Painted Wood Cabinets – From Old Oak to Gorgeous Gray!

THIS IS A BLOG POST OF OUR OLD HOME – 2 HOUSES and 7 years AGO! It’s such a great example of budget-friendly update ideas, that I decided to update it and wanted to share it as MOST of you probably haven’t seen it! 

As you all know, our home is ever-evolving and we have lost some serious square footage with the coats of paint on the walls. I figured it was time to move onto other surfaces – like the cabinets!

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but ours was more like the hemorrhoid (you don’t even want to know the one-liners I had attached to this…) So, given that there was simply zero budget to replace/reface the cabinets we decided that $3500 was a reasonable budget to stay within to update the rest of it to modern standards.

Before, we had decent bones with the solid oak cabinets/shaker style doors. The only negative was that the hinges were slightly exposed, but it’s no biggie as you wouldn’t see much of them once they were painted a darker colour.

And after…

I chose Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray for the cabinets. In these photos, it looks just slightly gray-blue – it’s not. If anything it can sometimes pick up a very weee wink o’ green.

Once the painting was done, I let it cure for 2 weeks (as paint CAN take up to 3 weeks to cure), took the handles off and hit those edges with my palm sander and 220 grit sandpaper for a distressed look. This was the easiest part of the whole project and gave the cabinets a bit more dimension and personality (because we really need more personality in this house, right?).

In this next before photo, you can see the wall that USED to separate the kitchen from the dining room…

Taking that wall out was a GAME-changer for this home. It gave it more function so that we had not only a sit-at peninsula but also a dining area and a lounging/family room area (as you’ll see next).

This next photo was taken IN the kitchen, looking towards the dining room…

The wall WAS just to the right of the sliding door.

Now it’s totally done and the ‘Royal We’ is really happy with the results – or at least until I’m PMS’ing and bored again.

BTW – All of the ‘after’ photos on this page were taken by the talented photography group – Artez Photography.

Do you wonder how we only spent $3500? Let’s take a look at the details…

Countertops – $1200   

We went with a high-end Formica (laminate/arborite) called Mineral Jet; a high-end countertop at a low-end price (they’re popular enough that the supplier can bring them in in bulk). Mineral Jet has a great premium finish which makes it low maintenance re: scratches and wear and tear. It also has a great colour palette of black, gray and brown, making it super versatile for my ever-changing tastes.

I also went for the low-boy built-in backsplash (1 1/4″) which is great because it gives me the protection behind my sink that I wouldn’t get without a backsplash and is more modern than the standard 4 1/4″ style.

Read more: The New Era of Laminate Countertops and Why They Rock

Appliances – $1200   

We bought a great 4 pc Frigidaire set that was used. The fridge has water and ice in it, the stove is a flat top, the over-the-range microwave is great and the dishwasher leaks – yes, it leaks more than I do on a trampoline, however, we’re in the process of fixing it (the fridge that is…).

Tile backsplash – $150

I tiled this myself which I HIGHLY recommend doing while you drink wine. There are a few reasons why I chose to do the tile only 6″ high rather than full-height.

• It cut my costs in 2/3 which saved me some serious moula as this tile was $24 sq ft.
• By keeping the tile underneath the electrical outlets I saved myself from having to rent a wet saw (outlets are a bugger to cut around if you’re an amateur tiler like myself).
• Because I picked such a busy and visually strong tile, it would have been too overwhelming for the room to have it full height – instead, it’s a just a nice decorative detail rather than a decorative punch in the face.

Cabinet hardware – $120

We had to drill holes for these as there weren’t any there before (and I recommend getting a proper template to do this – Ikea). It boggles my mind that in the 25 years this house has been alive, not one person has thought “hmmm, it might be easier to open our cupboards if they had FRICKIN HANDLES ON THEM!!!!”

When choosing your hardware remember that the style and finish of your cabinet hardware should be cohesive with the lighting in your kitchen.

Read more: Budget Friendly Hardware to Update Oak Cabinets

Lighting – $50

Great little drum shade from Rona!

Faucet – $140

I will never buy another sink faucet without a sprayer – it’s too much fun!

Read more: 4 Kitchen Update Ideas – including affordable faucets! 

Window covering – $70 

Good old in-stock Home Depot blind

Wall and Cabinet Paint – $190

I chose Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream for the walls. It’s a heavy cream that gave me a soft warm backdrop to work with.

Read more: Paint Colour Review Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream

Flooring

New flooring was NOT in the budget (one must have Bailey’s after all). But while we’re on the topic, whoever thought that putting white grout on a kitchen floor was a good idea is cuckoo for cocoa puffs. If you have fugly grout, you can clean it up using Grout Renew, just so you know.

Oh, and we might’ve taken out a wall…did I forget to mention that? THAT was part of the dining area remodel, but it still affected the overall flow. In this before shot, you can see the wall that used to divide the kitchen and the dining area…

And the grand total – $3285

Our kitchen is part of our Open Layout Dining Room as well, here’s a sneak peek of that area and how the 2 relate to each other.

Not sure what colour to paint YOUR wood cabinets? 

I can help with my fun and affordable E-design! 

READ MORE:

4 Kitchen Update Ideas

Budget-Friendly Hardware to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

5 Ideas to Update Wood Cabinets Without a Drop of PAINT! 

Interior Decorating, Design, Home Staging and Online Consultations.  Nanaimo and Vancouver Island

The post My Kitchen – Painted and Distressed Cabinets (Oak to Gray) $3500 Kitchen Remodel! appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Ooo, I just love it when people listen to me! A few months ago I went to my client’s house and they were lamenting over the state of their dining room table. They had their hearts set on a gorgeous set up at Modern Country, but because that’s a fancy-shmancy store they may as well take out a 2nd mortgage on their house to finance it – but it is a darn nice table…

Soooo, I suggested that their current maple table could maybe use a little ‘makeover’ with paint and stain. That way, while they were saving for the new dining set, they could at least enjoy the old set (and then sell it for mucho moula down the road).

How to refinish and update a maple table 

(for an in-depth ‘how to’ please check out ‘How to Paint Wood and Laminate Cabinets/Furniture’)

Here’s the original table in it’s screamin’ maple glory…

And here’s how to fix it!

Step 1 – Modernize the chairs

You can’t go wrong with a parsons chair whether it’s leather, vinyl or fabric (well, if you have kids fabric might not be the best choice if you know what I’m saying….) These chairs were found at Costco – 2 pk for $140.

I love this set from Wayfair, good transitional style for the older style maple or oak tables. And it’s just coincidental that they are both darker colours, feel free to have some fun with colours too!  If we’d had online sites like Wayfair when this update was done, I’m sure we would have gone with something like these…

Via Wayfair

Or if you like something a bit more wipeable…

Via Wayfair

I love this neutral one as well, maybe not as kid-friendly, but SUPER gorgeous…

Via Wayfair

Step 2 – Sand down and stain the top surface

The second step for this couple was to sand down and stain the top (sand down evenly with 100 then 220 grit). When re-staining a piece like this it’s vital that you get all of the lacquer off and get a relatively consistent finish so that the new stain will absorb evenly. Once you’ve finished your sanding you can also use wood conditioner to ensure that the stain appears even. My favourite stain is Varathane Gel Stain – nice and gooey and doesn’t run like a water-based stain!

Step 3 – Sand down and paint the base

They didn’t have to be as thorough with sanding the base compared with sanding the top. This is because they decided to paint the base and all that paint needs is a smooth and un-shiny surface to ‘stick’, whereas stain needs a uniformly sanded surface so that the stain will ‘penetrate‘. A really nice scuff up of the base to break up the lacquer was all that was necessary to prep the surface (give ‘er with some 220 grit). We chose my favourite ooo-la-la dark colour “Willow” by Benjamin Moore. In these photos, it looks quite gray while in reality, it’s a dark brown with a strong charcoal base.

Now I’m not going to throw fluff at ya and tell you this was a straightforward and easy job – because it wasn’t. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of sweat, but as you can see – it was well worth it – who needs that Modern Country crap anyways when you have a set like this!

Now that you know how to refinish and updated a maple table, do you have any other outdated pieces that could use a makeover? Invite me over and let’s do some brainstorming – it’s amazing what a coat of paint can do (and a bottle of Baileys….)

See the rest of this open layout dining and living room here: Warm and Welcoming Living/Dining Room Design

Want some ideas for your own home, check out my Personalized E-Design Packages!

The post How to Refinish and Update a Maple Table appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Paint Wood Furniture Ideas : The Church Pew

Poooooor poor Tim. Here’s how the saga of the church pews went down…

K: Honey, let’s go for a drive with the kids.

T:  Sure, where are we going?

K: Oh, let’s just toodle around downtown.

T:  Alright.

K:  Oh, can you just pull in here for a second?

T:  Why?

K:  Brian (my dad) is meeting us here to pick up some 8′ long church pews.

T:  CHURCH PEWS? Jesus Christ Kylie, WHAT are we going to do with 8′ long church pews…? (sorry for the sacrilege there, but it is authentic.)

Yes, I bought 2 – 8-foot long church pews (and entirely underestimated how big they REALLY were until I got them home. Oh well, too late now!

I decided that one of them was destined for Maggie’s room – which will be a project for down the road. The other one? Definitely for the dining room…

The bones were there but make no bones about it – the wood would not stay!

So, I decided to try something new this time.  It’s frickin’ cold out and I didn’t want to haul it outside, so on the advice of a Home Depot dude I gave it a rough-up with a green scrubby pad (which etched it but produced no dust) and applied Behr 2 in 1 eggshell paint.

And now…

I distressed it (150grit sandpaper to the edges and wear areas) and applied chocolate brown glaze to it (then wiped it off to produce the aged effect)

The result? Well in most spots it distressed quite well, but there were a few spots that ‘peeled’ when I distressed them – meaning the paint didn’t really sink its teeth in and I should’ve scrubbed a bit more with the green scrubby. Overall, I’d say it’s successful though as the paint will only get harder over the next few weeks as it cures.

Now I have a great spot to store my vintage suitcase (another of Tim’s favourite things…not) The salmon coloured stripe on it ties into the church pew perfectly!

Overall I’m SUPER happy with both my church pew and my kids art gallery.

Chat soon,

The post Painted Wood – Church Pews appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I have many compulsions and neuroses which include an anxious type of yearning for hand cream, folded socks, the colour teal, Ryan Reynolds and….organization.

Little did I know that the heavens were listening when I went on a rampage through our playroom trying to re-organize the kid’s dress-up clothes because all of a sudden Ryan Reynolds was sitting on my couch folding teal socks. Okay, maybe not. However, the next day I slowly cruised by the thrift store and there, sitting in the parking lot was a vintage wardrobe. Not antique, not fancy, not even all that attractive actually – but it would be mine, oh yes, it would be mine.

Its price tag of $44.99 was a little rich for my thrifty tastes, so I pimped out my mom to use her Seniors Discount (and her truck) and got it for $35 – thanks, Mom! The cashier was also hard-pressed to believe my beautiful mom was over 55 (just barely, right Mom?) I hope I get those genetics!

Anyways, so enough jibber jabber – let’s move on to the transformation of this kid’s dress-up station. For the actual HOW-TO, please refer to the post  “How to Paint Cabinets and Furniture”

Here’s how this bad boy looked when I found him…

While it earns points for being solid wood, someone had used a semi-transparent blue stain on it and it was ticky-tacky.

Inside the cabinet area, there was wallpaper backing that was older than dirt. So I used a simple mix of fabric softener and warm water (1:4) and soaked it for two minutes and it came off easy-peasy using a plastic scraper – phew.

And here is how it turned out…(drum roll please)

I couldn’t decide between painting it pink or chartreuse – so I decided to live on the wild side and I’m glad I did – it’s cutie patootie!

As you can see, the clothing roll-out on the right side of the cabinet is perfect for Tim’s, I mean the girl’s princess clothes (and there’s a Woody outfit in there too).

The clothing area had been painted with oil paint underneath the wallpaper, so I sanded it and spray-primed it (which is a lot faster than painting) and then sprayed it out with white semi-gloss paint. The drawers (which were unfinished wood) got the same treatment. For pieces like this – especially interiors, spray paint is an easy and quick alternative to brush and roller.

There’s a separate pull-out each for purses, necklaces, shoes and magic wands.  I used the big bottom drawer for hats as we have quite a few cowboy hats in our dress-up collection – yippeekiyay!

This piece was a diamond in the rough just waiting for a little bit of KLC.

The total cost you ask?

• Cabinet – $35
• Quart of Paint and roller – $30
• Wallpaper scraps – free!
• New knobs and hinges – $15

Total project cost       $80

If you liked this, you might also like my Painted Pink Piano Project!

Chat soon,

READ MORE

Our Sunflower Yellow Painted Electric Fireplace (Chalk Paint)

The Painted Pink Piano Episode

The 12 Best Whole Home Gray & Greige Paint Colours

The Best WHOLE HOME Warm Neutral Paint Colours

The post Kids Dress up Ideas – The Chartreuse Wardrobe appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Turning a Buffet into a TV Stand

You all know that I’m a sucker for wood furniture, so when I saw this big hunk o’ woody goodness online for $60 and I just knew that I had to have it – I mean, it had my name written all over it…

The top was pretty beat up and crack-a-lacked.  I had to sand and sand and fill and sand to get it nice and smooth again. However, this ENTIRE piece was SOLID WOOD. I will say it again, SAW-LID WOOD!

And here it is now…

Okay, I have to admit that I even impressed myself (easily done btw)

 (Painted with Benjamin Moore Cloud White )

Now, the UBER DUBER cool thing about this buffet is that when I get bored of it (which is inevitable) I can turn it back into its glorious buffet-self simply by sliding the drawer back in.

How did I do all this?

These are the basics…

#1 – I sanded…and sanded…and sanded… Normally I would not have had to sand so much but that top was really roughy-toughy.

(A quick once-over with 150 grit sandpaper and my Black and Decker Mouse was ample sanding for the rest of the piece.)

#2 – I primed it. The top of this piece was pretty raw by the time I was done so primer was necessary. I also wanted to save myself 1 or 2 coats of paint as white paint over yellow-toned woods can be a long and painful process involving many glasses of wine.

#3 – I painted it with a foam roller – 3 coats. And I love it. End of story.

Read more: How to Paint Wood or Laminate Furniture

Want to see my kitchen cabinets painted in Cloud White?  Check this out… Maple No More!

Chat soon,

Linking to: Home Stories A-Z

Kylie M Interiors Decorating and Design Blog    Nanaimo BC Canada   Online Colour Consulting and Affordable Decorating Ideas

The post Big Hunk O’ Woody Goodness: Alternative TV Stand Idea appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I bet you have never thought of painting a roll-top desk. I bet you would think about the ‘function’ of a roll-top desk and would say to yourself ‘Now THAT is a bad idea – all of those moving parts, who would even try something like that?‘ Yours truly would, that’s who – I am my own hero!

And surprise surprise – it turned out AMAZING! (and yes, I even amazed myself – which is not hard to do).

AND, this little fella actually got featured on the HGTV site (I have officially arrived).

It was quite cutie-patootie before but boooooring.

After – And now we’re talkin’!

 (more photos below the instructions)

How to Paint a Roll-Top Desk

First of all, if you want to paint a roll-top desk you have to accept the fact that you will not get a ‘factory finish’. Because of the nature of a ‘roll top desk’, it better suits a distressed look. This allows you to a) keep the track clear of paint without it looking out of place as the only unpainted thing and b) means you can have bare coverage in the seams of the roll-top which will allow for a smooth roll. These ‘barely covered’ seams will tie in nicely with the distressed edges on the rest of your desk. Capiche?

Step 1   Sand

I used 150 grit just to break up the sheen

 Step 2   Wipe down

I used a tack cloth and a dry paintbrush to get rid of all of the sanding dust. Of course all of the dust settled quite nicely into the nooks and crannies of the roll-top so I used the tack cloth (which is what it says – a tacky cloth) to wipe the dust off of the body and then used the brush and my breath to blow/brush the dust out of the crannies.

Step 3   Painting

(For now, you will ignore the ‘roll-top’ part of the desk – says me)

I painted the body like I would paint any other piece of furniture  You know, do my brush work on the corners and joints and then rolled on the flat surfaces. This piece took 3 coats of Behr Ultra in eggshell finish

*I did not get any paint in the actual track that the roll-top runs along. I’m sure you can see how this would’ve caused problems…

Step 4  Distressing

I distressed the edges to show some wear and tear and courtesy of one of my followers (sounds cultish, doesn’t it). Okay, let’s rephrase that, John, one of my blog subscribers was asking ‘how much distressing is too much distressing,’ and it made me think about the amount of distressing I do. So for this piece I decided to take it ‘slightly’ easier than I usually do ~ thanks John!

Step 5   The Tricky Part

Okay now here are the parts that are specific to the ‘roll-top’ part of the desk. 

 a)  Before I used my paint brush I took my 4″ roller (10-13mm nap) and did a nice dry roll over the entire roll-top surface. Dry roll means that there is paint on the roller – but not very much. I didn’t want it going on thick enough that ANY went in to the cracks/seams of the roll-top. This dry roll gave me a very basic foundation to brush on to – meaning I had to do about 2 less brush coats.

b)  Now I did want ‘some’ paint in those cracks (so that they didn’t look bare and out of place), so using a relatively dry brush (meaning that there was paint on it – but not very much) I did 3 coats of paint. This meant that I had to reload my brush with paint quite often (with a minimal amount), but it made it so that the paint couldn’t glom up in the cracks (trust me, there’s nothing worse than having glom in your crack). If the paint glommed up, it would make the rolls stick together…and that would be bad…

•  I let it dry ‘completely’ between coats. Again, this was so the paint didn’t glom up. Once it was dry between coats, I rolled it up and down several time to make sure things stayed loosey-goosey
•  I ran my brush horizonally along the roll-top – never vertically. This gave me enough coverage on the flat top surface and minimal coverage on the inside seams.

c)  Once the painting was done, I used my hand sander to lightly – and I do mean lightly – hit some of the edges  Just enough so that it looked worn and used – but not abused.

Step 6   Lube ‘er up!

I used a bit of clear wax on the rolling traack. If I were rolling the top often (or as often as Tim wishes I would – if you catch my drift) I’d probably have to reapply every once in a while to keep things rolling smoothly, but for now, this pretty little lady is just sitting sweetly in my home looking all cute and awesome!

So that’s it my friends…

Happy Decorating!

BTW, have you seen my Painted Pink Piano yet?

Kylie M Interiors  Blog and More  Interior Decorating and Design  Colour Consulting and E-Design  Based in Nanaimo BC, Canada

The post How to Paint a Wood Roll-top Desk appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.