How can I spruce up my kitchen cabinets with minimal cost?
by
Linda
+2
I have a 35 year old house with dark wood cabinets in my kitchen and white tile floor with grey grout. I would like to lighten and brighten them up. I cut textured wallpaper to put in the "middle squares" for now, but need a permanent fix to modernize and open up the space and a makeover for these drab floors that will hold up to foot traffic and occasional wetness (The door to the outside & pool area is off the kitchen). Can you recommend a paint or project easy enough for just myself to tackle? I'm pretty handy but on a budget.
Thanks!
Linda Gunter
lgunter12000@yahoo.com
850.287.1155
Give them a fresh coat of paint and use a different color to outline the cabinet doors. Tile or wallpaper in the middle is nice, too.
Paint.
Make sure they are clean and dry. Remove the doors and hardware. Mark the doors and cabinets with tape where they go. Lightly sand the doors and cabinets to remove any gloss and roughen the surface for paint with 120- to 220-grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth or damp rag to remove dust after sanding. Prime with a stain blocking primer like Zinsser 123, KILZ,or BIN and have it tinted to the color of the top coat. This will prevent dark or stained surfaces from showing through the top coat. Acrylic, or water-base, paints are low-fume and clean up easily with water. Alkyd, or oil-base, paints require good ventilation because the paint contains solvents that can irritate your lungs and make you feel sick. Alkyd options require mineral spirits for cleanup, but they provide a hard, durable paint finish. Whichever you use, buy the best-quality paint you can afford for a lasting kitchen cabinet finish. Seal with at least three coats with a water based polyurethane. Use a small foam roller and foam brush for a smooth finish.
Fusion Mineral paint - it is a dream to paint with. It dries hard and there are no brush marks. This is the color casement white - the inside paint was olympic from Lowe's. I scrubbed every inch with a degreaser and rinsed. I marked every door shelf and hardware in baggies. Sanded and using a damp rag to wipe.
As for the floor...paint your grout. I had white tile with gray grout and painted the grout white. Wow! What a difference it made. You can find grout paint at any home improvement store.
Rethunk Junk Paint by Laura http://lddy.no/55jb
Better than chalk paint. No sanding, priming or waxing.