It’s been busy around here! Last week, I picked up the paint for the lower bottom cabinets Dark Teal by Benjamin Moore, when I got home and got ready to paint I discovered the color didn’t match the sample. A few trips back and forth to correct the issue, I was finally ready to paint! I used Stix Primer on the cabinets to prep for paint. I applied the primer with a paint roller and brush.

I decided to hand-paint the interior cabinet base with a small sponge roller and paintbrush. For the cabinet doors and drawers, I decided to spray them for a nice smooth professional finish. For my project, I selected the Benjamin Moore Advance paint, the paint is a waterborne alkyd paint, that is perfect for cabinetry. The only downside of the paint is the recoating process, you have to allow 18 hrs between coats, allowing time for the finish to dry completely smooth and harden, thankfully it’s dry to the touch in about 6-8 hours.

Painting the Cabinets //

I’m very happy with my decision to use a paint sprayer for my cabinet project, I used the Wagner Paint Sprayer Flexio 595. I love this paint sprayer, it works so well and gave my cabinets a beautiful factory finish. The sprayer comes with two attachments one for larger projects and one for fine-finish (cabinets and furniture) I own a few other paint sprayers and I would not trust them with my painting my cabinets.

Wagner Paint Sprayer

I love this paint sprayer, it comes with two painting attachments, one for larger outdoor projects and rooms and a fine mist sprayer for furniture and cabinetry.

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I painted my cabinets in a painting tent, I’m so happy I got a spray painting tent, absolutely worth every single penny. I loved being able to place all the cabinet doors and drawers inside close the tent and not worry about bugs landing on the finish, having everything together allowed for optimal drying time! I’ll write a blog post and share all the painting tips I learned along the way.

Painting Spray Tent

Perfect tent for spraying painting and to allow painting projects to safely dry inside.

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Here’s a shot of my kitchen in full disarray! I applied to coats of paint to the back of the cabinet doors and drawers and three coats of paint on the front, I used a 220 gift sanding block between the coats of paint. Sanding between coats is crucial for a beautiful finish, plus allows you to smooth out any imperfections in the paint.

ORC Goals for the upcoming week!

Order new dishwasher
Remove the upper kitchen cabinet doors
Place doors and drawers back on the cabinet

One Room Challenge Week Three: Painting prep fully commences! This is my first time painting a large project myself! In the past we painted the exterior of the home, my dad did most of the work, Hasani and I were on trim duty and backrolling. I’ve painted our bookcases, bathroom vanities, and various furniture projects.

My goal is to take my time so that the finish on my cabinets is professional and appears factory-finished. Over the years, I learned prep and the right tools are essential for a beautiful after. To get started on my cabinet makeover, I cleaned all the cabinet doors, drawers, and baseboards with hot water and ammonia.

Next, I removed all the cabinet doors and hinges from the frame, that’s when it started to feel real, like I’m really tackling the entire paint job myself! I made sure to label everything including the cabinets and hardware, to help speed up the process of putting everything back when completed.

Painting Essentials Links // 1. Paint Brush Cover 2. Small Sander 3. Paint Roller Set 4. Paint Sprayer 5. Purdy Paint Brush 6. Handy Paint Pail (great for painting projects!) 7. Painting Tent (very helpful for spraying projects) 8. Paint Brush Cleaner 9. Mouse Sander

Kitchen cabinet doors removed and sanded

I’m so glad I took the time to prep my cabinets and smooth out all the imperfections with sanding the doors (front and back) and filing in old cabinet drawer holes as needed.

Week Four Project Goals // Check-In

Order the new dishwasher!
Nail down the paint color selection, get the current cabinet color, and color-matched (for upper cabinets!)
- Done!
Order cabinet hardware samples, this has been a challenge! The ones I love have been out of stock, ugh
- Done!
Kitchen Cabinet cleanout, purge the kitchen of duplicates and items not being used! Donate to Goodwill
- not yet!

Over the weekend, I should be big strides with our kitchen makeover and hoping for lots of kitchen updates!