DIY Kitchen Update With Painted Cabinets

So this was my kitchen before. I painted the cabinets white about four years ago. No sanding or anything I just cleaned, primed, and painted them. They held up really well, I was just ready for a change. They were almost to white, they started looking a little out dated to me. Not to mention my super country TIN back splash that looked AWFUL. LOL It was more than time for an update.  I had been seeing a ton of gorgeous kitchens on Pinterest with dark lower cabinets and white upper cabinets. I LOVED that look and decided that would be the cheapest and easiest way to update my kitchen.

*** This post contains affiliate links as well as free product I received from Pittsburgh Paints and Stains. All opinions are my own because that’s how I roll. If I don’t like the product I would tell you***

I started by removing all of my  cabinet doors and cleaning them as well as the cabinet bases using a grout scrub brush and Mean Green (please try in  an inconspicuous spot before using to make sure it doesn’t damage anything )It is by far the best grease cutting cleaner I’ve found for the money. I have been using it on all of my furniture that I prep to paint and it’s amazing. 

Once I got all of the funk off I sanded them lightly with an 80 Grit sanding block and started painting.

Just a few things to remember:

• My doors and drawer fronts already had handles on them so I didn’t need to mark them I knew exactly how they went back on. If you don’t have a way of knowing where each door goes be sure to label them so you don’t forget.
• This is where you would prime them if you don’t already have a layer of paint on them for your new paint to stick to. I would suggest using an oil based primer. that’s what I used on the first go around and they held up beautifully.
• Be sure to keep all of your hardware in a tupperware or freezer bag so nothing gets miss placed or lost. ( Ya’ll I learn this stuff the hard way LOL TRUST ME)

My base cabinet color is Pittsburgh Paints and Stains Paramount Black Magic

My Top Cabinet color isPittsburgh Paints and Stains Paramount Arctic White

I was super pumped because it only took 2 coats of the arctic black to cover the old white on the base cabinets. Paramount offers advanced one-coat coverage, with a built-in primer, which saves a ton of application time!I was worried with it being so white that the darker color wouldn’t cover very well but it turned out great! My top cabinets only took one coat. after I had all of the doors and drawer covers coated I moved on to the cabinet frames and that was about the same the bottom took 2 coats and the top one coat.This paint is fantastic! Paramount is available for purchase in Menards stores.

Now on to the hardware. While everything was drying I decided to spray paint my old pulls gold. I wasn’t really sure how they were going to turn out but with pulls being upwards of 8-10 dollars a piece I thought it would be worth it to just try and see what happened.

I started by getting a cardboard box and poking the handle screws through it to make a holder.

Once you’re to this point you need to clean the handles THOROUGHLY with the degreaser. It’s insane how dirty these things get from being used all the time. After you have cleaned them it’s time to Paint! I used Valspar Brillint Metal in Gold

Once they were dry I sprayed a clear coat over all of them which dulled the gold down a lot! At first I didn’t like the color but once I got t hem on the cabinets I actually love them!. SO instead of spending over 200.00 dollars on all new hardware I used what was on hand and I think they turned out better than the ones I’ve seen in the store. So pleased with them.

These pictures really don’t do it justice. The dark base color makes my counter top look completely different! I’m just so happy with how everything turned out. It’s exactly how I imagined it. I definitely still have a lot of work to do Like:

• The walls have to be painted and are going to be a gorgeous gray color. Pittsburgh Paramount Flagstone
• The Kitchen island counter top, back and front will be getting a face lift
• I still have to add pendant lights above the Kitchen island
• Find new bar stools.

That’s the short list for now. I have already done the back splash which I’ll be posting about later on this week, be sure to check back so you don’t miss it! Thank you all for taking the time to stop by and check out my progress so far.