I know I’m well overdue for an update on the kitchen and I can’t tell you how many people have asked when the reveal will be! I know, I’m impatient too. Wayne has been working on the cupboard doors and upstands in fits and starts simply due to the fact he has to take them into his work to do them (he’s a car sprayer by trade) and he’s been really busy at work so he had to work late to get them completed. By the time the weekend rolled around, the last thing he wanted to do was continue doing kitchen stuff so given that I kind of ‘owe’ him for this one, I didn’t really want to press the issue! So it’s been slow going over the last few weeks.
However, he finished off the last of the work recently so I can finally share the kitchen cupboard doors with you.
Now, I know a few people wanted to know what our process was and to be honest, I thought this would be a fairly straight forward job. Let me tell you, it’s never straight forward. I’d been graciously supplied with a number of cans of Painter’s Touch spray paint and primer from Rustoleum which was what we’d intended on using for the doors because it’s seriously fantastic spray paint (I’m not just saying that, I’ve used it a number of times including on my desk makeover and it goes on like a dream). Alas, it wasn’t to be. Let me explain.
The doors had originally been painted using the kind of paint Wayne sprays cars with. The finish you get on them is exceptional but it’s different to your standard paint obviously (otherwise, our cars wouldn’t be so resistant to the elements). The second factor was that when we’d originally painted the doors, we didn’t fill in the grain on the wood. This left weird streaky marks on the doors where the paint sunk into the grain and while you couldn’t really see it in pictures, you could see it in real life. I hated those streaky marks for YEARS and knew when we did them again, we’d have to fill them.
Finding a filler wasn’t easy – we went through a number of different products to get the best result and they had to be done by hand obviously. This made the entire process so much longer. The other problem was that the combination of the original car paint along with the primer and filler created some very strange chemical reactions when Wayne started to paint them. He was having problem after problem with the paint simply not adhering consistently and tried a number of different combinations of paint, filler and swapping his process to get a good finish on these, stripping back a couple of the initial doors as many as four different times until he landed on the right combination of products and fillers as well as another car paint that would all work in combination with each other.
Now you understand why it took us so long. There’s probably absolutely no point in me going through what we landed on in terms of the process as this was so specific to the kind of doors we had, the original car paint finish and the chemical reactions between the different products. So for those of you who were hoping for a quick answer to painting your cupboards, I’m so sorry that I can’t give you this.
spot the dog reflection!
We did end up using the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Spray Paint in Matt Black on the upstands however (made out of MDF) which gave the whole kitchen a more seamless look as they sort of disappear now beneath the cupboards which is exactly what I wanted. So if you have unpainted doors or MDF, then using this spray paint with a primer is a great idea. It’s only because of the way our doors were originally finished that it wasn’t possible to use and I really want to stress that as it’s kind of an unusual situation!
All that said and for all the time it took, I’m so pleased with how they came out. I’ve got a smooth satin finish that is pretty much impervious to everything and it provides a beautiful contrast to the marble effect worktop and tiles.
I also got some fab new appliances from AO.com in black which blend right into the cupboards after I realised the white ones just stuck out like a sore thumb! More on those later! Oh and for those wondering, the brass pull handles are by Heritage Brass. I’ll be sharing all of my sources once I do the reveal so hang tight if there is anything else you want to know the sources for!
Obviously I don’t want to ruin the reveal by showing you the whole kitchen at this point so these pictures are a little more cropped in. We will be painting the kitchen next weekend and if I get the chance, I’ll wallpaper behind the cupboards as well and then the whole thing will be complete and I can finally share it with you in it’s entirety!
Whew! So I hope you like the black cupboards! It’s such a massive change to have them after having the white cupboards for so long but I’m pretty in love with the final result. Once I share the full kitchen reveal, you’ll be able to see that the kitchen is still a lovely bright space to be in despite the dark flooring and dark cabinets – I promise! ;)
So what do you think of the final result? Any kitchen cupboard finishing nightmares of your own? I’d love to hear from you!
Disclaimer: While I wasn’t able to use the Rustoleum spray paint on the doors, we did use it on the upstands and it was provided for free in exchange for my honest review. Despite the fact it didn’t work for this particular project due to the complications of the original paint finish, I would gladly recommend their products which I love. I only work with companies I really like and think you will too! Thanks so much for supporting the businesses that support Swoon Worthy!
This looks amazing! It’s exactly what I want to do on my cabinets, which I hate and can’t afford to replace. The problem is that they are laminate (not wood) and everyone says trying to paint them would be a huge mistake/nightmare. Surely there must a be a product out there (in the UK not US) that I could use? I don’t care how long it takes I just need to find something that will work! Any thoughts gratefully received.
Hi Samantha, Thanks so much! Okay, so what I’ve used for painting laminate in the past is a spray on adhesive promoter which they use in the car industry for painting the plastic parts on cars. Laminate is basically like a thin plastic so it won’t react to paint the same way wood does. What you’d need to do is use this BEFORE you use your primer (because the primer won’t stick well to the laminate either) and this helps everything to adhere much better! You can get it at Halfords:
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/fillers-preparation/halfords-enamel-paint-adhesion-promoter-spray-300ml
I’d also recommend using an oil-based paint. It’s a pain in the arse and it takes forever to dry but once it does, it’s HARDCORE and won’t budget or scratch like water based paints will!
Hope that helps! I’ve been thinking about doing a post on painting laminate for ages so perhaps I should do now! ;)
xxx
Thank you! Thats super helpful. You should definitely do that post x
I am so surprised you went for black…and I’m so impressed you repurposed your existing cupboard doors – I would have given up and bought new doors :-) Can’t wait for the gorgeous full reveal.
Ha! Wayne told me the other day that I seem to be obsessed with black lately! ;) But thank you – they were a lot of work and to be honest, we looked into getting the doors replaced but it would have cost us so much more money! So yeah, repurposing them took a lot longer but was definitely more cost-effective ;) xx
Wayne is a hero! What patience – I suspect most people would have given up and pleaded to have new doors! But it’s been worth all that hard work – they look fantastic! The black kick plates too – I also painted mine black, as a friend said it would make the black slate floor (- it looks like yours-) appear bigger. And it works…
Aww thanks darling! I think he was quite enjoying the challenge to be honest – ha! We actually talked about the possibility of just replacing them but it wasn’t cost effective (ie we didn’t have the budget!) so we just had to work on them until they were right ;) It really looks lovely with the slate flooring though :D xxx
Gah! I love black cabinets! We painted all our kitchen cabinets black in the old house and it was stunning. Since we may have to reprint the ones in our house now, I might go with black for all of them again. Can not wait to see yours all come together!
Aww thank you – I do have a bit of a ‘thing’ for black kitchens, they are just so classy! xxx
holy sh*t those look amazing! if you weren’t in the uk i would bring my doors to wayne to have him spray mine!!!
Hahaha! Yeah, he does come in handy!! ;) xxx
You never cease to amaze me with your talent . I love the black and gold .. I can’t wait to see the fantastic reveal
Aww thanks lovely but this was all Wayne’s talent, not mine! Hahaha! We make a good team though ;) xxx
Can I just say …GASP! Love the black and gold, silky smooth cupboards. I also painted my cupboards, and can appreciate the. Work you had to put into it. Can’t wait to see the reveal ?
It’s crazy how much work it was! But they do look rather pretty – he’s done a great job! And thank you, reveal will be very soon I hope ;) xx
Oh my! This is one sexy kitchen! Your cabinet finish looks so professional. You are making me think I should go black in my kitchen.
Haha! Thank you Jessica! I’m so happy we went with black – go for it!! ;) xxx
The first word that came to my mind when I saw your black cabinets with brass pull handles was, “GORGEOUS”. That was then followed by “elegant”, “splendiferous” . . .
Aww thank you Kay!! I’m so happy you like it!! “Spendiferous” is such an awesome word!!! xx
I’ve always wondered how one could spray paint their kitchen cabinets so this is SUPER helpful. Plus, the finish on your cabinets looks super professional and sleek so it makes me even more keen to try one day. Love them, hun! xx
Thank you lovely! Wayne did such a great job on them – he does come in handy, I admit ;) xxx
oh wow! so far so stunning!!! they turned out just beautiful and those gold handles are perfect. I love the slate tile floors also and now I can’t wait for the big reveal. But I will.
Aww thanks so much Marie! I’m so happy with the progress so far – not long to wait now ;) We’re nearly there! xxx
I love the kitchen cabinets well the whole kitchen. I have been foolowinh your blog for a while now and love your taste
Oh that’s really sweet Angela! Thank you so much! Mwah! xxx
I was surprised about the black too, after all the back and forth on the color. I love it tho. Very curious how it looks in the room. You know Kimberly, Wayne is becoming a super hero to your fans. Once again, go Wayne!
It’s true I debated loads about the cabinets! But once we decorated the dining room, the black was the logical choice and I’m so glad we went for it :D And hell yeah, Wayne’s my hero too! Haha!! (Also I read him your comment and he laughed and said he’s going to get a big head!!) ;) xx
The cupboards look amazing in black! Especially with those fabulous handles! Also love that shiny black cooker – it all looks amazing! So excited to see the finished kitchen… especially about seeing the new wallpaper in the back of the top cupboards!
Also, the kick-boards in black are great – it’s perfect how they disappear now.
Exciting!!! xx
Aww thanks darling, I’m so keen on doing the wallpapering but we can’t do that until we finish the painting – whaaa! I’m so impatient. ;) xxx
What a great move! I LOVE the black. Bless Wayne for his patience, a labor of love no doubt. Lucky gal. My husband and I tackled our cabinets with paint brushes, years ago. We sanded, but did not prime. Argh, surely was a mistake to skip the primer. We compensated by applying several coats of paint which took forever!!! It has held up very well though and I much prefer a white cupboard vs. the original pickled finish, eew. Anxious for your full reveal, especially your wall paper choice…I know that will rock too! Keep us swooning! Smiles, Kathleen
It’s always a bit of trial and error with painting cupboard doors I reckon because they are all a little different! Good to hear yours have held up well and I’m sure they look miles better than the pickled finish – ha! Thanks so much Kathleen, I’m so eager to get it all done! We’re so close ;) xxx
What can I say after everything that has been said, they look amazing. Nice one Wayne you did a brilliant job. Those work tops really come into their own now, they looked great before, but now, they look fantastic. The final reveal is going to be unbelievable, I can’t wait to see it.xxx
Aww thanks Pauline! Yes, the worktops REALLY stand out now and they blend so nicely with the tiles! Yay! Can’t wait to get this one finished finally – we are very nearly there! Eeek! xxx
Yikes what a lot of work that turned out to be! But wow, doesn’t your kitchen look incredible now? Very sexy! And ooh you have such lovely pretties in your kitchen, must be an absolute joy to be in there :-) Lucky you were able to get new appliances to match the dark colour, because yeah white ones would not have worked ;-)
Oh it took forever but so worth the end result! How he has the patience for this stuff, I’ll never know – haha! And yes, as soon as we started replacing the doors, I knew those white appliances wouldn’t work *facepalm* ;) The black look FAR better now! xx
Oh they look amazing. I had been thinking about painting the bottom of my cabinets at some point but have been shying away from the work ;) I have to say it but Wayne sounds like a saint. So patient! The finish looks so so good after all the hassle you guys went through.
I genuinely have no idea how he has the patience for stuff like that! I would have thrown the doors out in a hissy fit if it’d been me doing it – hahaha! But thank you – I’m so pleased at the outcome, he did an amazing job! xxx
Wow Kimberley, you are one hell of a way close to finishing a very glamorous kitchen, the black looks crazy good, can’t wait to see the full reveal…
Aww thanks Ruthie! We are so close now – can’t wait until it’s all completed! xxx
Well you’d never know the headaches behind the process from what the cabinets look like now – they’re so smooth and sleek. Can’t wait to see the whole room when it’s done – so far, you’re killing it. It’s gorgeous!
If time is money you’ve made me a wealthier woman.