cabinet re-creation

Sure, this week was productive with refinishing light fixtures and banishing all things brass, but my main goal of spring break has been to refinish all the kitchen cabinets (never thought I’d see myself type that!). I’ve never done anything like this before, so I watched probably 14 tutorials and read just about every how-to that google had to offer... In the end, these are the supplies I chose: 

 {I probably didn’t technically need this since I was using an oil based primer, however, due to the extremely waxy feel of our cabinets pre-makeover, I decided to go with it just in case - it was only like 4 bucks. After using this stuff, I’ve got to tell you I LOVE it... I probably didn’t need it for the cabinets, but it’s awesome at breaking down shiny finishes to help paint adhere, and way better than sanding - and bonus: a little goes a long way so I have a lot left over. I wish I’d discovered this stuff a long time ago!} 

{Used this to fill in the ridges in the cabinets between the edges and the interior panel... NOTE: I did this before I primed the cabinets and if i had it to do over again (which I will when I do our bathroom and laundry cabinets) I would use this after the primer and before the paint.}

{my primer of choice... with all the classic not-so-enjoyable characteristics of oil-based paint, but it did it’s job well - which was basically to help “glue” the paint to the cabinet} 

{My love. This is the paint that we used on all of our trim around the house as well - quite thick and covers superbly}

. . .

And now for my weeks worth of work condensed into a dozen photos... 

{before}

{before - please excuse the junk... when your cabinets are this ugly, the stuff sitting on them is the least of your concerns}

{after a little drill action}

{after filling in the rides with calk}

{again, next time, I would do this after priming and before painting}

. . .

 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, and 32 spray-painted hinges later...

{you may have noticed that the counters are now missing... that is simply to make way for the new ones expected to arrive 9 days and counting!}

{notice anything else that’s missing (besides the obvious dishwasher)?}

{yep... we made our decision and ordered from here...}

{42 of these bad boys are on their way for our cabinets and smaller drawers... and we picked up the selection down below from the Home Depot for a few of our larger drawers}

So there you have it! I’ll can’t wait for all the pieces to come together so I can take more sophisticated “after” photos, but for now I’m off to the house. My task today? Door knob transformation... oh and if you thought I was about to go out and purchase 17 door knobs at $20 a pop, you’ve got me all wrong... no, I think I may have a few tricks up my sleeve for this one =)