The Design Blog
The Simple Kitchen Makeover
How to prep cabinets, paint cabinets and install new hardware.
If you are someone who is interested in buying investment properties to flip and then sell, or you absolutely love DIY projects for the home, then you are in the right spot! In this “Flip House” series we are going to dive right into messy DIY, Do’s and Don'ts in the fixer upper realm, the reality of flipping properties, and renovation projects that you can follow along, learn from, and hopefully get excited for your own projects!
If you are like me, you spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen. From cooking to entertaining guests, kitchens are the heart of the home. 💖 I will say I am not particularly a “chef” when it comes to cooking, but a girl’s got to eat! We also love having friends and family over when we can. So there’s a reason why most of your home’s value is stored in the kitchen. Whether your overall kitchen design follows what is on trend or showcases beautiful quality kitchen appliances.
One of the easiest ways to improve your outdated kitchen is to paint the cabinets. All new cabinets installed in a medium sized kitchen, roughly 240-360 sq. ft., can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000. And it would largely depend on the type of cabinetry and the material. Type of cabinetry is fully custom cabinets (local carpenter who builds them from scratch), semi-custom (ordering from a local cabinet store) and ready-made cabinets (what you would find at a place like Home Depot). The second easiest way to update your kitchen would be to update the cabinet doors and drawers hardware. Hardware refers to the decorative knobs, pulls and hinges. For affordable hardware, I tend to look through Amazon or Wayfair. They have decent quality for the price you pay with many sizes so you can have a custom look.
There are more ways to do it yourself when it comes to painting your kitchen cabinets that look more professional, but here I wanted to show how anyone can update their kitchen and keep it under $150.
Finished Look
Just made breakfast! I wish I had taken more pictures… The paint finish is in a satin and a 1.25” paint brush was used throughout.
Step 1: Prepping Your Cabinets
You will want to make sure your surface areas are cleaned off and you have a space prepared to 1. deep clean 2. sand and 3. paint. The original cabinets that were in the home, shown in this picture, were inexpensive ready-made cabinets. The goal is to remove all of the grease and residue on the surfaces we will be painting.
Lay down some plastic if you need to or use the floor in your garage where it is easy to clean up when you are done.
Use your 3M painters tape to tape off the walls around your upper cabinets. I also taped where the base cabinets met the walls and around appliances. If you can remove the appliance (like your range) I would do that. This is the most time consuming part, but in the end this type of detail will make all the difference in the in the overall look of your project. Unless you are planning to paint your walls after, I would not skip this step.
At the end of these instructions, I have created a supply list of everything I used to create this look. Screenshot on your phone to save the list and use for shopping. I also have added links to all the supplies you would need to make your shopping easier. DISCLAIMER: **I do make a small commission on everything that I have linked.**
Step 2: Remove Doors And Drawers
With your screwdriver, remove all doors and drawers from your cabinet and make sure to label each one. This will help when it’s time to put the doors back. Trust me, it will save you a headache down the road. To do this use a piece of tape and a sharpie and write “B-S”. Tape the door for now and lay out them out in your work space. The shorthand translates to base sink cabinet. Or use whatever makes the most sense for you to help you remember. When you start working on them, you will then move the labels above each door & drawer.
While removing your doors and drawers, sure to save each screw from the cabinet hinges in a bag or bowl and set aside.
TIP: You can lay out your doors and drawers in the order of how your kitchen is laid out to help you remember where they go. Use your phone to take a picture so you are not traveling back and forth.
Step 3: Sand
Your doors and drawer fronts should be dry and clean before this step.
I lightly hand sanded my cabinets with 150 grit sandpaper and then 220 grit because I did not want to ruin the details of the cabinets. Depending on if you have shaker cabinets or more ornate cabinets will help you determine what would work best for your project. Use a sander for the larger areas and by hand to reach areas in the trim pieces. Be careful not to sand down the trim, use a really light hand. That is something you will notice after painting. Just remember the goal here is to remove most of the finish to create a surface that the paint will adhere to. Be aware that some inexpensive cabinets will have a veneer or thermofoil that was glued to your cabinets and you will need a heat gun to remove that before sanding.
You can also use varnish remover if you have a lot of buildup. My favorite to use is the can from Minwax. It does not strip the varnish completely off down to bare wood. You can also use Ready-Strip from Sunnyside Corp. It changes color when it is ready to remove with a scraper and/or cloth.
"Just remember the goal here is to remove most of the finish to create a surface that the paint will adhere to."
Step 5: Paint!
Once everything is sanded down, it is time to get your paint ready. First, I tested out the colors I picked out on the side of my upper cabinet. I am big believer in trying out paint colors before determining the one I love. If you want to know more about how I pick out paint, let me know in the comments. 🙃 Then once I had everything prepped, I started painting the cabinet doors and drawers first so that they could dry while I was painting the cabinet boxes. Double check with the manufacturer for dry time.
The best paint finish for cabinets in my opinion is a satin. I love how the light reflects off of a satin finish, and it is easier to clean. Kitchen messes can get crazy! Plus who wants to worry about ruining your cabinets while creating a delicious meal to feed your family?
I highly recommend painting two coats of paint to get the truest color and cover anything you might of missed in the first coat. Sometimes paint manufactures will advertise one coat, but I would still do two coats. You can also read the instructions on the paint bucket to see what the manufacturer recommends.
Once you are finished painting all of your cabinets, it is time to let them sit overnight before moving onto the next step. I know your are excited to finish! But, you will want to do this so that the paint completely dries before installing them back. If you end up installing the doors before they have had proper time to dry they will stick and your paint could chip. Even if it is dry to the touch.
If you want to see what paint is my favorite, see the shopping list below and the paint color.
In this picture I am testing out the paint color to make sure I am happy with the look. ➡️
Step 6: Install New Hardware
Now for the best part! It is time to install your new hardware!This is really easy if you are doing a project like this one because the holes are already there. We do not have to predrill holes in our cabinets, and you can accomplish this step will just a handheld screwdriver.
In the both of these pictures I purchased the round knobs from CB2, but they are no longer available. Here is a similar one I found on Amazon for just under $6 each.
Then for all of the cabinet doors, I chose to do a modern farmhouse style pull from Amazon that are very affordable and come in a pack of 30. To pick out pulls that are the correct size, use a tape measure to measure the distance from one hole to the next. Then use that measurement to get the hole measurement you will use for shopping. For example, my cabinets had a 3 inch length from hole center to hole center. The pulls I picked are 5 inches in total length with a 3 inch hole measurement.
If you do not have holes already, you will use the same concept above when you were picking out pulls but backwards. ✨The world is your oyster!✨ You can chose if you want a longer or small pull style. Then you will use the hole measurement the company says to use when installing their hardware to mark off where you will be pre-drilling holes on your doors. Most manufacturers will have detailed instructions to help you. DON’T FORGET this measurement will be center to center. So use a pencil to mark your holes before you drill holes.
There are tools you can purchase like this Kreg installation jig mounting template from Amazon, but I don’t think you absolutely need one.
Here is the final look! 🤍🛠️
Supplies You Will Need:
Screw driver or electric screwdriver
Local store: Benjamin Moore Advance Paint for Cabinets - Finish in Satin
Color is White Dove
I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and pick a color that brings you happiness and excitement. Or do a two-toned look. An example would be painting your kitchen island a deep green or pop of turquoise blue. This is a fun time updating your kitchen! And just think, you can always paint over it if you end up hating it or changing your mind down the road. :)
If you want to read about the reasons we picked this home, read my first post from this series and watch the video walkthrough! All of your support is amazing, and I am so thankful you are here! :)Watch The First Phase Below:
I really hope this has helped you with your projects or future ideas. Please follow along for a deeper look into our first flip house and our journey along the way. I would love to see some of the projects you are currently working on below!
Happy Styling! :)
Kitchen Update Plan| Flip House
Kitchens are truly my favorite spaces and can really set the tone for the whole house. A ton happens in the kitchen, meal prep, cooking/baking, entertaining, messes, cleaning, etc. So I really wanted to do the most upgrades, including cosmetically, in this space.
If you are someone who is interested in buying investment properties to flip and then sell, or you absolutely love DIY projects for the home, then you are in the right spot! In this “Flip House” series we are going to dive right into messy DIY, Do’s and Don'ts in the fixer upper realm, the reality of flipping properties, and renovation projects that you can follow along, learn from, and hopefully get excited for your own projects!
The Kitchen:
Kitchens are truly my favorite spaces and can really set the tone for the whole house. A ton happens in the kitchen, meal prep, cooking/baking, entertaining, messes, cleaning, etc. So I really wanted to do the most upgrades, including cosmetically, in this space.
Right after we purchased our house, our goal was to do small affordable projects while living in the house to save for the larger projects that needed to be done. My husband and I also did not have a timeline planned for how long we would keep this house before selling because we did not want to feel the pressure to turn around and sell right away.
If you want to see the reasons we picked this home, read my first post from this series and watch the video walkthrough! All of your support is amazing, and I am so thankful you are here! :)
Final Look
“I knew there was a lot of life to bring into the kitchen and wanted it to be the largest selling point of the home.”
I knew there was a lot of life to bring into the kitchen and wanted it to be the largest selling point of the home. Overall, the kitchen needed the most work on the main floor. I wanted to make the kitchen feel more open with a more modern look. Then add new appliances and more lighting.
The main goals for the kitchen was 1. not to go overboard because we had a smaller budget for our first home and 2. keep it simple. When people purchase a new home, they want to be able to envision themselves living in it before they purchase. So simplicity is key as well as not to chose a look that leans too trendy when picking out finishes. Plus you still want to make enough profit when you go to sell.
When we moved in this is what the kitchen looked like:
There was sooooo much that needed to be done. 🙃 Taking on a project like this one it can seem overwhelming. Where do you even start? Even though we couldn’t do everything I had wanted to fix up this kitchen, we sure did get a lot checked off the list.
Our Kitchen Renovation Check List:
Get rid of the carpet! Wall to wall carpet installed in every room was really popular in the “shag era”, the 60s and 70s. Even though this house was built in the early 80s, carpet is usually very affordable. Although, I do not find it is not the most ideal in areas like mud rooms, laundry, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Remove all the old hardware (hardware includes items like cabinet pulls, knobs and in this case hinges)
Remove wallpaper boarder
Deep clean and remove current finish on cabinet panels
Unfortunately, it was not within the budget to completely tear out and install new cabinets (even affordable cabinets at the time + lead times were crazy)
Paint cabinets
All new appliances
Pick out new modern hardware
New lighting plan
The house was up on a hill but, unfortunately, does not get as much light during the winter months.
Update trim around window
Update base trim
Install solid flooring with a wood plank look
Update electrical switches to correspond to new lighting plan
Kitchen Mood Board:
If you want to recreate or use any of the items we used to create the look, I’ve added some below. I am not affiliated with any of these companies or get a commission, but I did want to be a source for those who are interested. In the next blog I want to dive into all the steps we did to remodel the kitchen and advice from what we learned along the way.
Links:
Watch The First Phase Below:
I really hope this has helped you with your projects or future ideas. Please follow along for a deeper look into our first flip house and our journey along the way. If you guys also want a budget of our project let me know. I would love to see some of the projects you are currently working on below!
Happy Styling! :)