Cabinets, Chalkpaint and Countertops

Spring Break is over, but I'm grateful that Spring weather is sticking around. GI Joel and I got a lot accomplished at the shouse this last week. Walls are painted, with the exception of some trim issues. This post is dedicated to cabinets though.

My cabinets arrived and I got started on Thursday morning. Here's my short review on Anne Sloan Chalkpaint. It's not chalkboard paint, it just dries with a chalky finish. It's wonderful. You don't have to sand or prime. My cabinets had a protective coating on them. No sweat, I painted right over it. The downside is, it's expensive, it runs about 35 dollars a quart. However, I painted three thin coats on my lower cabinets and it only took one can, and I have a third left of the can I used on my upper cabinets. So...you get a lot for your buck. There is another option if you just don't want to spend that money. You can buy calcium carbonate powder (amazon.com) and mix your own with regular latex paint. I've done it and have been happy with my results, but I decided to stick with name brand for my cabinets.

I used a 2in trim brush with a really short handle to paint the cabinets. That's my preference because I can manipulate the brush really easily. Below is a picture of the first coat. This is where a first time Chalkpaint user is doubting their decision. It really is a paint anyone can use. You just have to trust it and wait for the magic.

Pretty excited about this spot. Our fridge will obviously go in the hole and the cabinets on the left pull out to be part of our pantry space.

So here is coat number two. See, it's coming together. It's paint magic. The brush strokes will soon be gone and smooth chalky finish with replace them. I used the color French Linen on the lower cabinets and Old White on my upper cabinets. At this point the cabinet shop came up to add trim to the cabinets so I took a few hour break. Chalkpaint dries really fast. I started the second coat as soon as I finished the first.

Here are some shots of the upper cabinets between coats.

I got the lower cabinets completed in one day. I painted the upper cabinets and waxed the lowers the same day and then I spent about an hour another day to finish up the wax completely.

I used the Anne Sloan clear wax for the cabinets. It's easy to apply (wax on, wax off). I put it on in a circular motion and then rub it in with a towel. It's also pricey, but I think I used about an ice cream scoop full out of my can. I also splurged for a real wax brush for this project. I normally use a stencil brush from Hobby Lobby because you can get one for a couple of dollars, but they aren't very wide and take a little extra elbow grease. Hobby Lobby sells wax brushes now and you can use their 40% coupon. Anne Sloan sells hers for around $50! Yikes. Couldn't bring myself to do that. So, Hobby Lobby it was. The bigger brush saved me a lot of time and they clean easy.

So here is my bad shot of the finished cabinets with hardware. We are getting electric this week so I hopefully won't have to beat the sun anymore.

I came home to countertops, plumbing and lights! Woo hoo!

The shouse is looking like a house!