We live in a great apartment — tons of space, reasonable rent, and a landlord who reimburses us for home improvements. This last bit is key because (a.) we love to fix things up and (b.) this apartment seriously needed it. Although its the first floor of an old Beacon Street brownstone, only the front half of the apartment looks like it. The back half — hall, kitchen, bath and bedroom — was an addition circa 1960 complete with dark wood paneling and cabinets everywhere.
Although we're still working to complete the full transformation, the kitchen facelift was finished in just one weekend. Follow the jump to see Part One of our wood paneling makeover: How-To Paint Kitchen Cabinets...
The front half of our apartment has lovely original wainscotting and crown molding, both painted antique cream. With our landlord's blessing, we wanted to unify the two halves of the house and make it feel like one, cohesive apartment using little more than paint to transform the 1960's dark wood. The first part of our adventure focuses on the old kitchen cabinets.
Pick a Paint Color
We matched the original trim color and chose a complimentary cabinet color. The previous tenant (also into DIY projects) installed a blue glass tile backsplash and, although blue wouldn't have been our first choice, we went along with it and chose a pale blue for the cabinets. We used the trim color to delineate "trim" from "cabinet" since the entire kitchen was the same color paneling and also to echo the crown molding that's in the rest of the apartment.
Number the Cabinets and Keep Hardware Together!
Number each cabinet door and its corresponding frame with painter's tape. Also, place all removed hardware (hinges) in a numbered bag that corresponds with that door. In newer kitchens this might not matter as much but ours barely had 2 doors exactly alike (and we had over 30 cabinet doors). Organization here will save you ample time on the back end.
Prepare the Surface
Every guide we read stressed this and we completely agree. The door faces and edges were sanded with an orbital sander (outdoors) to remove old lacquer and create a smooth base. The frames and panels in the kitchen were thoroughly cleaned with a TSP substitute to remove dirt and grease.
Invest in Good Primer
Everything — doors, frames and wall panels — was primed with a stain-blocking and sealing primer. We used a Zinsser Shellac base made for latex paint.
Paint, Dry, Paint, Dry
We painted two coats on everything. We also used brushes, not rollers, and were very careful to paint in long, even, vertical strokes. With an oil based paint the surface is more flat but latex paint strokes are more visible, which looks good when done carefully. Allow each coat to dry completely before proceeding. Its best to move furniture and devote ample space to this project so that nothing need move before painting is completed.
Patience is Everything
After painting is completed its just a matter of matching everything back up. Our cabinets were anything but perfect to begin with and during our re-installation we had some issues with closing and fitting many doors back into place but patience is key. Take a deep breath and stick with it — you're almost done!
Step Back and Look at the Big Picture
About halfway through the first coat we realized our new light, airy kitchen was too light and airy and needed some grounding. Because we were dealing with paneling everywhere there was no "wall" to break up the cabinet color. We chose the chalkboard paint to balance the space and bring depth back to the room. We also mounted pegboard to cover a huge area of damaged wall paneling that was a bubbling eyesore (something that our new light paint color only emphasized).
The total cost of our kitchen facelift was $250 and that included purchasing high quality brushes and an orbital sander. Happy landlord, even happier tenants. Stay tuned for Part Two of our wood paneling transformation where we tackle the hallway and pretty much nothing goes according to plan...
Our best resource for painting kitchen cabinets: This Old House.
That´s really beautiful! Congratulations!
view jjanul's profile
What a lift! Wonderful job - I hope you treat yourself to some indulgent meals in this kitchen now.
Are you keeping the center cabinets door-free now? It's a nice touch.
view JuniperGreen's profile
This looks really good! Like the dark corner with the peg board... the only think is I would have opted for a different hardware, something that blends in more.
view ce_pelle's profile
What a difference! Great work, and thanks for the tips!
view splim's profile
Wow, great job! What a difference. Was that back splash already there or did you install that?
view oakland's profile
We're planning on doing the same thing with our cabinets, which are almost identical to yours. We just keep putting it off because it seems so daunting. Your post has inspired me to give it a go!
view als1's profile
What a happy, cheerful kitchen! Makes me want to go out and give my kitchen a bit of a facelift...
view happiness's profile
so beautiful! congratulations, great job. couldn't be better.
view maike's profile
$250?!? My god, wow. Magnificent job!
view KidMoe's profile
Wow, what a fantastic job! I love the open cabinet and the pegboard--awesome. And what a dish rack! That thing is bold and beautiful.
My poor rental kitchen aspires to be like yours.
view lostinprojection's profile
Completely amazing! I love white cabinets. Our 1950 ranch has an awful 1990 kitchen with ugly, golden-oakey stained hickory cabinets that I loathe. I've been on the fence about painting them but this after photo has convinced me.
view julie_k.'s profile
Thanks for the comments.
The previous tenant started the project by replacing the sink, stove, counter, and put in the tile backsplash- which you could hardly see with all the dark wood around. The hinges would have been really difficult to replace becasue some are bent to get the doors to fit correctly so we had to stick with the dark hardware. We are leaving the center cabinet open for frequently used dishes etc... but we painted the doors and stored them if a future tenant doesn't want the open cabinet.
It took a very long weekend and we questioned the sanity of doing so much work on an apartment we don't own but now that we've lived with the new kitchen it is was very worth it.
view Wesfs33's profile
Amazing job! What a way to spend a weekend. It seems so much bigger and cleaner too. Wow.
view Lilli K.'s profile
AWESOME!! and inspiring! your added so much life to the room, well done!
view brickhouse's profile
this is SUCH a timely post as i was just looking for instructions like these online last night - my first stop was actually AT!
view kiwi's profile
I can't describe how much I love kitchen makeovers. I absolutely look forward to seeing outdated kitchens get a fresh face. Gorgeous job! Paint is such a magical thing. ;)
view Kimber's profile
Wow, what a difference! You must be so proud of your accomplishment. Watch out....you landlord's going to want to raise your rent because his place is now so nice! ;)
view sooziesu's profile
Why oh why oh WHY do people insist on painting over beautiful, finished wood?
The cabinets in the first pic are not THAT dark, and appear to be in good shape. It looks like Birch, which can never be described as "dark" but rather has a luminous golden tone with interesting grain patterns.
The kitchen could easily be updated and made "brighter" through new hardware and other finishes that compliment the wood's color and depth. I'll take the "before" picture of the corner/desk hutch any day.
Sorry to sound so negative, but nothing's more beautiful than quality woodworking. Painting over it ruins the finish and means it can never be properly restored. I just don't get it.
view nashdp's profile
"Why oh why oh WHY do people insist on painting over beautiful, finished wood?"
Becuase it's not beautiful finished wood. You can call its tone "luminous" and its grain "interesting" all day, but in the end the old kitchen looks like a cavern and the wood looks like stained plywood. It has no depth. It looks like wood cut with no consideration to the tree's characteristics. Bottom line, it's mass-manufactured cabinetry from the 60s, and it shows.
Thus the conclusion of my rant against "Oh my the beautiful stained plywood!" rants.
view somedudeinvicenza's profile
Your transformed kitchen looks fine - bright and cheerful and I love the chalkboard touch. How clever to think of it! Nevertheless the original wood does NOT look like the ugly varnished plywood I had in my last kitchen. From the photos it MIGHT have had potential with the high gloss finish removed, the ceiling and other parts painted a bright white and the knobs changed to a modern look. Only you can tell since you see it up close.
view Bo Placebo's profile
Very nice! I think the work you did looks great, and thanks so much for the tips, as well. Question for you if you get a chance -- where is your apartment and how did you find it? It looks like such a fantastic space and I love that you're able to make improvements to it. I'm living on Beacon in Brookline right now but can't make changes to the space, so I was hoping for some good ideas for next year. Thanks!
view Ryssiecakes's profile
I love the pegboard solution to make a former eyesore into a place for organization and creative inspiration.
But I'm wondering, where'd the microwave end up? I don't see it in the slideshow.
view Splomo's profile
Kayla here -
If you look for an apartment owned by an individual (as opposed to a company) you'd be surprised how many of those landlords would be willing to reimburse you for DIY improvements around the house - even if its just painting the walls. The reason a lot of apartments stay outdated is because the landlord doesn't want to eat a month or more of rent to make improvements when there are plenty of people lined up ready to rent it as-is.
We've contemplated pulling up the linoleum in the hall and kitchen and putting down snap-together wood floors but that might cross the line of our ability and our landlord's trust :-) We shall see...
A lot of items found new homes post-makeover and our microwave is now nestled perfectly on the counter between the sink and refrigerator. Its tucked back in the corner and pretty hard to see - exactly why we put it there.
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments. We're super happy with the outcome and pumped that our hard work has inspired many of you to work on your own kitchens!
Oh, and a quick note on the "quality" of our wood cabinets: they were exactly as somedudeinvicenza described. Paint was the only way to salvage them.
view bostonkayla's profile
I liked it so much better before the update! I would kill for rich real wood cabinets like that--what is that walnut? I have to survive particle board in my apartment.
view yarrow's profile
"I liked it so much better before the update! I would kill for rich real wood cabinets like that--what is that walnut? I have to survive particle board in my apartment."
____
Walnut--you're joking, right? People haven't used solid wood for cabinetry in apartment kitchens for decades before the 60s when this kitchen was modernized. And walnut is and was a really expensive wood. I think this is the problem with the use of photography on this site--it's no one's fault, really, but it's easy to let our "mind's eye" see things that aren't there.
I can completely imagine these cabinets in real life because I grew up in a house with them and occasionally run into them at open houses I see in my neighborhood. They are cheap in feel and profile, not substantial at all, and the varnish tends to get sticky and gross.
This is not a Craftsman flat with stained, solid wood kitchen cabinets that deserve to be kept in their original condition. The owners' main (and admirable) goal was to unify the apartment to make it cohesive throughout. I think they did a great job!
view madsarah's profile
Kudos to both of you. A fantastic and beautiful job. You're a godsend. I even bought the same primer you used along with Behr kitchen paint. I also have 30 something cabinets. back up. Thanks for the inspiration Also, what type of paint brushes did you use? mlsm
view MSLM's profile
Oh I wish my landlord would let me paint the kitchen cabinets. How would I approach her about it? I'm so afraid she thinks the 'country kitchen' look is adorable
view Hollie's profile
Totally agree! But we did a couple of steps extra: wetsand between coats of paints, we used a foam roller and we applied two coats of polyurethane for easy cleaning... it's a kitchen after all!
-joel
blueantstudio.com
view joel maria pirela's profile
I'm in the middle of a very similar job: painting over old veneer cabinets from the 70's. I'm glad to see you didn't choose to empty your cabinets! I'm trying it that way too and am having to defend my decision here and there. Thanks for the inspiration to keep plugging away.
view speck's profile
Thanks for showing this, going to do the same in my home.
view Stormy's profile
Very nice!
I did my cabinets February 2008... I did flat latex and sealed with a coat of matte poly-acrylic because I wanted that chalky milk paint look, yet wanted to be able to scrub them. Just throwing out another option for folks.
I will take some pics and put them up on my blog tomorrow for some more DIY kitchen tips.
cottageofstone.blogspot.com
P.S.
though my house was built in 1906, our cabinets were shitty cheap ones from late 70s/early 80s... so paint was the only option until I have the bajillion bucks to properly restore my kitchen.
view puck's profile
Just gorgeous. You should be so so proud. Maybe just change the knobs on the upper cabinets to mismatched vintage glass, or something similar to what they sell at Anthropologie?? That'll brighted it all up a bit to where your eye naturally goes.
xxx YAY!
view medusa12120's profile
Oh, yes! Painting the cabinets was perhaps the #1 improvement I made in my house. Originally, they had solid wood beadboard, replaced in the early 60s by honey-plywood cabinets, blue PLASTIC horizontal-stripe wainscoting (???) and unmatching everything.
The transformation:
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/House%20Pictures/Kitchencabinetsbefore.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/House%20Pictures/KitchenCabinetsAfter.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/House%20Pictures/Kitchenwindowsbefore.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb99/mbc1963/House%20Pictures/Kitchenwindowsafter.jpg
Amazing what some paint and elbow grease (and a contractor who'll hang beadboard and replace vinyl) will do!
Mary
view Mary B C's profile
wow! i absolutely love that kitchen transformation!!!
view austin Charles Benton's profile