Thursday, August 4, 2011

170 FINALLY! How to Paint Cabinets & Trim!

I feel like the suspense is so thick you could cut it with a knife.  I mean, I began teasing and waving that piece of candy in front of you at least 6 months ago.  You know, the, "We are painting our trim white" tease?  And yes, we painted our trim white.  Doors too.  And as many of you know, we even had painted our cabinets awhile back as well.  All of which I have not documented on this blog.  The horror right?  And why you ask?  Well, the cabinets were done before the blog was born.  But I am popping into my DeLorean and going back in time to share what I can about that process as well.  And the trim, well, it pretty much just got done within the last couple of weeks.  Well, let me rephrase, it was all pretty much done within one single weekend back in December or January, and then all the little touch ups and hole filling and edge fixing just took place recently...


I get all sorts of organizing questions each and every day, but one of the most common questions I get isn't related to organizing at all.  It's, "How did you paint your cabinets?  And your trim?".  I am SO excited to finally be writing up this post for you!

First, cabinets.  I will start out by saying that I had never read a blog when I decided to do this.  I had no clue what I was doing.  I was terrified.  I only knew that I didn't want oak anymore.  I know, some of you may be screaming at your screen right now, some LOVE oak, and I am not one of them.  We all have different taste right?  And I will say, in this area, it seems as though oak is all you find EVERYWHERE and in every home.  So when I told friends and family I was painting our cabinets, I didn't have much support.  In fact, I am pretty sure they tried to call the loony bin.


What I did do is google tutorials online, and found this one to be the most helpful.  I followed it step by step.


When it came to choosing a color, I went with Behr's Navajo White.  I held up tons of paint swatches, and it was the one that seemed to match most of the items in the house at the time.  And, I had seen an inspiration picture with a similar color and really liked the look.

I followed the steps to a T.  We removed the cabinet fronts, washed everything down, hand sanded each and every door and cabinet {sorry, I can't remember the grit we used, however it's recommended to use 150 or finer}, wiped them down again, primed and then painted them with two coats of the Behr interior satin paint.


And, how lucky are you, I found a really awkward picture from 2007 when I was working on the cabinets!  Sorry for the boob shot. 


There I am, cabinets laid out on 2x4's and priming away!

I just used regular ol' paint brushes if I remember correctly, with all the grooves I decided to take the risk of brush marks since rolling would just be one more step.  But brush marks really weren't so bad, they were barely visible, since we lightly sanded in-between each coat!


Once all the cabinets were installed, something was still missing.  I didn't want to roll/paint all of the plain oak paneling on the sides of the cabinets since I feared it would smear or look extremely streaky, so I just painted out some wainscoting that the hubs cut down to size instead.  It added texture to all the cabinet sides and was easy to install with a combo of liquid nails and an air nailer.


So far we have cupcakes and icing but no cherry on top... so the last touch was to add some crown molding.  Again, done before blogging world so no pictures were snapped, but my husband installed some pine molding along the tops of the cabinets, which I just added two coats of paint to, to match the rest of the cabinets.



So what kind of a difference did all of the work make?  And how much time?  I believe the whole cabinet project took us a week from beginning to end, since we waited for everything to dry well between coats, and did it on the weekends and evenings.

As far as the difference, well, here are some before and afters for you:

Before:



After:



Before:



After:




Before:



After:


Of course the swapping out of light fixtures and some of the accessories make a big difference as well {and learning how to take better photographs}.  But it was mostly in the paint.  Such a small investment to make a HUGE difference.  It really opened up the space!

The very second that I finished the cabinets, I wanted to start on the trim and doors.  But I was far to overwhelmed.  So I waited.  For about 3 too long years.

When it came to painting out the trim, I decided to try a new approach.  I didn't want to sand it all down, because let's face it, I have better things to do.  And since we painted out our cabinets, Behr had come out with their new paint/primer combo paint.  So I assumed that meant, no priming, one coat and done....



I chose "Swiss Coffee" since it's almost a white white, but just shy of it.  I didn't want it to be so crazy white that it felt stark or clashed with the rest of the house.  And I went with a satin sheen again, just as I did with the kitchen cabinets.

Here are the supplies I used for the trim and doors:


Yep, that's it.  I actually started out by taping all of the trim out.


And I quickly realized that there was still bleeding under the tape.  That I was using the tape as a safety net to go quicker, and it was really going to cause me more work in the long run.  I did much better when I finally nixed the tape and just cut in with my trusted Wooster brush.

The first coat actually went on and didn't cover the best.  It had me a bit nervous and disappointed.  But I let it dry, and went back over all of the trim for a second coat.  It did the trick, and looked fantastic!

Then, a few days went by and I noticed the paint was chipping off of the trim really easily.  I was sure this was because I decided to skip the sanding step.  I decided it was too late to turn back, so I just touched up the marks as they occurred.  And what I realized down the line is that it just took time for the paint to actually harden and cure.  Now, it's much much more durable and doesn't nick much at all.  And if/when it does, it's still so easy to just touch it up as needed.

About halfway through painting out the trim, I realized that the original air-nail holes had never been filled and were far more obvious in the white trim.  So, we snagged up some white paintable caulk:


To fix the holes, we just put some caulk on our fingers:


And swiped it over the holes:


Making it barely noticeable that they were ever there to begin with!  See how nice the trim looks?


When it came to the doors, we had flush oak doors.  We made the choice to donate them and swap them out for new primed/paneled doors, since I had a huge fear that just painting them out may look worse than leaving them oak.  I wasn't sure how the paint would adhere and how they would wear.  The new doors would still be hollow core to save us mega amounts of moola, but I liked the look of them far better than our original oak doors, and we scored them for between $35-$40 a piece on sale.
 
As I mentioned the doors came primed only, so I used the brush again to go around all of the insets of the door itself.


Then, I removed the door knobs and just rolled the flat parts doors with a foam roller to finish them off.  Again, I can't get over the difference swapping out the oak for white made!


So for some more before and afters?



Before:






After:




Even the pantry brightened up a bit!

Before:





After:




And in our walk-through from the living room to kitchen?

Before:





After:




And remember the difference the white built in's made?

Before:


After:




So the moral of the story.  IHeart white trim, cabinets, doors and paint.  They have made our home feel twice as big, cleaner, fresher and happier.  It was worth the time investment, however, I am a rare breed and LOVE to paint.  It soothes me.  And it always brings the most exciting before and after so I never mind investing my time!

OK, what did I miss?  Did this spark any additional questions that I didn't cover within the post?  What other tips do you have for someone hoping to paint their cabinets and/or trim?




170 comments:

  1. Hey Jen!

    Just wondering if you painted the insides of your cabinets or the sides of your drawers or if they are still wood?

    Thank you!
    Morgan

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    Replies
    1. Hi Morgan! We left the inside of the cabinets the stock finished wood that they were initially. :)

      xo!
      Jen

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  2. WOW... that's a ton of white trim and furniture painting! You guys did an amazing job...definitely worth the labor of love.

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  3. @Morgan,

    We painted the back sides of the cabinets but not the drawers or insides.

    Here is a glimpse inside our cabinets: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGvwubSmWig/Tf9xv1mbqPI/AAAAAAAALDw/SGVeoiBVkEk/s1600/OrganizingCabinetBasket5.jpg

    and a glimpse into our drawers:
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ClSU4iSXUgU/TK8uP76_2wI/AAAAAAAAHQA/-ItYTGLlcyM/s1600/UtensilDrawerAfter.jpg

    Great question!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  4. Where is your kitchen rug from? I AM IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!! :)

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  5. I too am wondering about the insides and sides of your cabinets. Are they still oak or did you paint them white as well? We have oak cabinets and like you I am not a fan of Oak. I plan on painting mine the same color you did yours. I even showed your picture to my hubs and he loves it. Thanks for the inspiration!!

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    Replies
    1. This is a big question I think we all have. I don't know what kind of wood to put inside so they don't get stained. Hopefully you can help me with my kitchen design in halifax.

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  6. @J, I found it at Macys: http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=491290&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-6-_-88-_-MP688

    Make sure to google around for a coupon code! :)

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  7. what color is in your living room? It is the perfect green that I have been searching for!! Love your house it is so beautiful I dream my house will be that organized and pretty one day

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  8. @poppinsflowers, the color is Behr's Grape Leaves! Makes me smile every day!!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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    Replies
    1. im glad that i saw this post, i was gonna ask same question!
      its beautiful. im kinda chicken when it come to using bold color in our house, but im getting bored w taupe we have through out the house and i wanted to use this color maybe in our office. what finish you use in your home? flat? thanks

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  9. Looks beautiful!!! Almost like a totally new house! Great job. I would love to do that one day but can't imagine how long it would take. My entire house is oak.

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  10. I LOVE all the white! We had a flood a couple of years ago (as in you had to take a boat to our house) We completely got rid of all wood looking things and went white and I love it. I love White in all houses it looks so clean and make the paint colors pop! I love your white Billy bookcases. Makes a huge difference in the living room! :) - Ashley

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  11. What a beautiful transformation! your home looks so much bigger and brighter, with all the changes you made. Love all the tips you shared! You are amazing and so are the results! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Wow what a difference! I love it! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to paint once we actually move out of an apartment and into a home!

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  13. Amazing! Your kitchen was nice before but now it has a serious WOW factor! It looks so open and it is beautiful to look at. I'm inspired, let's see if I can get my man on board :).

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  14. Such an amazing difference - awesome job! I especially like the addition of the white bead board wainscoating.

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  15. I love how white paint makes every room look brighter. I used to not want so much white everywhere because I am a color person but now I am liking it.

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  16. I love your white doors and trim! I painted all mine with Behr enamel, except I used semi-gloss. Behr is the best because it doesn't show brush marks like other enamels. Don't you just love caulk? It hides all the imperfections.

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  17. Wow! I can't believe the difference! It looks amazing!!!

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  18. Oh how I know this process well! I did my whole kitchen and am starting on more woodwork. Great job on your redo, it looks awesome!

    www.whatyoumakeit-coley.blogspot.com

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  19. I'm so embarassed to say that when we cut a deal with our builder to do the painting for us. I always imagined I would take this DIY on myself and probably will be in our next home (oh military!) -- so this baby is bookmarked for the future!

    You're my hero =)

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  20. did that comment even make sense? bahaha! who am I!?

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  21. We have the same problem with our house - stained trim and doors. We have been painting them - with Swiss Coffee! also - and it's making a huge difference, too. We are about to tackle our kitchen cabinets next so I appreciate the tips.

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  22. What a difference the white trim makes! I've gone back and forth about painting my trim, and I just can't decide!! We have a lot of carpet, so I'm worried about how time consuming the trim by the carpet will be to paint. We also have wooden windows, which makes it seem even more daunting! Do you have any areas where you painted trim next to carpeting?

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  23. @Amy - we actually did paint along some carpeting in the kid's bedrooms, I taped as close to the trim as I could with painters tape and then used a butter knife to shove the tape down and under the trim. It wasn't the best way, but it worked ok since after I pulled the tape away, the carpet slowly popped back up and hid any trim I wasn't able to get at. Here is also another tutorial I recently saw over at Bower Power: http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2010/02/how-to-paint-floor-trim/

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  24. I soooooo want to go home and start painting everything white! Beautiful job

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  25. I love it!! All of it! I may have missed it in the post, but what color is the "brown" on your walls? I LOVE IT and want it in my kitchen! I have swiss coffee as a trim in my kitchen too. :)
    Thanks

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  26. Gorgeous!!! It's so amazing what a little paint can do. I've been dying to paint out our trim, it's all natural, unstained pine, just crying out to be painted!! I'm thinking this needs to move to the top of our project priority list!!!

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  27. It all looks so fabulous, good job as always! I'm loving that kitchen rug too! Has it held up well for you? And is it easy to clean? Thanks, love your blog!

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  28. Looks great! I am so thankful we have white trim, cabinets and doors! That looks like it was a ton of work, but probably well worth it. :)

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  29. So I was pretty sure I would paint my oak trim and change out the doors this year but seeing the change makes me certain I will be painting the trim this fall. Thanks for the beautiful inspiration and tutorial. You rock!

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  30. It looks beautiful! I would be all for this in our house except that it is an old farm house and the wood is original to the house, so I can't bring myself to paint over it! Yours looks lovely though, a real big difference in the house!

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  31. How have your doors and trim been with fingerprints? We used the Behr paint and primer on my son's room- a bright red. It took FOUR coats. Ai yi yi!

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  32. Love, love, love...makes such a difference! When we moved into our home, they had primed everything white for me - including the dark wood trim.

    Where did you get your paneled doors? We have ugly builders stock ones and I want to replace them but everything I've seen is over $100 per door!

    I also love the oak kitchen cabinets - I have those too and am dying to paint them, but hubs won't let me. I did paint the oak built ins in our family room. You can see them here:

    http://proof-of-love.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-am-honored-to-be-included-in-bowl.html

    {Heart} your blog - I stalk it every day!

    ~alicia
    proof-of-love.blogspot.com

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  33. It's amazing what some white paint can do. Everything looks fabulous!

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  34. What is that on the inside walls of your pantry?

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  35. MindyMindy, the color on the walls is Behrs Brown Teepee and Behrs Belgian Sweet.

    Jenna, the rug does pretty well, but I do get a bit nervous since it sees a lot of foot and puppy traffic. So far, I sprayed it down once with carpet cleaner and scrubbed it and it still looks like new!

    Hannah, we actually lined the inside of the pantry with ceiling tiles.

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  36. Wow Jen, this is amazing. You're right the trim and white did A LOT to make your space look bigger and cleaner. Good job! KUDOS!

    L

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  37. Wow! I'm so inspired now! Our house is full honey oak and I hate it! About how long did it take you {and $ and was it hard?}

    THanks!
    Alyssa

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  38. That is a lot of work!

    Well done

    Now I need to start painting too :)

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  39. I love your new kitchen!

    Can you tell me where you got your hallway brown/white/black flowered rug? It's so pretty!

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  40. Nice! One of our biggest arguments while building our house - white trim/doors or stained. Hubby came from an "all oak - all the time" household, me from a white painted home. I won! Except hubby did get his stained oak cabinets - but I bargained a darker cherry-ish stain...

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  41. I love this post. Our house is all oak too. I loved it when we first bought the house but four years later, I'm kinda hating it. I think it makes the house look dark. I think you might have given me the inspiration I needed. Thanks.

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  42. the difference between the oak and white is astounding. amazing job Jenn. I'm one of your biggest fans... just working on getting a room ready (office) for a readers space (hopefully!!).

    Anyways, I would love to see your linen closet... how you organize your all things linens, towels etc... just an idea for a post.

    love your biggest fan!

    danielle

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  43. LOVE it, love it, love it. Desperately want to do this in my house and hubby won't go for it. The kitchen cabinets, that is. Still trying to convince him!

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  44. Awesome and so very inspiring :) Thanks….
    Tracy

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  45. Great Work Jen! You inspire a lot of us here and say Congrats to your dear hubs too :)

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  46. Totally with you on the oak thing. I hate it too. It just looks unfinished to me. I like the look of painted trim so much better, and your house looks awesome with all the trim and doors painted!

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  47. Painting cabinet doors isn't too difficult it is just time consuming. You did a great job. And I totally agree about how great the white makes everything look.

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  48. Hello, Jen! Thank for your blog, it's wonderful! I'm a new reader and it's exiting to see your elegant and easy makeovers, it inspires me))) I have a little question - what's that chart you have on your pantry door?

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  49. It's so great to know that other people prefer white over (ugly, boring, common) oak!! And it's even better to have such awesome proof in your photos that white definitely makes a home look better! Also, I love how your pantry is organized. o.o

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  50. WOW!!!! I had to keep looking at your before and after pictures because the after pictures were so stunning! Great job!!!

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  51. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  52. WANT TO START PAINTING CABINETS RIGHT NOW!!! Love it!! ;)

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  53. Looks great! I like the look of white but my hubby is ALL about the oak so I will never have this look in my home :(

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  54. I will so have a kitchen transformation to share by the first of the year! I've been dying to do my cabinets since I saw yours!

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  55. your hallway one is exactly what I needed in terms of before and after. We have Tassie oak trims (which I really really don't want to paint over as I LOVE raw timber) and oak look doors and off white walls and blue/brown slate floors.

    No matter what it NEVER looks fresh. I had been thinking about white trims then white bordered doors with blackboard paint inset and now I am determined and nodding my head. Yep that's the plan. So thanks :)

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  56. I love the wainscoting on the back of the cabinets. That's a perfect detail. It looks gorgeous.

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  57. The cabinets look WOW! Such a difference a little white paint can make. I actually have a question about your dining room set... I believe that I own the same set, but I love the contrast between your table and chairs. Did you stain them? And if so, do you have a tutorial on that?

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  58. @Joda!

    Thank you! No tutorial, I have never stained anything in my life as up until recently, I have been terrified to do so. I do have some staining projects on my list, so I will be sure to share that as I go.

    We actually already had a cheapy dark walnut table/chair set that we found at Target I believe, that we used downstairs for a game table. I brought up the chairs one day and loved them with the maple, so they stayed. Plus, they weren't fabric seats which I loved for the kids, the maple chairs had upholstery that we changed all the time since it always was stained. The two end chairs were seagrass chairs from Pottery Barn.

    Hope that helps!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  59. Wow gorgeous job! Thank you for the pics! I'm about to take on re-finishing/painting my cabinets and I like your "up on 2x4s over a drop cloth" layout. Thats SMART! :)

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  60. Where did you get the fabulous drum shade over your kitchen table?!? I have been looking for one and I love yours! Thanks!

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  61. @Stacy - here is a link all about the pendant: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/03/inspiring-to-be-bright-kitchen-pendant.html

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  62. I have eyed the SAME drum shade and you are amazing to have figured that out!!! Thank you! So going to do it! Why does the shade look so tan in the picture on Ebay but so white in your house though? I like the white look more. Is it just not the right color on Ebay?

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  63. Not sure why the picture is more tan on Ebay, I was pleasantly surprise that it was whiter in person! :) xoxo! Jen

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  64. THANK YOU!!!! :)

    LOVE YOUR BLOG!

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  65. What a big difference the white paint makes! Even makes the room appear larger and brighter. Great job! I bet your DH loves you; you will tackle anything in the house, where a man usually does it or at least in our household, my husband always did the painting. He'd be scared to tackle painting cabinets, he would paint them with doors left on..our next door neighbor who was 15 yrs. younger used to tell him, "Work smarter, not harder." I admire you for all you tackle. You are amazing! Thanks for sharing all your projects and skills and successes with us.

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  66. Last year, we decided to change the horrible pink laminate counter tops that were on the dark cherry cabinets when we moved here in 2005. My DH insisted on he wanted granite. When the designer figured out the price, he settled on Quartz which is almost as expensive. Once the counter top price was quoted, I settled for just plain old white subway tile and I hate the look, but do like the multi-colored countertop. That white subway tile looks blah! If I had my way, I'd rip it out and put some pretty beige tile with a decorative trim mixed it somewhere to give it that Ump! factor. Any ideas to spice up the white tile? A friend of mine said to use some decals? But this idea is from a woman that has a million nails in her wall with things hanging on them. I don't like her idea.

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  67. Hi! THANK YOU for sharing! This is amazing. Can you tell me if you used Oil-based or Latex paint on your cabinets?

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    Replies
    1. The paint is a Latex. It took a few months to fully cure, but once they did, it's fantastic!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  68. I've been wanting to paint the trim in our house for the past 3 yrs but I'm worried about the trim around the windows. The previous owners painted the trim/doors white in one small bedroom. Do you have suggestions for trim/windows?

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    Replies
    1. Our windows are vinyl, so painting near them was easy peasy. Also, glass is easy to scrape paint from.

      http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20513767_20994233,00.html

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  69. Holy macaroni! We used "Swiss Coffee" for our cabinets as well, and beadboard, and added crown molding....I just finished painting my hallway brown....

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  70. Did you paint ALL of the trim in every room? Also, what about the trim around the windows? My entire house is oak with nice wood clad Anderson windows and I am afraid to paint them due to all of the molding detailing. I did paint my daughters bathroom cabvinets and trim white and it looks great but I am wondering how long this all took for you? I notice that the oak trim alos take quite a few coats of paint to go over the grain.

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  71. I was also told that if you don't sand oak trim then you MUST prime it for the paint to stick or it will always peel and chip and become a major maintenance issue.

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  72. @Anonymous,

    We did it over the course of a couple of months when we had time, all trim took two coats, and we used a paint with a built in primer. It chipped a little right away, but it cured over the course of a couple of months and now it seems VERY durable. Trucks and kids haven't done any damage to it so that's good for us! :)

    We don't have expensive windows and they already had white vinyl surround and panel details. We had done all the casings in the varnished oak originally so I just painted those with the trim in the same fashion.

    Hope that helps a bit!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  73. Love all of the paint as well!! Great job!!! Like the previous poster above, the pantry ceiling tiles did you put those in before the shelves or after?? Have an identical pantry and I hate it!!! That is fascinating and I would love to try but our shelves are already installed!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anne,

      We actually put it in before the shelves and installed the shelving over it.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  74. Your kitchen layout and cabinets are identical to what I have in my kitchen. I am sooo motivated to do this now. Thanks for this post.

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  75. What a great blog. I really want to paint our oak cabinets and I was also thinking of adding the bead board. It looks great. One thing I wanted to ask...did you paint the walls before or after you painted the cabinets? I want to do so many things, paint walls, put up bead board back splash, paint cabinets, etc., but I'm not sure what order to do it. You might have mentioned that, but I may have missed it. Thanks again for the helpful post!! I <3 Organizing too!!

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    Replies
    1. I actually painted the walls first and then did the cabinets and trim second. I think you could do it either way really. I highly recommend the Wooster brush for every single type of paint job.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  76. So glad you posted this! We are building a new house and the cost to "upgrade" to white enamel doors and trim was going to be $8,000. So our house will have maple trim and doors, with some cherry trim in some of the rooms. I am ALREADY planning on painting and I just KNOW every one is going to think I am NUTS, but I truly think white enamel is the ideal accent to any room, it just sets the paint color and furniture like that perfect accessory to your favorite outfit. I am saving this blog site so I can show every naysayer your before and after pics :o) :o)
    Nicole

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  77. You inspired me to paint my white cabinets and I love it!!! Did you know you can paint laminate counter tops??? Even to look like granite? :) That's my next project.

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    Replies
    1. I have heard that - let me know how yours turn out, I would love to see the end result!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  78. Love this!!! What size of crown did you use on the cabinets? Was it hard to fasten? Did you just nail it right to the cabinet?
    Thanks!!

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  79. I just stumbled upon this post via pinterest :) It is very helpful - we will be painting our cabinets and trim in the near future. I had to comment to ask about the milk glass pendant lights in your kitchen. We recently added a vintage milk glass light in our kitchen and need some exactly like yours for the other lights in there. Do you remember where you got them from?
    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sheri!

      Here is the light source: http://www.lightingshowplace.com/savoy-house-7-9345-1-traditional-classic-single-light-pendant-from-the-classic-schoolhouse-designs-collection/p542158

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  80. hey jen,
    love, love, love your blog. getting prepared to tackle my kitchen cabinets and just wondered if you would recommend using the behr paint/primer combo on cabinets or if you would still sand, prime, then paint? getting ready to do this project and can't wait!!!
    thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I would check with the paint specialists at your local home improvement store. I have heard it can be used on cabinets, but I have only used it on trim, so I am not sure how well it would hold up.

      xoxo!
      Jen

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    2. Did you end up using it on your cabinets Kristin? My husband and I used Behr Paint/primer combo on our walls and it wasn't good for that, but it might behave differently on cabinets and wood than on drywall that probably needed to be fully primed (which we ended up doing during a complete do-over after all!).

      Delete
  81. Very nice! I completely agree with you--I am so sick of seeing oak! And truth be told--I haven't even really had to live with it! But we've been looking at a lot of real estate since we're moving in the next few months, and I'm just sick of seeing it online!

    Hubby and I just did the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations which you can read about on my blog. Not the greatest experience. I think painting might have been simpler, but I can't be sure since I've never done it before either way!

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  82. What a transformation! We have the same oak flat doors that you used to have. When you replaced them with new ones, did you just buy a door slab or did you buy the entire prehung door? I don't know if we'll be able to cut out the spots for the hinges on a door slab ourselves!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kelly!

      We purchased the doors prehung during a huge custom order door sale. I believe they were cheaper pre-hung than just slab at the time. However, my husband did not remove the original door jam and trim to install them, so I am guessing he removed them from the jam they came with and installed them into our existing jam. I can check with him if you have any more questions, just let me know. :)

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  83. After reading this, I have finally convinced my husband to do the same to our house! The only question I have is, our trim is all plastic, but looks like oak. Would it be just as easy to paint the plastic?

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  84. Did you paint the cabinets the same color (Swiss Miss) as the trim?

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    Replies
    1. Hello!

      The trim is Swiss Coffee and the cabinets are Navajo White.

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  85. I am getting ready to paint my cabinets and just wanted to know what you used inside your drawers? Was it a liner of some sort? Also, where did you get it, whatever it is?

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  86. I need to sand and re-varnish/lacquer?? my cabinets. I am worried about replacing the hinges. Won't that leave a spot that I have to fill with wood filler? It seems like a nightmare. I won't have paint to cover mistakes. Any thoughts? My cabinets are a retro teak that are in great shape, so I don't want to paint.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't blame you for not wanting to paint the cabinets. I would check with a specialist at your local home improvement store. I have never had to refinish wood before.

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  87. Awesome results !!! Your kitchen is almost the same setup as ours .....Vaulted ceiling , stove , dishwasher all in the same place and when you said you used Swiss Coffee for trim .... we did too !!!!

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  88. Would you mind sharing how you attached the trim to the top of the cabinets? My hubby told me he'd add it to our cabinets this weekend, but then he started talking all technically about the way he'd have to attach it. My brain says the nail gun should be sufficient, his brain says it's got to be more complicated than that! What exactly did you do to make it secure?!?

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    Replies
    1. It little more complicated than it looks, but it's all about what you can't see. We cut pieces of 2x4's at a 45 degree angle for extra backing behind the molding. We screwed the 2x4 pieces to the cabinets to hold them in place, and used a nail gun to affix the moulding to the cabinets.

      Hope that helps a bit! Good luck, you will LOVE it!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  89. My kitchen cabinets look exactly the same as your before pictures. I can't wait to put your painting tips to use when I tackle this project.

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  90. Jen,
    I also had a question about the door replacements. Did you find out if you replaced the entire jam or just used the old one and attached the new door?
    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Hi there!

      We just popped the new door out of the jam it came with and they fit perfectly in our existing jams, so we didn't have to go through all of the trouble of replacing the jams.

      xoxo,
      Jen

      Delete
  91. Even the most basic kitchen remodel can be a costly and time-consuming process, so take these steps before considering any materials and products.

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  92. Love your website!! Stumbled across it from Pinterest. Question: our doors aren't solid wood, they have a wood veneer on the outside. Do you think all of these steps are still the same? I've read that they should be, but wanted to get your opinion. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Leanne!

      You may want to check with a paint specialist at your local home improvement store, however, I believe if you did a light sanding, a coat of primer and one to two coats of paint, you should be good to go!

      xoxo,
      Jen

      Delete
  93. Are you happy with the creaminess of the Navajo
    White next to the stark white appliances?

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  94. Great job, but you do really need to sand before painting stained trim...you'll get sooo much nicer of a finish and it will be much more durable. Professional painter here...also you can leave your doors on although it is a little bit of work to paint around the hinges. I use a foam roller in a disposable tray for an even coat then brush out for a smooth finished look...I paint all our rental property kitchens...they all look so much better when painted!

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  95. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your before and after pics. What an amazing difference!!! Great work!

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  96. I'm new and I love your blog. I came to look for organization ideas for my super small kitchen and have been all over the site. The cabinets are beautiful. I had oak and painted mine almost a year ago. I hate them and currently want to redo them.

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  97. did you use wainscoating on the side of the upper cabinets as well?

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    Replies
    1. Yes we did, both uppers and lowers to give it a consistent and unified feeling.

      xo!
      Jen

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  98. Hi Jen, we are getting ready to paint our oak cabinets white as well. I have been a little worried that the oak texture will show through, and I don't want that. Yours look great! I don't see the texture of the oak at all in the pictures you posted. Did the paint actually fully cover the texture? Also, do you think the sanding helped as well?
    Thank you!
    Kammy

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kammy!

      We can faintly see the wood-grain, paint doesn't hide the texture, it just makes it more subtle.

      xo!
      Jen

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  99. Ugh I am facing the nightmare of painting cabinets and this helps a lot kinda eases the mind. Thank you.


    April

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  100. My only question is, why don't you have a DIY television show?! Well done on your restoration and painting skills, you turned something good into amazing. You are on of the few that belong to a group of innovative and creative people that doesn't need to hire someone to accomplish greatness. I just painted my cabinets this week. We went with a base of black paint. We let the paint dry, then we took a little paint thinner and dabbed in on a cottonball. Then we sanded the cabinets with a lower grit sandpaper. It turned out great, giving it a cool vintage look. Now all I have to do is find some brass cabinet screws. Way to go! Keep up the great work.

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  101. My house has the exact same oak trim EVERYWHERE! I too, want to paint everything white including my cabinets (they are identical to yours). My only question is... did your trim have any knots in the wood? I'm worried about them showing after time. My hubby and I redid my mom's old farmhouse table white and now after 6 months the knots are starting to show. Everything I read says to shellac everything first. Wondering if you have had any issues with this? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kelly!

      There weren't many knots, just some very subtle ones that were smoothed into the wood. The trim has been painted for quite awhile now and still looks really great. Nothing has come through to the surface. :)

      xo,
      Jen

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    2. Thanks Jen! And btw, everything looks amazing! I hope to share my before and after pics very soon! :)

      Delete
  102. Ok so I know this is probably super old lol But I wanted to say, WOW what a wonderful job!! I was google'in "How to paint laminate Furniture" And I found your blog!! So glad I did because I have been on your blog all night!! Literally! I want to hire you and your hubby to come do our place! Lol We totally talk about it all the time, and know that paint, trim paint, and some furniture paint could go a LOONNG way in our home! Seriously! I think it would do a complete 150% difference! But for some reason, even though we have both painted walls before, and my hubby is kinda a handy man, we seem to keep procrastinating the whole idea of re-doing anything lol. we have talked about it for months! and have done a whole nothing! Heck I even spent like $400 on paint, new bedding, decor etc etc to re-do my now 9 year old daughters room (upgrading it from the Disney Princess theme) and bathroom. But sadly, its still that sad old Disney room :( I dunno why we cant just take the lunge! We have a gigantic entertainment center that was given to me by my mother when she had her house built. It is very big (wall to wall kind) and is sturdy and in good shape, but of coarse, it is a laminate and I have always been afraid to paint it. Even my husband (the handyman) is too scared to paint it! And because he is worried, it worries me even more! I am sooooo afraid that If I do something wrong due to lack of experience, that I will ruin it forever :( And that would devistate me! I just love the super big and storage friendly thing! lol. I cannot bear to get rid of it! But literally it is dragging our living room down! I totally need to do something! It really makes for a depressing and dull and boring color scheme. I need HELP!!! PLEASE HELP ME WITH ANY ADVICE AND OR OPINIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE .. I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE TO ASK AND SINCE EVERYTHING YOU DID LOOKS GORGEOUS I FIGURED I WOULD ASK YOU! I HOPE YOU RESPOND I dont know if this will notify me if you do respond, so if its not too big of a hassle, my email is jonesbrigitte44@yahoo.com I would really really appreciate any insight that you may have or opinions to share. Thanks for your time, Sincerely, a new Fan!

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  103. What a fantastic job you did! Truly shows what some creativity and some elbow grease can do. I will come back to your blog often to learn and get inspired!

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  104. We are getting ready to paint the cabinets in our new house white, yours look great! I was wondering where you got your barstools in the after pictures they are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jennifer!

      I actually had found those bar stools for under $20 each from Fleet Farm. They were great little stools, however, eventually one of ours broke {the supports cracked then broke then a leg broke.} Just from frequent use.

      xo!
      Jen

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  105. I will be forever grateful that I found your site. I have been so inspired by all of your posts about renovating/remodeling your house and all of your organization ideas. It inspired me to reorganize a clutter closet that we have downstairs by our garage door. I took it a step further- like you- and painted horizontal stripes on the back wall of the closet before I had my husband put new white shelving on half of the closet, giving us the rest of the room to put our dvd shelf in there. I will be buying cute- and cheap- baskets and bins to organize everything and labeling them later in the week. I also want to find some cute wrapping paper to line the tops of the shelves! Thank you so much for helping me think outside of the box and go to the next level for organizing and decorating.

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  106. lovely !!! the colors in my home are similar and ive been wanting to paint my cabinets for a long time. I want to know you just went straight to painting? No removing the gloss or sanding right?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Crystal,

      We removed the cabinet fronts, washed everything down, hand sanded each and every door and cabinet {sorry, I can't remember the grit we used, however it's recommended to use 150 or finer}, wiped them down again, primed and then painted them with two coats of the Behr interior satin paint.

      xo!
      Jen

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  107. Could you kiltz it instead of sanding ? Was the paint oil based because of your previous oak stain ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Crystal,

      We actually did both, sanded and primed with Kilz.

      xo,
      Jen

      Delete
  108. Hi Jen! I'm prepping for my own cabinet painting adventure right now, and I was wondering if you remember about how many gallons of paint you went through on your cabinets alone? From what I can tell our kitchens are roughly the same size and layout :)

    Thanks!
    Ashley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ashley!

      I believe we we only used a gallon since we had primed before hand. Best wishes, I hope you have a happy painting experience!

      xo!
      Jen

      Delete
  109. is that pressed tin on the inside of your pantry? is so where did you get it or the look alike?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello!

      They are actually a plastic ceiling tile that I found at Home Depot, but they look just like a pressed tin. Love them!

      xo,
      Jen

      Delete
  110. Such a beautiful job! I love how you make it look attainable. I will definitely be putting cabinets on my list of projects for my new home in Houston!

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  111. I love it..ALL of it! What color stain did you use on your kitchen chairs? I'm sorry if I missed it I kinda scrolled down to ask before I read this whole page :) I love it with the white cabinets.

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  112. Wow, I am so amazed at the results. I hope you still answer late questions but in some rooms in my house, the trims are painted with wall paint (I think) and I'm not sure if we need to remove this paint first before priming and then painting it white?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would think a light sanding would do the trick, no need to remove the paint entirely. The sanding with just buff things up and give the new paint something to stick to. It will also smooth out any imperfections in the existing paint.

      xo!
      Jen

      Delete
  113. Wow!! That looks AMAZING!! I think I need to go paint my cabinets now..:)

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  114. This post has given me so much inspiration and so much motivation to get painting our drab 70's dark trim and kitchen cabinets!!It's all still in decent condition (plus, since this is our first home, we don't have nor want to spend the money replacing everything when we plan to move at some point). So thank you!!! :)

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  115. We painted our cabinets and are having such a hard time with them not getting knicked. Did you put anything over the paint to protect it better?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amanda!

      I believe you can add a poly or protective finish should you wish, however, we didn't and it took time for the paint to cure, but once it did, we had minimal chipping issues, if any. I think it also has to do with the prep done before hand and the application. Also, paint quality can impact things as well. I would maybe check with a local paint specialist {at a home improvement store}

      xoxo!
      Jen

      Delete
  116. I love the dark tan wall color! What is the name of it??

    ReplyDelete
  117. Looks great...I'm inspired. Can I ask where you got the floating shelf in your kitchen, the one that is holding wine glasses upside down? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marilynne!

      Here is a link to the shelf: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20159107/

      And the wine glass holders we attached: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0Y6OY/ref=as_li_tf_tl/?ie=UTF8&tag=iheaorga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000H0Y6OY

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  118. I grew up in the west, where white trim is standard. We've just moved to Minnesota and I can't get over the wood. It's everywhere! We move into a home next month and I want to paint it all (hubby thinks I'm crazy), so I appreciate the inspiration you've shared here. My big question is - how'd you replace the doors? Did you go with slab doors or pre-hung? How hard was it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shelly!

      We purchased the doors prehung because that way they were already hinged, and then just popped them off the prehung frame and onto our existing door jams. It was pretty quick and painless :) Best wishes with all that painting! I know what you mean, oak is a way of life around these parts, lol!

      xoxo!
      Jen

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  119. It turned out so pretty! I am about done with my kitchen cabinets..I can't wait:)

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  120. Did you use the Behr's Navajo White on the cabinets and the trim?? If not what did you use for the trim and do they match well??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello!

      I used Behr's Navajo White on the cabinets and Swiss Coffee on the trim and doors. Swiss coffee is a nice white, but it isn't super high gloss white, so it works well with the Navajo White of the cabinets. I knew that one day, the cabinets may change color, but I wouldn't want to paint all of the trim too, so I did the trim in white vs. the Navajo. I googled images of cream cabinets with white trim and found I liked it and went with it. :)

      xo,
      Jen

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  121. Thanks for providing this demonstration. My wife just bought some cabinets in Halifax and I presume we will be painting within a few weeks. We'll give your methods a try.

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  122. I just found your blog from pinterest and am so glad I did. My kitchen cabinets look just like yours did, and I'm wanting to paint them white, but getting slack from my husband "you can't paint oak!" Anyway, my question is if you put any kind of sealer over the paint? I painted a vanity in my bathroom and have problems with it staining. Maybe I didn't use the right kind of paint.
    Thanks!
    Terri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Terri!

      I didn't do anything to seal over the cabinets, I just waited a good six months before doing any heavy scrubbing so they could fully cure. I have heard that many poly's can cause staining and yellowing so we just left them with the two coats of paint.

      xo!
      Jen

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  123. Is the hallway color the same ad the kitchen? Beautiful job!

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  124. I don't like that all white look, natural wood color finish is the best color, that white looks good now, but in a few years those doors are going to be dull looking and have stains on them.

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    Replies
    1. Everyone absolutely likes different things. There are times when I think natural wood is gorgeous and times when painted is my cup of tea. However, almost eight years later I will say our cabinets and paint have held up very well and wash up super nice. Haven't once regretted our decision to paint them :)

      xo,
      Jen

      Delete
  125. This looks amazing!! How long did the process take you? I am wanting my husband to paint our maple trim through out out house 2300cf. Trying to get a time estimate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I worked on it on and off for a few weeks. I started one bedroom at a time, and then did the remainder of the upper level over the course of a week {if I recall correctly, it's been awhile} :)

      xo!

      Delete
  126. Jen,
    Okay, I noticed you painted the trim in pretty much your whole house white. When you painted the areas that still had carpet did you remove all the floor trim to paint it? Doing this for our whole place seems like a lot of work but I feel its the only way! We are doing this in our home now!
    Also, while looking at all the great pictures of your house I was shocked that you just happen to be right down the street from me!! I have been following you for quite some time now and couldn't believe you were so close!! You're blog has definitely helped in transforming our house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I painted, I did not remove the trim for the carpeted rooms. I actually taped it all down with painters tape, but later found that to be the hard way to do it. They actually sell painters edges which slide along the trim as you paint and are much easier. We have since used them when working on our son's closet and they were fantastic.

      SUCH a small world! Make sure to say hi if you ever see me around! :)

      xoxoxo!

      Delete
  127. I havea question... My cabinets are Oak buti want to do all white trim in house.should I paint the pantry door white? Even though it matches thecabinets andi wantto keepthe cabinetsOak?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Monique!

      I think it is quite common to use cabinets and trim in different colors/finishes, however, most often times, doors match the trim. I would look at a few inspiration photos of kitchens and try to determine from those which look you prefer most.

      xoxo!
      Jen

      Delete
  128. What a fantastic job! Everything looks so light and bright and beautiful. I plan on only doing my doors and drawer fronts in white. I have a lot of railing in my house which is also in white and oak. Now I have an idea what it will look like. Thank you!

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  129. I have followed your blog for a long time so imagine my happiness when I was googling how-to's on painting out trim and this came up! So we are buying a new house and we want to paint the downstairs trims, doors and built-ins white to match the 2 upper levels. I'm curious how the behr primer/paint combo on the trim has held up over the years? I too have 3 boys and 2 dogs so if I'm going to do it, I want longevity!
    I will also have to do a short hand rail bannister, a planked wood ceiling and some built in shelves---all in the dreaded oak. What are your thoughts on just cleaning those down and painting straight with the behr? I can't imagine multiple steps on the ceiling especially...my neck hurts just thinking about it! I'm thinking maybe the built-ins and bannister require more steps?
    Also, I've been reading a lot about this Ace cabinet and trim self-leveling paint...any experience with this? The options are overwhelming! Thanks for any advice you can give me!
    Anna

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  130. The finished product looks very professionally done. I just tried two coats of primer after using the deglosser on my wooden cabinets. But I noticed that the wood grain still shows through the primer. I'm wondering if the lacquer you described would take care of that? Also, am wondering whether it's impossible to get a very smooth coat without using a compressor?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah,

      We still had minimal grain showing through on our cabinets and trim as well. We never fully achieved that factory finish, but it came close and was quite durable for many years.

      Best of luck!
      Jen

      Delete
  131. You did a wonderful job. What is the color in your kitchen? I am sorry if you already answered. There were just way too many comments to go through....lol. Shows your success.

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  132. I love your entire house! I'm a white fanatic, too. Trying to decide wether to paint my black ikea kallax shelves white... I'm not sure how easy it is to paint ikea furniture... anyway, that is not my question. My question is: if you were to do your kitchen again, after your experience painting your trim, would you sand all of the cabinets (now that the primer/paint you used on your trim is available)?

    ReplyDelete

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