apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

BEFORE

TOOLS:
- Drill (can not live without my cordless drill!!!)
- Ol' Fashion soap, sponge and sandpaper
- Paint & Gripper Primer
- Paint Roller, Paint Pour lid, Angle Brush
- Caulking Tape
- "Rub-n-Buff" silver (for hinges) and Stipple brush (from Michael's)
- IKEA hardware for cabinet doors
- Appliance epoxy spray paint

STEPS:
Day 1:
- Cleaned out the kitchen and removed cabinet doors (tip: number or mark the doors so as to know which doors belong on which cabinets... I made the mistake of not doing this and had a couple of mishaps in the middle of the night trying to re-attach the doors!)
- Dropclothed the whole kitchen
- Taped up the walls for paintin! I used the thicker tape to try and prevent any mishaps with painting ceiling edges
- Sanded cabinet doors to ensure an even coat. Primed cabinets with gripper primer (gripper primer is thicker than traditional primer which was great for priming the exposed brick wall in the kitchen too - what a time saver!)
- Once the primer dried on cabinet doors, i only used one coat of white paint so as to allow some of the wood grain to show through.

Day 2:
- Replaced light switchplate covers
- Finished taping off the walls and cabinets
- Primed and Painted (I only did one coat of primer but did 2 coats of color paint to ensure good saturated color)

Day 3:
- SHOPPED! mostly at IKEA to keep cost down we purchased window drapings, curtain rods and caps, and hardware
- Removed painter's tape and completed touch-ups
- Sanded the exhaust fan and covered surrounding area with newspaper as prep. Used amazing appliance epoxy spray paint to cover the yellow dingy exhaust fan to a sparkling even white! Made sure to do 2 even coats from safe distance otherwise it gets drippy and the ocd in me had to sand it back down and re-spray. Keep the windows wide open, use a mask if possible and then LEAVE the place to let it air out for a few hours...that stuff is strong!
- Came back and reapplied the cabinet doors. (Best if you have someone to help you, especially if it's 2am you are balancing on a step stool and the kitchen counter and trying to keep the strength to hold the drill!)
- Installed the doorknob hardware (using measuring tape helps ensure the knobs are evenly placed)
- Rub-n-Buff works wonders! Instead of buying new hinges, using a stipple brush and fingertips just use a little of this paint and the hinges are shiny looking brushed silver...just make sure to stay within the lines as the paint will easily spread to your freshly painted cabinets!
- Using the caulking tape helped bridge a gap between the top of the tile backsplash and the bottom of cabinetry
- FINISHING touches...re-dressed the room with furnishings and window treatments!
- SURPRISED Mom with finished project!

RESOURCES:
The inspiration for the kitchen was the little blue Tiffany Box...something any lady would love to get but what better to come home to!?

A couple of my favorite things i found... Paint Pourer - this was only $.59 at Home Depot and kept the paint from dripping down the can when trying to pour it into the pan. Rub-n-Buff is amazing...it comes in plenty of different colors (gold, rust, silver, etc.) and you can use it on anything from picture frames to updating hinges. Caulking Tape is a great quick way to re-caulk...and it lasts! I used this in my bathtub and it's lasted over a year now. Appliance Epoxy - What a way to update appliances without spending on new appliances! It also comes in different finishes like stainless steel.