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My Kitchen Cabinet Refacing: You Won’t Believe The Difference!

Kitchen refacing is a cost-effective and relatively simple way to create a fresh new look for your kitchen.

Lindsey Paris of Redhead Baby Mama liked the layout of her kitchen, but wasn’t so happy with the look and feel of the space. That made her kitchen a prime candidate for refacing.

She had her cabinets refaced, and picked out new countertops along with a beautiful new tile backsplash.

Here she shows us her old kitchen and the dramatic improvement to the space. Do not miss the beautiful reveal of her gorgeous new kitchen and the impressive result of her kitchen cabinet refacing project.

My Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

My kitchen is the beating heart of our home. Over time, this room has become the focus of our house, a place where people gather, cook, and live. Although our kitchen layout is functional with a working triangle, a spacious floor plan, and natural light, the dated finishes and mismatched countertops left a lot to be desired.

My husband Chase and I decided that we needed to put a personal stamp on the kitchen by bringing the nearly 20-year-old space into modern times and making it easier to live in. 

The Old Kitchen

The cabinets in our kitchen were rapidly aging, with a few even falling off the hinges and needing repairs. Some of the compressed wood and laminate covers were cracking and refused to close properly.

You can see below that when the builders put our kitchen together, they chose a laminate/wood combo countertop, which I think is pretty awful; it’s like they couldn’t decide what to do!

The grooved beadboard that acted as a backsplash throughout the space, catered to my farmhouse and craftsman-style tastes, but was extremely difficult to clean. Each time I scrubbed dirt and debris off the woods, a little paint and finish came with it.

I dreamt about a new space, and what I would put in it: new hardware, new cabinet doors and new countertops with snazzy tiled backsplash. Since our kitchen space functioned well, we didn’t need a full renovation or even extreme demo. We needed cabinet refacing, which is like a refreshing kitchen makeover!

Cabinet refacing is also much faster than a complete renovation, so the time our kitchen would be out of commission would be shorter than if we had torn out the cabinets and started from scratch. Since we have two small children and three pets, saving time and getting back to normal faster is what we wanted. There’s no “good time” to re-do your kitchen; you’re always using it!

The Kitchen Cabinet Refacing Process

Our next step was a free in-home consultation. A Home Depot associate came to our house, hands full of samples we could compare to our existing floors, fixtures and natural light.

Although there were tons of samples, it was easy to go through each material and narrow down my preferred colors, creating a “mood board” on my own kitchen table of what my refaced kitchen would look like.

The Home Depot associate then walked me through the step-by-step process of what a refacing really entailed: removal and haul away of our existing cabinet doors and hardware, the encasing of the cabinet boxes in veneer, the installation of countertops, backsplash, custom drawers, doors and hardware.

I started to get excited; this really was the plan for us!

The New Kitchen

After the measuring, minimal demolition, custom installation and final touches were finished, I could hardly believe my eyes.

The “simple” kitchen cabinet refacing (versus a full renovation) had so much more of an impact than I could have ever dreamed of. The new finishes I chose with the help of The Home Depot were perfect. The awful combination material countertops were a thing of the past. In their place are gray and copper mottled granite, ogee-edged countertops. A beveled marble tile backsplash rose above the countertops on the walls, and I secretly couldn’t wait to make a mess and revel in how easy it would be to clean up.

The old cabinet doors were replaced with perfectly measured, solid wood doors in my chosen color, expertly installed and sporting the new copper-distressed cup pulls and knobs.

Swoooooon!

The new cabinet doors are so sophisticated and pair perfectly with the farmhouse-style I was going for. Add in the contrasting countertops, and I’m in LOVE! The kitchen’s new look is clean, modern, and much more my personal style. That’s not to mention the solid wood doors are custom built for my space and hang perfectly on the veneered cabinet boxes.

Now, I’m not afraid to scrub my kitchen clean after taco night! The new modern tile is not only gorgeous to look at, but it’s easy to wipe clean. The installers did a wonderful job of placing and grouting it. I don’t have any wooden countertop edges to stare at, either.

One of my favorite new spaces in the kitchen is the butler’s pantry. For one, having a kitchen large enough to accommodate such a space is a dream, but during the refacing I was able to reface these cabinets, too.

Although the cabinet refacing process we chose is a “smaller” version of a renovation, it’s amazing the enormous difference it can make. Some portions of my kitchen are nearly unrecognizable, but it still feels like home.

The upgraded finishes, cabinets and hardware go a long way to making this kitchen modern, fresh and more stylish. I have a hard time choosing my favorite part, but the countertops and backsplash are the most exciting.

What family-style dish should I make first in our new space?!

Lindsey Paris is an Atlanta-based blogger, well-known costume designer and the mom of two. She shares parenting tips, recipes and humorous anecdotes on her blog Redhead Baby Mama.

Lindsey had help from a professional cabinet refacing consultant from The Home Depot. We can help you get your own kitchen refacing underway. Use our online appointment scheduler to set up a time to meet with one of our cabinet refacing consultants. Then Home Depot Home Services will handle the installation with minimal kitchen down time.

The post My Kitchen Cabinet Refacing: You Won’t Believe The Difference! appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

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Get the Look of New Kitchen Cabinets the Easy Way

In this kitchen makeover, we’ll show you how you can get the look of brand new kitchen cabinets for thousands of dollars less than it would cost to replace them. We upgraded the finish of these kitchen cabinets in just a few simple steps using Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations.

Above, you see the results. Below, you can see how these kitchen cabinets looked before the transformation. It looks almost like a totally new kitchen. We particularly like the two-tone look of white cabinets on top and gray below. Check out the chalkboard painted onto the kitchen cabinets, too.

Here’s how we did it.

Inexpensive Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

Supplies

• Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit – Pure White
• Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit – Gray
• Drop Cloths
• Painter’s Tape
• Lint-Free Cloths (included in kit)
• Stir Sticks (included in kit)
• Latex Gloves
• Synthetic Paint Brushes
• Cabinet Hardware
• Disposable Mixing Container
• Screw Driver
• Drill
• Primer (if coating over raw wood)

Before You Start
Set up your work space in a well ventilated area such as your garage. Lay out a drop cloth to protect your surroundings from any excess paint.

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Step 1 – Remove Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Hardware

First, remove the cabinet doors and drawers from the frames, and remove the hardware.

Tip: Number each cabinet door using painter’s tape and sketch a layout of your cabinets as a guide. This will help you remember which cabinet door goes where. Label plastic bags with corresponding numbers, and as you remove the cabinet doors, place the appropriate hardware in each bag.

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Step 2 – Tape Off Cabinets

Tape off your cabinet frames so that you don’t get any paint on your walls or backsplash. Use a drop cloth on the floor and countertops for added protection.

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Step 3 – Degloss Cabinets

Now that your cabinets and workspace are fully prepped, it’s time to start applying the deglosser from your Cabinet Transformations Kit. The deglosser will eliminate the need for sanding or stripping to save you time (and a mess).

Wearing your latex gloves, apply a generous amount of deglosser onto the scrub pad provided in the kit, and thoroughly wipe each cabinet door.

Be sure to apply the deglosser to all corners and divots in the cabinet doors. Once you’re done, wipe away any excess deglosser with a damp rag, and then wipe again with a dry rag to ensure that all of the product is removed.

Repeat this step on the remaining doors and cabinet frames. Once you’re finished, the cabinets should have a matte appearance.

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Step 4 – Apply Gray Bond Coat

Now we’ll get started painting the gray cabinets.

Take out the gray bond coat from your Cabinet Transformations Kit and stir it thoroughly with a stir stick. To make painting easier, we recommend pouring a small amount of bond coat into a disposable container and working from that rather than the can.

Use a high quality synthetic paint brush to apply the bond coat in even coats, brushing in the direction of the wood grain.

Remove any built-up paint from the corners and crevices of your cabinets with the tip of the brush so you get a smooth and even finish.

Let the first coat dry for 2-3 hours, and then apply a second coat.

Follow this step to apply the gray bond coat to the fronts and backs of your cabinet doors, and the outside of your cabinet frames.

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Step 5 – Apply White Bond Coat

Apply the white bond coat to your remaining cabinet doors and frames using the same technique you used in Step 4 when you applied the gray bond coat. Both your gray and white cabinets will need to dry for at least eight hours before you can move on to applying the top coat.

Tip: There is not enough paint to coat the inside of your cabinet frames. If you are applying Cabinet Transformations over raw wood, a primer (Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3) will be required.

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Step 6 – Apply Top Coat

Now that your cabinets are dry, you can get started on applying the top coat. The protective top coat from your Cabinet Transformations Kit provides extra protection against stains and scratches.

Stir your top coat thoroughly with a stir stick. Then, using a clean synthetic paint brush, apply an even coat to the cabinet frames, brushing in the direction of the wood grain.

The top coat dries quickly, so be careful not to over brush.

Repeat this step on the kitchen cabinet doors. Then, let the doors and frames dry completely for at least 12 hours.

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Step 7 – Replace Cabinet Doors

After 12 hours, you can reinstall your kitchen cabinet doors.

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Step 8 – Add New Drawer Pulls and Knobs

Once your doors are all back in place, add your new drawer pulls and knobs to finish the look.

Wait at least 24 hours before returning the cabinets to regular use.

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Now step back and enjoy your stunningly transformed kitchen cabinets!

For a special touch, turn one end of your kitchen cabinets into a hub for menus, messages, and reminders with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Brush-On Paint. Paint mason jars with Rust-Oleum spray paints to add a personal touch.

TIP: The Cabinet Transformations Kit comes with a glaze. The glaze is a personal preference and an optional step. We did not apply the glaze for this project.

Take a look at some before and after photos of a Cabinet Transformations project by a Home Depot customer. Take a look, too, at our Cabinet Transformations video for more on how to use this product.

We have many more DIY projects here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our All About Paint board on Pinterest for more paint project ideas and tutorials.

You can find Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations in The Home Depot’s Paint Department, along with anything you’ll need for your next painting project.

The post Get the Look of New Kitchen Cabinets the Easy Way appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

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