Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations {apartment progress}

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Roeshel

I am no stranger to painting cabinets (painted kitchen cabinets). I get a lot of questions about Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations and I love that I had the opportunity to test the product for myself. My honest opinion? I seriously LOVED the kit. Reason #1 – no sanding! That step is my least favorite (and most time consuming and messy) part of re-doing kitchen cabinets.

The apartment kitchen before was looking outdated and sad…(and super dirty!)

and after some clean up and the Rustoleum Countertop Transformations {review} definitely made even the cabinets look better…

but with such a small space, I really wanted to lighten things up.

I chose “pure white”. This kitchen is super tiny but I used Rustoleum’s how to measure guide to confirm that one kit would cover our space. It turned out to be more than enough.

I removed the doors and hardware. I used FrogTape to label my doors

and to prepare my space for painting (where cabinets met the wall and floor in certain areas).

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations

The first step in the kit is ‘deglossing’. Simply generously apply the declosser to the wood (or laminate or even metal!) with the provided green scrubby. Rinse with a wet rag and let dry. This removed a lot of the dirt, grease and the “shine”.

The next step is applying the bonding coat (or … white paint provided by the kit). I started with the front side of the doors and while they were drying, moved to the cabinet frames.

Elevating doors made them easier to paint.

When painting doors, I find that after painting the edges, that running my finger along the underside helps prevent ‘drips’. This means painted fingers and old paint pants come in handy but if you skip this, you will definitely have drips/extra paint on the other side!

I gave everything 2 coats. I decided not to use the glaze which was provided in the kit since I wanted a clean white look. I think that if you’re not doing the glaze, that two coats is enough (because it will help achieve an awesome glazed look) but if going for the pure white, I recommend using a primer first (not provided) or giving everything 3 coats of paint if you have enough (which I did). I gave the outside of the doors (the most viewed area) 3 coats. The sides of cabinets, which are not seen, got two coats.

I removed my FrogTape as soon as I applied the last round of the bonding coat. I felt confident applying the clear protective coat without the FrogTape using an angled brush and didn’t want to pull off any of the bonding coat which can easily happen once paint dries.

Once the last bonding coat was dry, it was time to apply the protective coat. Only ONE coat is recommended. I brushed it on in the direction of the wood grain (do the same with the paint). It goes on shiny (wet) but has a beautiful, durable matte finish.

Once the protective coat is dry, re-attach doors and hardware.

I was going to just re-use the old hardware but I found an awesome deal at a yard sale with a bit of a prettier look. So new knobs for $2.00!

I think the result is beautiful. Painting cabinets is always time consuming but I found that the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit is a great easy way to give old cabinets a new durable look!

This is not recommended by Rustoleum but using the same steps, I even gave the dingy scratched fridge the same treatment. Time will tell if it will hold up but since it works on laminate and metal…I felt it was a safe option. I gave it a ‘light’ brushing of the bonding coat and a layer of protective coat. The fridge looked extra yellow and dirty next to the new cabinets. Who wants that? Now it looks brand new!

Once again, before: {I know – I keep sharing this before but with each new project, I want you to see the progress and what we started with.}

After:

a close up…

Yes! Time to move onto some decorative details in the kitchen! Wahooooooo! More to come!

I can’t wait for this clutter to be gone and for the decorating to begin!

It’s getting there!

Kitchen Makeover Part 2 by Christy at 11 Magnolia Lane

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Roeshel

Hi there, everyone–it’s Christy from 11 Magnolia Lane (again!). I’m laughing as I write this, because I know that if you’ve seen part 1 of my kitchen reveal here on the DIY Showoff or on 11 Magnolia Lane, then probably not more than a few days or weeks have passed–and now I’m changing it again! I let Roeshel know that it was a work in progress, and she graciously invited me to show the updates I’ve made (thanks, Roeshel!).I know I’m not the only one constantly tweaking and updating things in my decor, and although I was thrilled with how my kitchen cabinets turned out, I didn’t like the paint color I put on the walls. I also wanted to tear down my tile backsplash and update my range hood. I lived with it for about three months, but Thanksgiving was drawing nearer, and I was hosting the holiday this year, so I had motivation to proceed quickly.

Here’s what I started out with when we bought the house in June (it’s more of a “during” than a “before” but you get the idea!):

Here’s my first reveal, in August:

Now, here’s reveal number two, after painting the walls, painting the tile backsplash, spray painting the exhaust hood with stainless steel paint, and adding window treatments (made with canvas drop cloths):

I normally choose lighter paint colors, but the Old Prairie by Benjamin Moore that I used first had some green undertones that just didn’t work with my White Dove cabinets. After trying three different paint samples on the wall for a few days (BM’s Camouflage, BM’s London Fog, and BM’s Waynesboro Taupe), Waynesboro Taupe–the darkest of the three colors–won.

After I painted the walls, I turned to the backsplash. I read up on painting tile, and decided that I really had nothing to lose, because I was already planning on taking the backsplash down. Why not try to paint it first and see if I could save time and money? The brown of the tile really clashed with my countertops–they have some brown in them but they’re really more gray. The warm and the cool tones right next to each other really bothered me (my husband thought I was nuts about that, although he admits that he likes the result).First, I scrubbed the tiles really well. TSP works great, and I also used rubbing alcohol to degrease the tiles. Next, I had to wait a day or two before priming to let the grout dry (I HATE to wait to start a project!). I tried to sand the tiles but they were too hard to really get roughed up by the sandpaper, so I was sure to use a primer for glossy surfaces that specifically mentioned ceramic tile (Zinsser Bulls-Eye 123; although sometimes I use their oil based primer in the gold can, too). I primed with one coat, and then applied two coats of oil-based paint. I bought a quart of Behr from Home Depot, tinted to match White Dove at half strength. I used a brush to prime and paint–you really have to work a bit to get the paint into the grout and a roller just wasn’t cutting it. Plus, I have some decorative tiles that needed extra attention. While I think I should add a clear coat at some point, I’m really happy with how it’s turned out, and I’ve been able to wipe splatters off without removing any paint.Here are a few before and after shots of the backsplash. Note the frozen pizza and the Sonic milkshake in the first shot. These are essentials for effectively tackling home improvement jobs!

The exhaust hood and fan were black, and while I’m dying to pull the old one out and do a nice, custom-built one, I decided that a $5 can of Epoxy appliance spray paint would be a worthwhile investment for a quick fix in the meantime. I did take the hood down to spray it, but that’s because I’m pretty comfortable working with electricity and didn’t mind rewiring it when I hung it back up. I think you could probably use tape and plastic to protect the cabinets enough to spray it in place, if you needed to. Love the appliance spray paint!

My last update was to add the window treatments around the sliding glass door, and this really made a huge difference in the room. I used canvas painter’s dropcloths from Home Depot (6′ x 9′ and $11 each!) and sewed them to the right length. Mine are tied with jute twine and swagged, but if I let them hang they would puddle on the floor (which was intentional). The balloon valance over the sink is completely no-sew. I just draped the dropcloth (another 6 ‘ x 9’) and tied three pieces of twine around it and adjusted it. Since we’re a military family and move frequently, I need as many no-sew options as possible, just to keep things versatile for the next house.

I think I might be done with the kitchen, at least for awhile, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I make any more changes. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few more pictures. Thanks for stopping by!

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Kitchen Makeover at Cottage Living {from beach to burbs}

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Roeshel

Meet: Mariaelena from

If you haven’t seen this beautiful makeover, prepare to be awed. It’s gorgeous! This is how it looks now…

Before…

Lots of hard work (I know!)…

So worth the sweat, tears and love…

See the full reveal from Mariaelena at Cottage Living from beach to burbs for more pictures and all of the details. Love it! Great job, Mariaelena! Thanks so much for sharing your hard work!

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Tag Archives: Painting Cabinets

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations {apartment progress}

Kitchen Makeover Part 2 by Christy at 11 Magnolia Lane

Kitchen Makeover at Cottage Living {from beach to burbs}