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DIY kitchen cabinet hack


Are your kitchen cabinets tired old brown oak?

Today I want to share a quick face lift tip I used in my own kitchen not long ago.  My family and I had just made settlement on a fixer upper, and it needed quite a bit of work just to move in. Surprisingly, the kitchen was the least of our worries. Though the cabinets were the old style oak from the 80’s (definitely dated!) they were sturdy, and in very good shape. We decided to keep them and just give them a face lift to get us by. Two reasons:
  1. I can’t stand taking out something that still functions perfectly or is well made.
  2. We needed time to work in the kitchen and get a feel for the flow of the space. When it comes time to do a full remodel, we’ll have a good idea of the best changes to make.



What to do?

We decided on a lighter color, but didn’t want a stark white cabinet. The antique look seemed to be a good choice for this kitchen, but I wasn’t sure how to create it. 
At first.
So I went off to the local hardware store and grabbed some smaller samples of paints. I tried all different colors of off whites, creams, and pale yellows. The look I was after just wasn’t happening. 
Next I tried pure white and picked out some tinted polyurethanes. The result was way too dark. On a whim I put a clear polyurethane over a pure white. 
Bingo!
The paint I chose was a flat paint because I didn’t want too glossy of a finish. Even though the poly was clear, the result over the white paint was exactly what I had in mind. The result was that the cabinets took on a naturally aged but well taken care of look. We were really happy with how they turned out.

How do you do that?

  • Take out all drawers and take off all doors
  • Remove any hardware and handles.
  • Mix a solution of half vinegar and half warm water. Add a few drops of mild dish detergent (not dishwasher detergent).if the cabinets are particularly grimy.
  • Clean all surfaces and allow to dry thoroughly.
  • lightly sand all glossy surfaces with 150 grit sandpaper. 
  • Vacuum off the sanding dust and wipe with a tack cloth.
  • Apply a coat of primer.
  • Apply two coats of flat white paint, going with the grain of the wood. Allow to dry completely
  • Apply two coats of clear polyurethane, again going with the grain of the wood.
For less than $300.00 and some elbow grease, we extended the useful life of the cabinets for six years and counting!



I did extend the footprint of the cabinets to make the kitchen larger, so if you noticed a more open space then you are correct. All I needed to do was get similar looking unfinished cabinets at the local home improvement center (they weren’t even exact) and give them the same treatment as the original cabinets. It is virtually unnoticeable to all but ourselves.
Now when we finally get around to remodeling our kitchen (lots of great DIY info coming for you!), we can feel great about wringing every last bit of usefulness the cabinets had.

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