I did not prefer the Oak Cabinets. Just not my style, not my thing. I saw many "redos" that involved staining or painting the cabinets. I LOVED both looks. Let me be honest, I loved the look of lighter painted cabinets but had heard horror stories of upkeep. I wasn't a fan of staining but had seen multiple posts using a specific GEL stain. Why not? So off the cabinets came......
Let me go ahead and tell you that this was NOT my favorite part. What I thought would take an hour, took a day. Cleaning, removing, removing hardware, it was not pretty.
So here's the deal. If you do this, the ONLY way I can recommend results is by using General Finishes Java Gel Stain. I ordered mine off of Amazon. Clean your doors (I used a Clorox wipe). Sand your doors. (SECRET- "sanding" means using a piece of sandpaper to simply rough up the door. No need to kill your arms. Ain't nobody got time for that) Then it was time for staining!!! This junk is like playing in chocolate pudding. Literally. And I didn't mind the smell too bad either. Anything that you DON'T want ruined or stained, COVER IT! Clothes, floors, counters, walls, hands, nothing is exempt from this coal black nightmare.
There are two ways to use it- paint on and gently wipe off. OR, paint it on thinly. Which did I do? BOTH! I painted on and wiped off the first coat. The second and third? They were lightly painted. And I didn't use a paintbrush, I used a foam brush. Just liked the way it looked better.
You need to allow 24 hours to dry between each coat. That's right, do the math. NOT a weekend project. For me? It was a month long project. (Working 4 days a week with 2 small children....yeah I procrastinated a little) I also had to lay my doors down, therefore it took two days for each side of the doors. Anyway! After all of the coats dried, I applied a high gloss coat. We bought new pulls on Amazon for $1 a piece and simply spray painted the hinges. All in all, the entire project cost us around $100. That's right people....cheap and totally worth it, don't you think?!? Although I'm not QUITE ready to dive in to the bathrooms yet!
You need to allow 24 hours to dry between each coat. That's right, do the math. NOT a weekend project. For me? It was a month long project. (Working 4 days a week with 2 small children....yeah I procrastinated a little) I also had to lay my doors down, therefore it took two days for each side of the doors. Anyway! After all of the coats dried, I applied a high gloss coat. We bought new pulls on Amazon for $1 a piece and simply spray painted the hinges. All in all, the entire project cost us around $100. That's right people....cheap and totally worth it, don't you think?!? Although I'm not QUITE ready to dive in to the bathrooms yet!
Before
A little paint
After
Backsplash is next! Although that may have to wait until after Hawaii!!
