Kitchen Remodel Update

Back in February I posted that I had started remodeling my kitchen. Well I'm finally ready to post an update. The first part of the remodel is to paint all the cabinets. I originally considered buying all new cabinets. However new cabinetry is very expensive. It also felt weird to me to buy all new cabinets when the cabinets I have are perfectly fine. They are in good shape and function well in my kitchen. I wasn't looking to redesign the layout of my kitchen at all. The only thing I didn't like about my cabinets was the color. It seemed silly to remove perfectly good cabinets so I decided to paint them instead.

Well this project has been very slow-going. I only really work on it on the weekends and I've had several other events come up that have kept me from working on it more. Eventually it will get done though!

This week I finally finished painting a section of my cabinets that I have been working on for two months! Painting cabinets is a long tedious process to say the least. Here are the steps I have taken:

1. Empty cabinets and find place to store everything previously in cabinets
2. Remove doors from cabinets; remove all handles and hinges
3. Clean cabinets with soap and water, let dry
4. Sand all surfaces to be painted - cabinet frames and front and back of cabinet doors
5. Clean cabinet surfaces again so they are free of sawdust.
6. Apply first coat of primer to all surfaces including both front and back of cabinet doors
7. Apply second coat of primer to all surfaces
8. Apply first coat of paint to all surfaces
9. Apply second coat of paint to all surfaces
10. Attach new handles and hinges; attach doors to cabinet frame
11. Replace contents of cabinets

Whew! While doing all this I had to pick out new handles and hunt down a very specific hinge that this section of my cabinets requires. I went to four different hardware/home improvement stores and finally ended up ordering the hinges online. The handles I found at Home Depot for $1.98. What a deal!

So without further adieu, here are the pictures. Here is what my cabinets looked like before:


And here's what they look like now:


They look brand-spanking new! I love them! It was totally worth all the work. I can't wait to get new countertops and paint the walls a different color. However I still have all this to do:


Ugh. That's going to take forever. I hope that looking at the section of cabinets already finished will keep me motivated.

So if you are planning on painting your kitchen cabinets be prepared for it to take a long time unless you are super motivated or can take some time off work to work on it. I'll probably be posting the final finished product in June - ha!