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My Vintage Porch

Interior Design, DIY, and Refurbishing

Big Kitchen Reveal!!

Filed Under: DIY, Home Improvements, Home Tour, Kitchen, Painting Tagged With: chalk paint, cottage, cottage style, diy, diy home, diy project, farmhouse, farmhouse kitchen, farmhouse style, home, home decor, kitchen, kitchen decor, neutral decor, painting, painting cabinets, project, white, white cabinets, white cottage, white kitchen

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Thank you for being so patient with my blog post about my kitchen. Well, it’s here!!! FINALLY!  Some days I thought it would never end, but I was right, “this too passed” and I JUST LOVE IT! Ok there is a lot of ground to cover here so I will try to be short and sweet with some added pics so I won’t bore you to death with all of my blabbering. Here goes…

 

CLOSING IN THE GAP:

First I want to show you how we closed in our gap between our ceilings and our walls. I have always hated it, feeling like it added too much clutter when I would try to decorate up there and there was not much space anyways…so bye bye gap! ??YAY! We made our trip to the closest hardware store (Home Depot) and picked out our materials. Our cabinets are super smooth so I knew I wanted a board with no texture to match our cabinet texture.


We also picked out our trim. The initial trim we choose was a little too small for the space when we got it home so we returned it and chose a thicker trim. We matched it up initially in the store and thought the initial ones we bought would work, but sometimes you just can’t tell until it’s in the space. Here is what we started with and then ended up returning it for a thicker piece for the bottom. We used 2 pieces pushed together for the bottom, to make it thicker.

Before I start talking about the whole process, I just have to say an extra big THANK YOU to my hubs. ?? He completed the whole “closing in the gap” process on his own. I think he felt bad that he wasn’t going to help me paint the cabinets so he was making up for it. HA HA, just kidding baby! ?

He started off by marking all of the studs. VERY IMPORTANT! We ran into a little trouble in the front where the trim was going to connect to the ceiling because there wasn’t a stud close enough, so he alligned boards across the top and bottoms for support and it was very sturdy when he finished. He measured the lip of the cabinet and bought a comparable 1″ board for the supports.

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He then measured with space from top to bottom so we could have exact measurement from cabinet to ceilling for cutting the board that we were buying. We don’t own a table saw so we had our large smooth sheet of wood cut down at Home Depot. Please ignore the mess to come…it just gets worse. ?

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After he had the wood cut down at Home Depot, he began nailing the wood into place. This process went quite quickly. The board did not go all the way to the end so he had to cut pieces for each end and then caulk the creases where the boards met. We just used a small hand held can of white caulk to decrease the mess. The larger cans are a little too messy for such small spaces.

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YAY! The gap is gone. Now comes the tricky part. I am horrible at cutting 45 degree cuts so I’m super glad that my hubs was there for that one. We used the DIYZ app to look up a tutorial on how to cut crown molding. There was a written and video tutorial that helped so much! And yes, he measured twice and only had to cut once!!  ?? The problem we ran into was that our ceilings are not perfectly even. You will notice the shabby job that these home builders do when you complete a project where you need something to be even. Well, since it wasn’t even, the corner had a little gap, but no problem that a little caulk didn’t fix. He used a little liquid nails along with the nail gun to support the trim since we were trying to keep it as flush to the ceiling as possible.

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Once you get your cuts you can start going to town nailing it in with your nail gun. Sorry about the blurry pic.

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There will be little creases that need filled in prior to painting. We just used white caulk and smoothed it out after. It’s nice to have sandable caulk in the places that you will need to sand. The bottom piece of trim is actually a larger piece with a smaller piece connected to the top of it to make it thicker.

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And here it is, all finished! Happy Dance!! ???? It just needs to be sanded in the spots where we caulked prior to painting.

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Now on to the fun part…well, not really fun, but I’m glad it’s done and that makes the whole process seem like it might have been a little fun. Ok, it’s not, it’s not fun at all. ? I’m going to just show you a little of the process using the top cabinets as a description. I first wiped down all of the cabinetry with a degreaser. There are many out there but this is what I used and the directions for use are right on the bottle. I found this one at Home Depot.

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I taped everything off with green frog tape. BEST TAPE EVER! I’m not getting paid to say that, it’s just really the best tape out there in my opinion that doesn’t bleed through and leaves a nice crisp line. After everything was taped off, and by everything I mean the ceiling, floors, and any counters that you don’t want to see paint on in the end, I then took off all of the cabinet doors with my electric drill. I just used a bowl to place all of my screws in so they would not get lost in the shuffle. I left the hinges on the actual cabinets and just removed each door. I numbered all of the doors on the back with a sharpie as I was taking them off so I would not get confused as to where they needed to go after painting them. Since I used a sprayer, the numbers got covered up with paint. To help remember the numbers, I marked the cardboard where each one was sitting while being sprayed with their number and then remarked the actual cabinets inside where the hinge would sit when they were dry. Believe me, you will be glad you numbered all of them when you are finished.

 

I started off by painting all of the trim (as you can see) around the cabinet doors. I used kilz interior oil based primer with a small foam roller and used a cheap brush when needed in smaller spaces. I hate cleaning up oil based paint so I would just through alway my roller and brush at the end of each day. It was worth the small extra cost to not have to clean them out with mineral spirits. Using kilz oil base primer should keep the cabinets from yellowing  and limit the paint chipping after the whole process because it’s sealing in all of the dark color and oil base paint is more durable than latex. Make sure you have a good mask because this stuff is strong smelling!

I did not sand my trim before painting but did lightly sand each cabinet door before priming. I used the same kilz primer for the doors but bought spray cans of it so I would not have to clean it out of my sprayer. That would be a nightmare. The primer in the cans is not cheap when having to buy so many, but once again TOTALLY worth the extra cost to me! After the trim and doors were all primed 2x with the oil base kilz primer, I began using my chalk paint. I make my own chalk paint and the recipe will be at the end of the post. Some people ask if you can use chalk paint in a sprayer…yes you can, and making your own makes it all the more affordable to paint a kitchen.

I painted 3 coats of chalk paint on my trim with a high quality painting brush (to keep from streaking) and sprayed 2-3 coats on each door with my sprayer. I used Dove White Benjamin Moore paint color matched to Behr paint (because Behr paint is more budget friendly). It’s more of a creamy white than stark white. It’s my go to white. I use it alot on my walls too. When painting the doors, just make sure you have them propped up on something on the edge for drying purposes. I used old paint cans. If you just lie the doors flat, they will stick to your cardboard.

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It took me almost 2 full days to paint my trim. ? Our kitchen is pretty big so I’m sure for some kitchens it would take less time.

 

After I painted each door and all of the trim with primer, chalk paint, and touched up spaces that got missed, it was time to seal the cabinets. This is the part that makes me nervous. I had never used poly in my sprayer before but I have to say it went fairly smooth.  I used a high quality brush meant for poly on my inside trim. Don’t skimp on the brush for this or you will see lots of streaking. I sealed all of the trim 2-3x inside and the cabinet doors 2-3x.  I used poly acrylic water based poly which makes furniture and messes way more wipeable. Make sure you use water based poly with light colors or your paint will yellow.
In Arizona, drying time is a lot quicker than other states because of our dry heat. I let each coat of polyacrylic dry about an hour -1.5 hours and each coat of paint dry about 45 minutes. It’s like “waiting for paint to dry”.  ? I put all of the doors back on by myself minus the uppers where my husband assisted me with that…ok, he put all of the uppers on by himself. I didn’t help at all. ?

 

I highly recommend a paint sprayer because it makes the doors look so much more like they were professionally painted. I use a graco sprayer from Home Depot but there are many great sprayers on the market. Mine is electric and I do love that fact because I don’t have to get out the air compressor every time that I want to use it.  Painting cabinets is very time consuming and labor intensive but not super hard. If you have the patience and the will, then you will do great.

 

So here is the before:

 

And the after:
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CHALK PAINT RECIPE:

Here is my chalk paint recipe that I’ve been using for years. Enjoy!

12TB Calcium Carbonate ( I get mine at my local ceramics shop) to every quart of flat based paint. Calcium carbonate can be difficult to find at your local store so I’m adding an Amazon affiliate link for some great calcium carbonate powder here for you to order your own if you would like.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the calcium carbonate with warm water. I mix it with enough water where it is goopy not runny. Stir in water slowly so you don’t get too much

Then mix the calcium carbonate into your flat based paint and stir well

 

Note: Some of the cc may settle to the bottom after left sitting for weeks so next time you want to use it just make sure to stir it well and get it off the bottom of your can.

Make sure you are using a flat based paint.

There you have it, it’s that easy. ? You don’t have to sand your items before painting with chalk paint either, that is what is so nice about it.

I did sand my cabinet doors just to assist the primer in sticking better.

 

I hope my little tutorials were helpful to you for your future projects! Happy Painting my friends and thank you for stopping by!!!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shelle says

    November 3, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    I Love how this turned out! We are looking for our first home, and I keep insisting I need/want (same thing…lol) a white kitchen. But now I know it’s possible to achieve no matter what! Thanks so much! Oh! Just curious if your were considering painting the legs on your bar chairs white also? If so, will you do a quick tutorial?

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 3, 2016 at 3:38 pm

      Thank you so much!! I haven’t decided if I’m painting the bar stool legs or not yet. I will keep you updated ??

  2. Jen says

    November 3, 2016 at 9:13 pm

    Looks amazing, Natalie!

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 3, 2016 at 9:54 pm

      Thank you so much, Jen! ?

  3. Joanna says

    November 4, 2016 at 12:05 am

    Super! There are a lot of information in yours post. But for me is the best that way about ” your” gap. This’s really good idea!

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 4, 2016 at 6:11 am

      Thank you so much!! I hope it was all helpful. ?

  4. Kris @ Junk Chic Cottage says

    November 4, 2016 at 5:50 am

    This is fabulous. Looks great.

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 4, 2016 at 6:12 am

      Thank you so much, Kris!! ?

  5. Sass Barton says

    November 4, 2016 at 10:40 am

    Natalie it looks beautiful. I’m moving and every house I look at has nice wood cabinets like yours were, none of them are white! I want white and this is a good tutorial on how to accomplish it myself. You’re right about the patience though. Nice job!

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 5, 2016 at 6:34 am

      So fun to check out new houses! I love the white too but it is doable. Thank you so much! ?

  6. Susan says

    November 19, 2016 at 8:03 am

    Which graco paint sprayer do you have? I’m looking to purchase one before I tackle our kitchen. I love the idea of using chalk paint, also. Thank you for the post…your kitchen is beautiful!

    Susan

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 28, 2016 at 6:14 am

      Thank you so much, Susan!! It’s a tru coat 2 Grace sprayer

  7. Carolyn says

    December 23, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    Why use primer if you are using chalk paint? I thought it wasn’t necessary when using chalk paint?

    • My Vintage Porch says

      December 24, 2016 at 7:54 am

      The oil base primer keeps the cabinets from yellowing later on because it seals in the old color/stain color and lessens the risk of the paint chipping off later.You don’t “have to” prime with chalk paint, but I would not recommend skipping oil base primer when painting kitchen cabinets. There are other ways to paint cabinets but this is how I chose to do it. ?

  8. Christy says

    July 30, 2017 at 8:28 am

    I love this! I have oak cabinets too and can’t wait to make them white. How have the cabinets held up with use? How long did you wait before putting the doors back on? I am wondering if there will be any sticking or easy chipping? Thanks so much!

    • My Vintage Porch says

      July 31, 2017 at 11:48 pm

      Thank you so much, Christy! They are super wipeable. I have not experienced any chips or sticking. We put the doors on after 24 hours if I remember right. ? I would do it all again if I needed to, I love the white and they have been super durable.

  9. Lynne says

    October 29, 2017 at 5:28 am

    Good Sunday morning, Natalie!
    ???? This is by far THE BEST tutorial I have read regarding the painting of kitchen cabinets.
    Seriously, after my comment, I am headed to my Pinterest board, wiping out the past and replacing it with the “one you”.
    ???? To you and your hubs!
    Thank you . . .
    . . . I hope you are feeling well soon. ????
    ????LYNNE

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 1, 2017 at 6:40 am

      Thank you so much Lynne! That means a lot to me. ❤️

  10. Kathy Horton says

    October 29, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    Absolutely beautiful! Seeing your post motivates me to get started with my kitchen cabinets. I will have to paint with a brush instead of sprayer. If I use the oil base spray on Kiltz what kind of bought paint should I use? It definitely needs to be durabl.e. Thank you so mucb.

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 1, 2017 at 6:43 am

      Hi Kathy! I’m not sure what you are asking about the paint, do you mean other than chalk paint?

      • Kathy Horton says

        March 7, 2018 at 7:42 am

        Yes, I mean other than chalk paint. If I use oil based kill then I would have to use oil based paint. What kind would you recommend? Sorry I didn’t make myself clear. Thank you so much, Natalie. I look forward to your stories and posts everyday! You’re my favorite!

        • My Vintage Porch says

          March 7, 2018 at 7:52 am

          Aw Thank you Kathy! I talk about what I used on my post, did you catch that? I used oil based primer and chalk paint. ❤️

  11. Andrea says

    November 23, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    The cabinets I have are those cheap press board laminate. The laminate is peong and coming off on the high traffic areas. Any advise? I was wondering if this process only works on wood? I wonder if I could just buy unfinsihed wood doors, paint and replace? Trying to think of a cost effective way to get a fresh look.

    • My Vintage Porch says

      November 23, 2017 at 8:33 pm

      I guess you could try to buy new doors? I’m not sure, I’m sorry.

  12. Cami says

    January 2, 2018 at 9:35 pm

    You and your husband are so talented! I wish i had an ounce of your creativity. We paid a lot of money for our knotty cherry cabinets. I’m so tempted to paint them, because I love the white or gray trend. How long do you think the painted cabinets will be in style? I hate to paint them if the wood will be back in style in a couple years!

    • My Vintage Porch says

      January 5, 2018 at 8:12 am

      Thank you Cami! I think wood will always be in style as well. It’s preference in my opinion. ????

Trackbacks

  1. My Favorite Rug says:
    January 23, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    […] White Frames- thrifted and painted (see my chalk paint recipe at the end of my kitchen blog post here) […]

  2. My Chalk Paint Recipe and Painting Techniques says:
    January 27, 2017 at 11:34 pm

    […] with my homemade chalk paint and they have held up so great and have yet to chip (see the process here). And no chipping?? That’s really something spectacular when I have 3 kids and a […]

  3. My Laundry Room Update with DIY Barn Door and Painted Floor Tutorial says:
    March 7, 2017 at 11:44 am

    […] both colors. I painted my cabinets with the same process that I used on my kitchen that you can see here. I used my homemade chalk paint Benjamin Moore White Dove color matched to Behr […]

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