Painting Countertops and Cabinets

I hated our kitchen so much I just wanted to move.  But with the housing market so low, not a great option.  So instead I was on the internet for weeks trying to figure this out.

I hated my cabinets.  Ugly, cheap, pine colored wood.  But I knew that removing them and getting new was ridiculous.  Way too expensive, we didn't plan on living here forever, and we were not putting brand new nice cabinets in this cookie-cutter starter home.  Plus there was nothing wrong with the cabinets.

So for 5 years my kitchen was this way and I loathed it.

After searching the internet for weeks,  I learned that many home improvement stores have kits designed to paint or stain over the existing cabinets. 

And if you are really brave its possible to paint your ugly green countertops too.

So we took the plunge.  I figured whats the worse that could happen.  It couldn't get any uglier in this kitchen. First I read this awesome blogpost with many tutorials on different ways to paint your countertops.  I followed "The StarterHome's" post. And then I dove right in.
Washed everything down, taped it off, then painted on a primer, then a coat of black paint (with a roller and a brush).  I really wanted to cry with joy.  The black was better looking than the green. 
They say black is the base color to all granite, and since mine were green to start with I wanted to make sure it was all covered up. 

I then bought small bottles of acryclic paint for $1.79 per bottle in various shades of brown and cream.  I purchased 7.

  And I sponged away in 4 different colors until I though it looked right.  SO EASY. And kind of fun for someone like myself who struggles to pay attention to details.

The difficult part was the epoxy/clear coat.  Its called Envirotex Lite and can be found at most hardware or craft stores.  I had my husband help me (he is super-precise) and we still had some issues.  This is STILL totally doable...just a little tricky to work with. 

Its a big goopy mix that is clear and you mix it together in a large bucket and then literally pour the entire contents over the countertop, and it evens itself out.  Scary!!

If we did this again I would definitely recommend removing the kitchen sink first.  We weren't sure how to do that and its a little rough around the edges. 








 We still love it, even though it has a few imperfections.  We have gotten many compliments on it, and for the most part only we can tell where there are imperfections.  But it looks 10 times better than the green, and we are so glad we did this.



For the cabinets....be prepared for this to take lots of time and work...and going out to eat because you wont feel up to cooking (does anyone ever though?)   There are some awesome cabinet restoring kits out there from any home improvement store and that's what we decided to do. The kits are about $70.  And they come with everything you need including a video of how to.  Our kitchen is smaller, and we only needed one kit.  Here is how it went down:

I chose the white cabinet color, and then there was a glaze that goes over the top which turns it a more cream color for the finished look.  I liked the white almost enough to keep it but went ahead and used the glaze since it was included.

I had to disassemble, clean, dry and de-gloss all the frames and cabinet doors...front and back. 


So....many...cabinet...doors....

Then we primed the cabinets...2 coats...then painted...2 coats...then glazed...one coat.  Front and back.  Dry times for hours in between.  LOTS OF WORK.

I love the outcome, but again when you DIY you learn things along the way too.  Like how I should have paid closer attention to the amount of glaze on each door.  Some are slightly lighter/darker than

 others.  There are a few finger print smudges on one door.  And there are a few places where the glaze wasn't wiped off properly and it looks smeared.  I was just delirious from so much painting and late nights and impatience to get this done, is where I ran into problems with my craftsmanship.  If it bugs you, take your time and be meticulous.  I need to do better at that.

I like the aged shabbier look of the glazed doors.....the only problem I didn't foresee was them being super matchy-matchy to the tile.  Hmmm

So nice and fresh, it feels much better than that red/pine/and dusty greenery mess that it was before.  So glad to be done with this one.

**Update:  A year later the cabinets and countertops have held up well.  No scratching, peeling, signs of wear.  They still look great. We did eventually sell this home, and I will say that the painted countertops were an issue with many potential buyers, but we did end up selling it just fine without replacing them***