Cabinets II

I used oil based primer due to its stain blocking abilities. I tried to paint one of the cabinet doors with Kilz latex primer but even after three coats the wood bled through. I was very happy with the Benjamin Moore oil based primer, even though it meant throwing the brush away when I was done. It seemed to smooth out beautifully, dry quickly, and hardly left a brush stroke. We used a white Benjamen Moore paint too. It was the most expensive paint I ever bought, but after pricing new kitchen cabinets from Lowes and IKEA, the money we spent on supplies to do it ourselves seemed like nothing!

I brushed on two coats of primer and three coats of paint on the cabinet boxes, lightly sanding between each coat. Many days later and brushing complete, I moved on to spraying the doors with our gravity fed paint gun. Daniel helped set up a rope in the tool room to hang the wet doors. I wish I took a picture of that! We managed to dry all 22 doors in there at once. Those also received two coats of primer and three coats of paint. I spent enough days outside painting that neighbors started to notice and I couldn't imagine ever being done. Finally, with painting complete, we decided to coat everything with a layer of Verathane. I'm sure  there was a more efficient way to do this project, since it took me three weeks of working on it every day to finish it. Now, 4 months later, I still need to attach some of the door handles and install glass in a few of the cabinet doors. Hopefully, this weekend we can wrap it up for good!

The Kitchen Cabinets I

Since Mari's birth in November (2010) our biggest project has been stripping and painting our 1958, knotty pine kitchen cabinets. We decided this HAD to be done soon, because the paint was cracked and peeling off in long, ragged pieces. The previous owner hired someone to professionally paint them, but they didn't sand the varnish of first.  When I tried to tape a piece of the flaking paint back on and it crumbled apart in my hands, I decided it was time to take care of problem NOW.  Plus, my mom was re-painting her cabinets and I didn't want to be left out! Starting this project at the same time was very motivating for me.

I am so glad this part is over!

These are the only two before pictures we have

Wonderfully, I didn't need to use paint stripper because it all came off easily with a putty knife.
Peeling and scraping the paint took two full days. An audio book helped pass the time.
Sanding took a little longer at three - four days because of the huge mess and dust. I had to keep stopping and cleaning up before taking care of the baby. I mostly used an electric, orbital sander, but did in the grooves by hand.
After sanding, I cleaned everything with mineral spirits and filled in dents and holes with wood putty.  Finally, time to paint!

21st century journal

I used to keep a journal. College, Marriage, Work, and a baby ending my writing just as things were getting interesting. Hopefully, now that I am a stay at home mom, this blog will help keep track of all the projects my husband and I undertake (and hopefully finish) around the house as well as anything else we want to remember for posterity.