Kitchen Cabinets_Episode 1 | Let the Fun Begin!

Why oh why are kitchens so expensive to remodel?  I am certain I am not the only person who has asked that question.  When we moved into our home almost 12 years ago, it had honey oak, builder grade cabinets.  To be technical, it still does have honey oak, builder grade cabinets…they’re just brown now, because not long after we moved in, I painted them.

Over the last two years, we have replaced our refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher.  We went from off white appliances to charcoal gray.  And charcoal gray and dark brown cabinets make for a dark kitchen.  So I started researching prices to replace the cabinets with new ones.  WOW!  We have 15 cabinets and three drawers and it was going to be almost $4000 just for the cabinets.  That didn’t include labor to put them up if we didn’t do it ourselves.  Next logical choice, check on the cost to have a professional refinish them.  Um, no!  $2500.  Ya’ll, we need countertops too and a $10,000 kitchen remodel just isn’t in the budget.  Next step: You Tube University (as one of my clients calls it and I love it, so I stole it :).

For the past 4-6 weeks, I have been researching how to professionally paint kitchen cabinets.  I do not want my kitchen to look like someone who enjoys diy projects slapped some paint on my cabinets.  We’re doing this right!  And here is what weeks of research produced:

So, off we go, on a #RealtorRehab journey through our kitchen 🙂  Now, what fun is reading about the action when you can watch it, right?  We hope you enjoy Episode 1 of #RealtorRehab: Kitchen Cabinets.

So now to the good stuff.  Before I started, I created a kitchen map that identified each cabinet and drawer with a number.  When I pulled the shelves out, I took a small piece of painters tape and wrote on it the cabinet number and the position number.  For example, Cabinet 3 has two shelves, so the top shelf is labled 3-1 and the bottom shelf is labeled 3-2.  I put the tape on the unfinished edge of the shelf that will never been seen, so I won’t paint that side.  I also did the drawer slides the same way.

For the cabinet doors, everything will be painted, so I took a slightly different approach.  I put the label on the table where they sit.  I will put one cabinet out at a time to sand, then put it back in it’s proper position (I’ll be sanding outside instead of the garage so the dust doesn’t get all over everything!).

So,  If you’re up for the challenge, this is a great way to update your kitchen for resale without spending a ton of money.  Our budget is $500, so check back each week to find out how we’re doing on our progress and if we’re still on track with our budget.