If your a regular around here, you already know that I have a thing for bluish-green colours. Teal, turquoise, aqua, whatever you want to call it, I love it. So this weekend we took the plunge and painted all of our laminate base cabinets teal. And I am in love.
Seriously, when I am in my kitchen I just want to put my arms out to the side and swing around in happy circles.
How we did it:
The laminate on our cabinets was peeling, so we were forced to just rip it off in some places, bringing the cabinets right down to the MDF underneath. This step isn't really recommended and probably won't be necessary for you. Apparently I just have extra destructive children.
We let our kids help peel it off since they've been working at it slowly for years anyways...
At this point we were obviously pretty committed to the project and I was freaking out a little.
Next, we sanded. We sanded all of the remaining laminate surfaces with 150 grit sandpaper. (my husband wants me to tell you that he ought to have been wearing a dust mask in this photo and you should too!)
Then we primed with Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 primer. This stuff is great for bonding paint to hard to paint surfaces (like cabinets). We've used it on a number of projects and are always happy with it.
We did two coats of primer, sanding lightly after each coat with 220 grit sandpaper.
Finally it was time to paint! We chose Benjamin Moore's Advance paint in "Majestic Blue". The paint was pricey, but it is a fabulous paint. It smooths well and gets great coverage and cures to what so far seems like a very durable finish. We are very pleased with this paint.
We did two coats of paint, sanding with 320 grit sandpaper after the first coat.
We also added new draw pulls and knobs that we bought at the ReStore for only 2 dollars each!
Oh my...why didn't we do this YEARS ago?
Thanks so much for visiting The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking!
I really like it! I can't wait to redo my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI wanna come and play at your house. I LOVE IT ALL. I am utterly delighted with your blog, your kitchen and YOUR LIFE.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Mother Connie
Looks fantastic, Kelly!!!! I love, love, LOVE anything turquoise/mint/tiffany blue/aqua/teal... whatev. LOVE. My favorite.
ReplyDeleteI share your love of blue, teal, aqua, etc. Your cabinets turned out absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE! They look awesome.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! It's amazing what a bit of paint can do!
ReplyDeleteLooks great. I don't often like the two tone look of the upper and lower cabinets, but in your kitchen it works and I love it. I also have a thing for teal - it was the color for my wedding.
ReplyDeletethey look great! love your lego drawer too :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I did the same thing this week, painting mine white on top and a deeper indigo blue on the bottom. Same paint.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Teal/Aqua is my favorite color too. One thing though, I painted my cabinets a couple years back and wish I had taken the time to put a coat or two of Polyurethane over it. If you don't the paint can fade or chip (I have 4 destructive children myself). Having a couple coats of sealer will also make it easier to keep wiped down.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I'm always terrified to jump into projects this big but when it's done it is so worth it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking the two tone look, the new fixtures also look great
ReplyDeleteI love it, it looks fabulous! Your kitchen looks clean and lovely, nice work on keeping up with the simplicity! :)
ReplyDeleteLOOKS amazing!!! Great job!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely wonderful. I love it.
ReplyDeleteWe are planning to do this soon! Question for you - the previous owners of our home actually already did this, but badly. Where the cabinet doors and drawers touch the cabinets themselves (and where their dogs scratched at it) some of the paint pulled off. I thought it was because they hadn't removed the doors before painting, but neither did you and it worked. Is it the primer you used? How long did you let it dry before you could use your kitchen again? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly, wow, love your new kitchen color and I adore the new handles. (I have secretly loved that style of handle for so very, very many years.) I sure think the photo of three of your sweet blessings is so cute. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWow! How inspiring. The cabinets look marvelous, but I am even more amazed that your were able to get it done in a weekend. Stunning work!
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly! Wow! You are quite the decorator. I think it helps that your kitchen already has an excellent layout. It looks really pretty and that colour is lovely. Well done to all involved. Enjoy! :)
ReplyDeleteI love your kitchen! I hope someday I can have an awesome kitchen too
ReplyDeleteThey look fantastic! I've been trying to convince my husband for 5 years that we should paint our kitchen cabinets. I'm going to show him your post. :)
ReplyDeleteYou did all of this in one weekend with six kids? How in the world....? I want to paint our cabinets so badly, but I am terrified of how big the project is. You did this without taking off the cabinet doors? How did that work?
ReplyDeleteBTW, your kitchen looks so inviting. I love the comment about wanting to twirl in happy circles. :)
Love your kitchen and the colour is great. Your after photo is marvellous it looks so big and roomy. Well done, wish my husband was a better at DIY I'd have him really busy haha
ReplyDeleteI love it! We've been contemplating painting our natural oak-colored kitchen cabinets for a while now and were thinking just white... but this is such a better idea!
ReplyDeleteLooks so nice! I'm borrowing the idea of putting a few counter-top thigs in a basket. My counter is so cluttered; it might make it seem more 'on purpose'.
ReplyDeleteThe cabinets look amazing!! I am also in love with your kitchen island. Where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteAnd I laughed so hard at the sanding picture. That is totally something that would happen in our household (realizing after the fact that you really should have a mask on.)
Thanks Cat! My husband built the island for me for Christmas a few years ago :)
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteLovely!
ReplyDeleteWow! That looks beautful! How brave of you and it turned out wonderful!
ReplyDeleteKelly, I loved your kitchen when it was a 'clean white', but am totally transfixed with the blue! It is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteJust a small question. What was the reason you sanded after the first coat of paint? I have never heard that before and am curious. Plus we are getting ready to paint a dresser and a bedroom. Any tips would help!
I just stumbled upon your blog and I am loving it! Your cabinets look gorgeous! I too am a bit obsessed with teals and turquoises, so this is right up my alley. Can't wait to explore more of your blog...
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed with this result. I have solid wood but very drab and dreary kitchen cupboards and have wanted to paint them for years but have just been too scared of messing the whole thing up. After seeing what result you have achieved over peeling mdf I am really empowered!! We are moving this year so I think I will wait until the new house now. Lily. xxx
ReplyDeleteWow! They look fantastic. I'm not usually a big fan of repainted cabinets, but I love these.
ReplyDeleteLOVE! Oh my goodness... I would want to twirl and sing happy songs in there too!
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is just beautiful!!! I love the colors and well...just everything about it!!!
ReplyDeleteAshley DeMazza
Falls Village, CT
They look gorgeous! I really want to paint ours white!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the instructions. A great deal of work but you show us it's doable
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking of doing this.. not teal though.. more of a creamy white. I'm definately inspired now! :)
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen looks fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteHey, hubby's right, wearing a dust mask is uber-important! Our lungs can't filter dust from getting into bloodstream like our skin can. Be a good example. What good are beautiful cabinets if you get sick someday from not taking safety precautions? I'm sure you would agree.
ReplyDeleteI Love your new cabinets! Teal is the perfect color. Great job
ReplyDeleteI love the ReStore! I have completed many house projects with lucky finds from there! Bathroom cabinets are next on my list of refinishes. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful color and it looks extra nice with the silver pulls.
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