My Country Kitchen Transformation

Joann Locascio
by Joann Locascio
$600
2 Weeks
Easy
We bought dream home, little beach cottage with the big, dated country kitchen. Something just had to change - on a small budget. After all, we just bought a house.
The cabinets have nice bones! Heavy plywood cabinet doors. Gray paneling. Not a fan. I bought some glass tile on sale and just laid them up against the back splash for a while. (there was greasy wallpaper there before) Was I going to like it? In the end, no I didn't. But just wait and see what I did instead!
I removed all of the cabinet doors, drawers and hardware. I took them all outside and sanded them, front, back and edges. It was a long arduous task with a palm sander but I took my time and had plenty of different grit sandpaper. There were many years of grease and grime to sand away but it was well worth the effort. I also sanded the outward facade of the cabinets while the doors were down (Good thing I had plenty of masks with my severe asthma). There was dust everywhere!
I was looking for a mild paint with no or low VOCs because of my asthma and working indoors. I finally decided on MMS milk paint - color: Kitchen Scale. It was perfect! Easy to work with, very forgiving. I made quick work of it. Then I let it dry for a couple of days.
I then put the doors back up. I sanded the hinges and hardware pulls with a wire wheel on the drill. I had the wooden cabinet knobs from another project at our old house. I reused the drawer handles but changed the knobs to what I already had.
Milk paint is fantastic. I lightly sanded the edges and some other areas to make them look worn. Then, I used hemp oil to seal the cabinets. I applied heavy coat and then went and wiped it down the next day. As I said above I wasn't real happy with the glass back splash. It seems like everyone is using them these days. I kept thinking and looking and found these embossed tin tiles. Beautiful and timeless.
They were so easy to work with. They're easy to cut and easy to install. I used a tube or two of clear liquid nails. I was so pleased with how it turned out and it looks great with my new SS gas range.
The white dishwasher and fridge stood out like a sore thumb. I decided to spray paint the handles with some hammered black spray paint. Then I painted the fridge, range hood and dishwasher with black chalk paint. It's not ideal but my grand kids LOVE IT! The counters and painted appliances will have to wait for another day - when finances allow but for now, I'm thrilled with my "new" kitchen. Thanks for looking! I hope this project inspires you.
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