How & Why to Chalk Paint your Bathroom or Kitchen Cabinets

When we moved into our new house, all of the cabinets were in their natural form, no stain or paint. Definitely not anything wrong with that, just not my bag, if you know what I mean. I had to do something to make them mine. Saw these ideas on https://kingstoncabinetry.co.uk/ and definitely needed to try it out for my house.

How and Why to Chalk Paint Cabinets by Happy Chapter

We have these awesome shaker cabinets, so I knew they didn’t need to be replaced, it would just take some DIY painting, and I can handle that! Mark and I spent many moons, like literally 14, painting our kitchen cabinets, sanding, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, painting…you get it. I loved the way they turned out. But that’s not the process I had in mind for our bathrooms. Also think about installing a shower door with 90 degree return panel to get your bathroom more organized and add a fresh look.

We have a little beansprout and I just don’t have a lot of extra time on my hands, so I needed a better solution. I’ve painted a TON of furniture with Chalk Paint, but never cabinets, so I wasn’t sure, and I also wanted to add some paintings and murals from the best Murale Design online to create a good vibe in the room. But I tried it, and SUCCESS!! I have created a fancy little infographic for the process, but I want to share a little more info since these are cabinets and not your regular ol’ furniture project. Here’s how it all went down.

Supplies to Chalk Paint Cabinets by Happy Chapter

 

1. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey 2. Wood Filler 3. Wooster Paint Brush 4. Polycrylic 5. Ikea Knobs and Pulls

Step by Step:

  1. Remove all old hardware and fill any holes you won’t need with your replacement hardware.
  2. Sand the wood filler nicely, so its nice and smoooooooth.
  3. Wipe down your cabinets, some of these bathroom and kitchen cabinets have GUNK! I just used Dawn dish soap and warm water on a rag and that did the trick.
  4. Remove the doors from their hinges and pull the drawers out.
  5. PAINT! The first coat
  6. Allow the paint to dry, it dries pretty quickly. I waited about 20 minutes after I finished and began the 2nd coat in the same spot I began last time.
  7. Allow the paint to dry/cure at least 24 hours.
  8. Seal with a clear coat sealant. I wouldn’t suggest wax on cabinets. The wax isn’t the best for wiping and water and all that goodness you experience with bathroom cabinets. I used a Polycrylic, that you paint on. Easy as pie.

How and Why to Chalk Paint Cabinets by Happy Chapter

How and Why to Chalk Paint Cabinets by Happy Chapter

The entire process took like 2 days and that was mostly because I had to let the paint cure. So, why would you want to chalk paint your cabinets? Because it is a quick and cost effective way to make a change. A big awesome change that I made in my bathroom and my kitchen, which was an amazing change as I love cooking all the time with recipes from sites like Kitchenbar.net. I definitely could live without that tile countertop in the bathroom, but the painted cabinets make it way more bearable and I love the bathroom now (especially with the new art I made for the wall)!  Some day a new countertop will happen… Anyway, what do you think? Would you try it?

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Sprucing Up Old Drawer Pulls

Dresser After by Happy Chapter in Annie Sloan French Linen

Howdy! So I have to start this one saying, shame on me for not taking enough before pictures. It’s really hard to show you a transformation without the before’s, but I’ll do my best. I was really excited to work on this dresser, because I knew just what I wanted to do with it, but the most fun was creating a fresh fun look for the drawer pulls.

Dresser Upcycle - Before Picture

Here is what I started with…not so much, right?! (Sorry about the horrible photo, only one I took) This was just an old dresser I found at Goodwill, it had great bones and just needed to be cleaned up, so I did it! Take a gander at the drawer pulls, they really were in pretty good shape, they just needed some cleaning up and a little love so I decided to keep them instead of replacing them. I popped into my favorite place, Hobby Lobby and looked for a nice spray paint and some Rub n’ Buff. I decided on a Krylon color called Antique Bronze, I thought it would look gorgeous and offer just enough contrast from the Antique Gold Rub n’ Buff. If there isn’t a Hobby Lobby near you, any craft store should carry it, or you can grab it on Amazon here.

Krylon Antique Bronze Spray Paint and Rub n' Buff in Antique Gold

First I sprayed all of the pulls and waited about 25 minutes for them to dry. Once they dried, I applied the Rub n’ Buff. It was so easy to apply, you just take your pointer finger and put a little of the Rub n’ Buff cream on it and rub on the pulls where you want it. I love the way it makes the drawer pulls look new and refreshed, but antique at the same time. Does that make sense? Ha!

Spray Painted Drawer Pull Happy Chapter

Rub n Buff CreamThe Rub n’ Buff dries super quickly, so pretty much as soon as it’s on, it starts to dry and will be ready to handle in about 5 minutes.

Updated Drawer Pull Happy ChapterOnce all the fun was done with the drawer pulls, I finished up distressing and waxing the dresser. I had painted it using my Chalk Painting Process earlier with Annie Sloan’s French Linen.

Dresser After by Happy Chapter in Annie Sloan French Linen

An Updated Drawer Pull - Happy Chapter

An Updated Dresser - Happy Chapter

I think the color of the dresser goes just wonderfully with the drawer pulls and I always love using the original hardware. Don’t you just love that Rub n’ Buff?

 

 

 

 

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