, oak trim and doors, and the walls were even faux painted and looked like oak. Oh, and the walls, were painted over two types of wall paper.  Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!  It was sooo dark in there.  Before I took on the huge project of sanding and painting the cabinets I decided to sand and paint the island black.  You know, so I could get a little practice under my belt, but mostly to break up some of that STINKING OAK!
So here is the before picture.  I apologize for the bad picture, I’m pretty sure it was taken with my phone.  You can see the island is already painted black.
And now the after!

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhh…. so much better!
I didn’t sand all the way down to bare wood, just enough to scuff up the poly so the primer would stick.  But still, there was A LOT of sanding involved.  You sand, sand, and sand some more.  But it is worth it!  We saved A LOT of money doing this project by ourselves myself 🙂  I can’t remember the exact cost.  We bought 1 gallon of primer, and 2 gallons of paint from Sherwin-Williams when they were having a paint sale.  We used Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster White in semi-gloss.  The island is just a quart of plain’ol black paint from Lowes’ premixed stuff in semi-gloss.
We saved even more by reusing some of the hardware.  I removed the cabinet handles and craigslisted them (used that money to pay for the new cup pulls for the drawers).  I filled in one of the holes where the cabinet handle was, and replaced them with the old knobs from the drawers.  I then scoured the internet for pretty, but cheap, cup pulls for the drawers.
Before hanging the painted cabinets I started to worry the exposed hinges wouldn’t look so great.  So, we sprung a little extra for hidden hinges.  So worth it!  They really make the cabinets look great!  And, they feel so much more sturdy.  We bought the hinges from Home Depot in packages of 10 for about $18.

 

 

 

 I now love my kitchen.  Thank you paint!
Here’s another look at the transformation (I love side-by-sides).
And here’s a little dirty secret.
I re-did the kitchen just under a year ago, but never put up any pictures because it was NEVER clean enough for pics.  But today I just figured what the heck, I’ll just moved my pile of junk around from place to place and snap some quickies.
Here’s my dirty secret, my pile that never seems to get picked up!
See her over there on the buffet?  Nice huh?
And now for a close up of my, well, crap.
Yep, just keeping it real 😉

 

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Comments

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  1. Meg Avatar

    Ahhh! So much brighter! I love it! Great job!
    I hope you can join my link party going on today. Each entry means your eligible for $130 to CSN Stores.com! alittleknickknack.blogspot.com
    Have a great day!

  2. -Kasey Avatar

    Your kitchen looks fantastic. It still amazes me to see these kitchen transformations all over blogland… Most only involving some fresh paint. Love it! 🙂

  3. Robby Avatar

    This looks SOOO much better! Did a the same thing to our kitchen about a year ago, and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made! I still walk in the kitchen and smile.

    http://downonsanford.blogspot.com/

  4. HammBone Avatar

    I loooooove you!

  5. Orange it Lovely Avatar

    I LOVE love the makeover. I just showed my hubby your hardware for the cabinets and he is getting them today! Thanks lol
    Im redoing my kitchen as well and your pics are such an inspiration!
    Im your newest follower!! 🙂
    Tana

  6. The Inspired Nest Avatar

    That is a great makeover! I did this about a year ago to my kitchen and can't believe the difference it makes! love that you are keeping it real! I have the same issues! I just move the piles and take pics!
    Lacy

  7. Lisa Avatar

    What a humungous difference! Your kitchen is so light, bright and cheerful. You must be loving it! Thanks for sharing. So fun to see the befores and afters.

  8. The Girl Creative Avatar

    Love it!!The white really brightens it up. 🙂 Wa are in the middle of redoing our kitchen and we are going from old off white cabinets to dark cherry. Our kitchen is super small so I think we can get away with the darker wood. The walls are a nice light color though.

    You did a beautiful job.. 🙂

  9. Madigan at madiganmade Avatar

    I adore white kitchens! Yours is fabulous. Love what white paint can do to a space! (and I love the darker colored island, too)

  10. artisticblend Avatar

    Awesome kitchen transformation! I'm so excited to see the hinge change. We were thinking about doing that but weren't sure it would work. Looks like you have the same cabinets! Yay! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂 Enjoy your new space!

  11. Sherry from Alabama Avatar

    What a beautiful transformation! I know you'll enjoy cooking in your new kitchen. I want to paint my oak cabinets, but haven't talked hubby into it yet.

    Sherry @ A Happy Valentine

  12. the cape on the corner Avatar

    looks great! what a difference! my kitchen cabinets are sooo dark…they're actually a nice color, so we're not going to paint them, but i am so envious of everyone's light and bright kitchen spaces! great job!

  13. Kassi @ Truly Lovely Avatar

    OH MY GOSH!!! You did a great job on this! 100% better!!! 🙂 Thanks for linking to Fancy This Fridays! Love all your great ideas!

  14. Nicolette @ Momnivore's Dilemma Avatar

    the difference is stunning…

    Thanks for linking to Creative Juice!

  15. BEACH BUNGALOW Avatar

    Very nice!!! We just finished a bathroom reno and will be starting on the kitchen soon (we need a rest!). Any words of advice?

    Sue @ Beach Bungalow
    xo

  16. Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust Avatar

    What a difference. The white opens up the room so much more. Great job.

    Warmly, Michelle

  17. Mandy @ Creekside Creations Avatar

    Looks Great! I've been trying to decide if we should paint our cabinets. I really want to – just AFRAID to. You've given me some inspiration!

  18. Jodi Avatar

    What a difference! I have your old kitchen. 🙁 Oak floors, doors, trim, cabinets, doors, even lovely oak trim on my counters. One day, I will paint it ALL! Right now I am ridding the rest of the house of oak! Can you see your oak grain under the white paint?

  19. Brandi Avatar

    Love your kitchen!

  20. At The Picket Fence Avatar

    Hi there! I found you through Kara's party and I just love your kitchen makeover! It is so gorgeous and I am going to be telling my sister (we blog together) to come over here because she is wanting to do this to her kitchen. You did a fabulous job and we would love it if you would consider linking it up to our Inspiration Friday party…it starts tonight and we would be honored to have you join in the fun! 🙂
    Vanessa
    P.S. I'm your newest follower!

  21. Mariaelena Avatar

    I just love your white kitchen…what a bright transformation…I'm debating on painting ours…We actually gutted and put a new maple wood kitchen in 10 years ago, but I LOVE white…enjoy yours…I'm now a follower…pls take a visit to my blog and follow along if you'd like…I think you'll like all of my "white"….nice to meet you,
    Mariaelena

  22. Decorating the Ville Avatar

    Girlfriend you are a woman after my own heart! Found you on DIY, your kitchen is the after to my kitchen's before – the one I am working up the nerve to get to! And I even just bought your barstool's sisters! Love it Love it Love it!!!

  23. Misty ~ Not an Empty Room ~ Avatar

    This is awesome!
    Stopping by from DIY showoff, so glad to have found you.
    Your kitchen is gorgeous!

  24. At The Picket Fence Avatar

    Shelley, thank you for sharing the link. You know when we featured you I cam right over and looked at every single detail of your kitchen redo. I didn't of course at the time have my new buffet and when I see yours again I am shocked how similar they are! They are almost identical. I love your chalkboard above it, I will definitely keep something like that in mind. Have a great week!

    Heather

  25. Jen Avatar

    The cabinets look great! I have oak cabinets too. I have debated on staining or painting…but I haven't found the courage yet 😉

  26. Mariaelena Avatar

    good morning Shelley….so glad to chat with you…thanks for getting back to me on my post about painting my kitchen….I'm checking yours out and LOVE it….OMG!!!…what a stunning difference….It is beautiful and now totally sealed the deal for me…I'll be painting mine this fall….Your kitchen is soooo much brighter now…Ours is in the middle of the house so gets almost no natural light…My cabinets are a pretty maple and that is what has been holding me back, but after living at our beach house all summer in our white kitchen (that I love) and doing the research….I can't wait to see how it turns out!!…thx again and I look forward to keeping in touch with you…LOVE your blog!!…
    xoxo, Mariaelena

  27. InteriorGroupie Avatar

    so exciting! I want to embark on a kitchen patin project and this is GREAT inspiration 🙂 Very well done!

  28. Strawberries and Sweet Love Avatar

    Your kitchen looks beautiful!

  29. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    What is the name of your wall color and who makes it? Is it Porcini?

  30. Suzy www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com Avatar

    This looks amazing Shelley! I hadn't seen the before pictures before today and this is a HUGE improvement from the oak cave. What kind of primer did you use?

  31. crystalclearsavings.info Avatar

    I have that same buffet! Love it! Love the before and after pics. I just shared with a friend. I spot a LV over there too!

  32. Althea Tumlin Avatar

    Your new kitchen looks even more sophisticated than before! Actually, white already looks good, but with the new paint on, it appeared to be more polished and alive!. Consider also rearranging your things, and if possible, try adding some more designs to your kitchen.

    Althea Tumlin

  33. mrsfaber Avatar

    do your cabinets have a "lip" at all that goes into the door frame? I think we have the same cabinets but various wood forums are telling me that concealed hinges can't work with a 3/8" inset.

    Thank you!!!

    1. Shelley {Crazy Wonderful} Avatar

      I'm not sure about the lip, but there were a few different options when it came to the concealed hinges at Home Depot. Check out the close up photo of my hinges and see if that looks similar to yours. You could take a photo in of your cabinets and see if they have something at your local home improvement store that would work. Hope this helps!

  34. Mya Chandler Avatar

    I always do renovations! Changing wall paints, decors, or anything that calls for creativity are what I love. Organizing your stuff can also make a big difference to the overall look of your kitchen. Keep your kitchen clean and neat to keep it looking new.

    Mya Chandler

Meet Shelley

Hi, I’m Shelley! My belief is that with a little creativity and elbow grease, you can make your home look like a million bucks without spending it.

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