It took me about 3 weeks to complete the entire project. I had the kids home for the summer and I still needed to work from home. Painting the backsplash is the shortest time commitment (and also time sensitive – must be done in one day). You could easily knock this project out in a long weekend if you had help and time. I had neither (for the most part). I told myself I would finish before my daughter Caroline’s birthday weekend. Well, friends, I finished ON her birthday. So I win.
My cabinets, tile backsplash, and walls.
First, the easy part – the walls. I used Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray in the space – the color we have almost everywhere else in our house. It’s very neutral and almost beige-gray. I don’t like grays that pull too blue, and this one never does. It always looks perfect in any lighting situation. I took my kitchen walls from a much darker taupe down to the Agreeable Gray color.
First, the easy part – the walls. I used Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray in the space – the color we have almost everywhere else in our house. It’s very neutral and almost beige-gray. I don’t like grays that pull too blue, and this one never does. It always looks perfect in any lighting situation. I took my kitchen walls from a much darker taupe down to the Agreeable Gray color.
– Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit in Pure White – 1 Gallon of Behr Premium Plus Ultra Satin Finish in Pure White – Paint brushes – Mini paint rollers and extra roller heads – Painter’s Tape – Plastic tarps – Tables – Screwdriver – Rag
Let’s first talk about the kit – the Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit. This is a kit that comes with a deglosser (you do this first instead of sanding cabinets), a bond coat (the actual color the cabinets will be), a protective topcoat, and an optional glaze (I did not use this). The kit is very user-friendly and straightforward. I did a ton of research beforehand and watched a lot of videos on this kit before using it the first time. I definitely recommend you do this!
The Rust-Oleum kit was something I was familiar with. I used it last year to paint our bathroom vanity in master bath and downstairs half bath. I started out painting our master vanity white (the color that came in the kit) but didn’t like the way it looked in the space, so I went and bought a small amount of Sherwin Williams Ellie Gray (actually it was the Behr Premium Plus Ultra from Home Depot tinted to match Ellie Gray), and then sealed it with the top coat in the kit. It turned out amazing. One year later, it’s holding up amazing. No chips.
IMPORTANT: For me, the Rust-Oleum kit did not have enough bond coat paint for me to do my entire kitchen (my cabinets needed 4 coats), so that’s why I went out and purchased a gallon of the Behr paint. The color and finish of Behr Premium Plus Ultra Satin Finish in Pure White matched perfectly. (Another note: I did have paint left over from the gallon I purchased.) It’s a much more cost-effective way of completing this project instead of going out and purchasing another kit. I had enough deglosser and top coat for my entire kitchen, just not enough actual paint.
– Tape off the frame of cabinets – Number all cabinets with painters tape and sharpie – Remove hardware and put all pieces into ramekins – Set up all the cabinet doors in a configuration, take the painters tape off and place next to the doors so I still knew which door I was painting – Degloss frame – Degloss cabinet doors – 4 coats of paint (yes, the cabinets and frames needed a full 4 coats) – Top coat – Let top coat dry 12 hours – Put doors back on – Repeat per section
– Homax White Tough as Tile Epoxy Brush-on Kit (we needed 2 kits) – Lint-free mini rollers – Mini roller trays – Painter’s tape – Plastic tarps – Respirator masks – fans (to ventilate)
Before painting, you need to thoroughly clean the tile, otherwise, the epoxy paint will bubble or will not stick completely to the tile. I scrubbed the tile with steel wool and Comet, and then wiped the entire area down again with some Windex. That seemed to work just fine.
Overall, I’m really glad that I took the time out to do this. I’ve gotten so many compliments from people who have come over and visited. They have told me it makes my house look bigger and that it also makes my first floor look brighter. If I can do it, so can you. Truly. Do your research, plan ahead, and give yourself time. Oh, and give yourself lots of grace. You aren’t a professional painter, and nobody is going to care if there are brush strokes on a cabinet door. Here are some more photos of my finished kitchen. I absolutely love how much brighter and happier the space feels.