White Out

Mr LikesIt took on our biggest house project since our initial overhaul prior to moving in. We recently re-did our deck (and by we I mean my dad and his crew) and it gave Mr LikesIt the itch for DIY home improvement. We've been talking about refinishing the cabinets in the kitchen and built-in bookcases in the family room for at least a year, but I was still a little surprised when he decided to do it last weekend.



After some research and consultation with our contractor (AKA my dad), he decided to try the Rustoleum refinishing kit as opposed to sanding-priming-painting.



Before: nice dark cabinets a la 1988. I didn't mind them, since all of our furniture is dark too, but after seeing loads of pictures on Pinterest and design blogs, I committed to the idea of white.



So down came all of the hardware and doors and drawers. About half of the contents were strewn across the dining room and living room, and the remaining were taped off behind plastic. It looked like a scene from Dexter in there all weekend.



Mr LikesIt got started Thursday night and worked solidly until Monday evening. It took three thick coats (one Rustoleum kit) to get the coverage he wanted.

The coat applied to his head was bonus. White paint everywhere.

Halfway there, I could already see a huge difference. It was scary making the change. Since I didn't hate the before, I was nervous about the after.

I've actually never experienced a kitchen re-do before. Growing up as a builder's daughter, if there was something that needed updated, we did so on the next floor plan. In fact, this house is the first I've lived in aside from rentals that wasn't brand new. The idea of remodeling instead of ripping out and starting over completely is a bit foreign to me. So yes, I was nervous about how it would turn out.

Mr LikesIt took great pains to make it perfect, which helped ease my anxiety, and once the doors came back upstairs from his workspace in the basement, I was 100% on board.



A week later, everything is set enough to re-attach hardware. At about the 10-day mark, he will apply the final gloss/sealant coat. In the meantime, I am beyond happy with the result. It looks like a new kitchen.



There was a brief debate about changing the hardware, but as it turns out, we actually love how the old stuff looks on the white, not to mention it matches the light fixtures.

I love it. It's a thousand times better than I had pictured in my head. It's brighter and feels so much more open. My brightly colored pitchers and serving pieces that I keep on top of the cabinets really pop. Although the plan is to eventually replace the counter tops with granite, I don't really mind the light-on-light after all.

Things are still being put back together, but the result has gotten an enthusiastic thumbs up from both of us, as well as our parents.

I desperately need to find (or make, Lord help me) curtains for both the kitchen and family room, but this is one more step in our work in progress. Mr LikesIt did a great job. Much respect to the DIY effort. I am still a PSE at heart.



You're on alert, dark wood family room cabinets. I absolutely love the built-ins on either side of our fireplace, but since the kitchen and family room are connected great room style, I think they need a face lift too. I'm thinking of painting the back wall of the open shelves the same red as the back wall of the kitchen. If Young House Love can do it, so can I. Another project for another weekend. It never ends, does it?

Anyway, if you're thinking about a cheap but major overhaul for your kitchen or bathroom, this is a great product. It was time- consuming, but for about $150 per kit, completely worth it, especially considering the impact.

I have shiny new kitchen and a spanking new deck. Now we need to have a party! Annual wine mixer, anyone?

*We were not compensated for reviewing Rustoleum's product.