Revamping the Kitchen Cabinets
The last tenants that lived in this place had painted the trim around the kitchen cabinets this dreary, dark, horrid, I guess you would call it a mix between a hunter green and a dark teal green. The cabinet door where natural wood with a nice layer of grime.
Okay, here is where the overhaul comes in. Bear with me… I was a single mom, and on a very tight budget, so I had to use my creative thinking to make a change that would cost me less then $20.00 but looks like more. Paint and hard work were the answer to this particular dilemma.
I have posted pictures so you can see what just a little paint can accomplish with the throwing in of some hard work. However, the tricks did not lie just in the paint. Paint can get costly so previous creative thinking saved my wallet. See, where I lived before we had a Habitat for Humanities store. What they consist of is a bunch of paint that contractors have donated from jobs they were they had over purchased, kitchen cabinets they had removed from a home when remodeling , doors, screws, carpet, tiles, you name it. Just about everything from your bathroom sink to kitchen sink and the prices are the best!
During the time I lived where I had access to this gold mine, I would buy paint like crazy for one project or another. When I moved some of this paint came with me, so therefore I needed no money for paint to revamp this particular kitchen, just will power, insight and elbow grease; all that was free! First off, I had to hide the hideous green… I have had good luck with Zinsser Bullseye 1.2.3 and Kilz as primers. Generally, you can find these as well at your local Habitat for Humanities store.
So, I removed the cabinet doors marking each one with some painters tape as to what location I took it down from as well as taped the screws with the masking tape to the inside of each cabinet door as to not to lose them when it came time to putting them back up.
Then came the hard part… cleaning the trim/frames around the cabinets doors. A mixture of hot bleach or ammonia water works well and is cheap.
Once cleaned and dry, I primed them. The existing color was dark so I primed twice to make sure I would not have any bleed through from the existing paint or any cooking grease or smoke I may had missed in my cleaning.
After they dried I picked a color to paint the trim that was lighter then the walls but yet still in the same color tone, and commenced to painting the trim or cabinet frames if you like. You could also do texture style painting if you choose, but that would have to be another article. During each drying cycle, I worked on the kitchen cabinet doors. The wood was in great shape and just needed brightening up. So first I did a simple cleaning of the kitchen cabinet doors with some Murphy’s Wood Oil Soap, and then on to polishing them up. I used Guardsman Furniture Polish for that task. I think this was my most expensive purchase for this project running at about $6.00 I think but worth every penny of it! It made the old wood shine like new! A quick switch of handles on your kitchen cabinets can give them new life as well. These can also be found at your local Habitat for Humanities store. An occasional wipe down with the Guardsman on your wooden kitchen cabinets keeps the shine shinning!
After all paint dried, it was just the matter or remounting the cabinet doors. Bigger cabinet doors can get a bit tricky trying to screw the screws back in and hold it at the same time. If you start getting frustrated, TAKE A BREAK! On the other hand, if you have someone to help you it should not be a problem. An occasional wipe down with the Guardsman on your wooden kitchen cabinets keeps the shine shinning!
This total project cost, if I added up the paint I already had with cleaning supplies included was about $20.00. Now that is just one-way to revamp your kitchen cabinets. It does not always mean you have to buy new to get a new look or be happy in your happy place!
