How I Converted My Kitchen Cabinet Into Trendy Shelving
The one thing that is nice about NOT having your dream kitchen is that you're not afraid to take risks! If you want to paint the cabinets a funky color, go for it. If you want to try some peel and stick back splash or drawer liner, why not? Or in my case, I wanted to convert a cabinet into open shelves. I mean what's the worst that can happen? It not going to be worse then it was before I messed with it!
This particular cabinet, was basically our pantry right next to the fridge. Eventually, when I do gut this whole kitchen and reno, I would like to make this a full length pantry. But for now I wanted to try open shelving. It also gave me a reason to reorganize my pantry and chuck all the expired cans of food!
The first thing I did was take everything out including the shelves, and painted it off white. I used Sherwin Williams extreme bonding primer and then their Marshmallow Interior Paint in a semi gloss finish. It was just slightly off white but I liked the contrast with the dark frame rather then going with a stark white. The wood was relatively bare and I most likely would have been fine not used a primer first but I wanted to make sure it could withstand some wear. I actually already had the primer and the paint from other projects and didn't spend any additional money on this project!
I painted the shelves separately with the same primer and color and then put them back in the cabinet once it was all dry. I used one coat of primer and two of the paint allowing a few hours to dry in between each coat. I then removed the doors. I always go with semi gloss for a cabinet or furniture and eggshell for wall paint.
After removing the doors, there were holes left behind by the screws. I didn't find them very obvious to begin with but used a touch up filler stick to fill the holes. Now I don't see them at all! I got this touch up kit from Amazon a while back and it came with six touch up markers and 6 crayons in various wood colors. They have come in handy so many times over the years when I dinged up furniture during moves or clumsiness.
I used the top two shelves for storage and the bottom shelf for decor but I tried to go with dishes that were "pretty" and stuck to a white color palette. I also lined the bottom of each shelf with Grip-N-Stick white cabinet liner by Con-Tact. This made me feel more comfortable that the paint wont scratch on the dishes. I cant wait to decor this space seasonally!
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Arlene Kevitz on May 12, 2021
I would be afraid of fat from frying that would get all over the dishes.
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Kathy on Jan 29, 2022
personally I love this. I've always loved a coffee bar. A nice wallpaper or contact paper on the back would look nice. Open cabinets are the thing these days. And I do not see a stove near this cabinet, so what's with the oil splattering getting on the dishes. I see no problem with this.
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Frequently asked questions
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Is the middle shelf bowed?
Why not painted the back of the cabinet for a pop of color?!