A Kitchen Transformation

After having a contractor come and give an estimate on how much it would cost to knock down a wall and give a little space in this cramped kitchen, it was quickly realized funds were not available. This didn't take away the issues with the look of it. But, it also seemed ridiculous to spend a bunch of money on new cabinets and countertops for a kitchen that would still be very cramped.

So, I really think that Rustoleum should get a decent amount of credit for the changes that were made in this dingy old kitchen. Without their kits (Cabinet Transformation Kit and Countertop Transformation paint), not sure we would have been this brave. The cabinets and countertops were in comparatively good condition. You know sturdy, that whole bit. But, the cabinets were an old dingy oak, the countertops had a few stains on it, and the fluorescent light (Rustoleum doesn't get credit for the removal of that awful thing). Here are the before pictures:

I will not admit this to be a "easy" project. If you only have a day or two to devote to it, it is a big pill to swallow. Kelly and I finished this whole project in 4 days.

Things we had to just to get started:

• Remove all the doors and drawers and lay them all out nicely in the garage
• Remove all hinges and knobs (we spray painted the brass hinges stainless steel colored)
• Scrub any dirty, grimy spots 
• Tape the walls 

The process:

• Luckily no sanding involved!!
• Scrub each door, drawer, and base with the Rustoleum deglosser
• Let it dry
• Because we were going from oak to white, it took 4 coats! The package says it should only take 2 and granted it could have been our lack of real painting skills, but yes it took us 4 coats. 
• let it dry x 4
• The kit comes with an option for a decorative glaze, but we were happy with the look without it.
• Last coat is the protective top coat. This gives it back the glossy finish. 

Between coats on the cabinets, we also painted the counter top with a Rustoleum Countertop paint.

• Clean the counter with an abrasive cleaner
• Sand the counter
• Apply coat with a really nice roller and brush. My expert paint skills left some brush and roll marks, but it evens itself out pretty well. It is really surprising.
• Again, the paint says you should really only need 2 coats, I needed 3 and this could be a me problem. But, I was a lot happier after the third coat. 

And this is the finished product! It makes the stainless steel appliances look so much nicer in this room. 

The fluorescent light also came out and was replaced with a simple, black three droplet light fixture. Instead of buying new shades, we cleaned up some mason jars and used them. Just had to cut a hole big enough into the metal lid and it screws in easily. 

It is hard to get a good view of the light fixture in the room without the lights washing it out. Here is a view a little farther back. The best part of pulling it back this far is you get to see the awesome wine rack the lovely Erika and Jamie designed and built for us. It really is a great touch to have the dark wood next to the light cabinets. Very creative and amazing addition!

So, the kitchen remains the same size, but at least with the lighter color it feels bigger somehow. Or, at least we tell ourselves that!