The Maple Kitchen Facelift Project

Hello!

Like I mentioned in this summer kitchen round-up, many of my clients have been doing kitchen refreshes vs. a complete kitchen remodel.  They’re redoing floors, adding a backsplash, painting cabinets, but keeping the fundamental footprint in tact.  This kitchen falls into that bucket.  When I first saw this kitchen, the cabinets and the floors were essentially all the same maple-y color.  And so began the Maple Kitchen Facelift Project.

Maple Kitchen Before

By the time I got in to paint, you can see the floors had been refinished, which is great.  But in the words of the homeowner, “now the cabinets look really orange!”

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I’m an idiot – I thought I had more “before” photos, and stopped midway during my kitchen takedown process to snap a couple more.belanger-kitchen-before-2

Since this kitchen had some detailed rope work in the crown molding, I opted to spray the frames, which meant lots of prep.  I had planned on shooting video for this portion, but lo and behold, my Go Pro wasn’t charged when I went to use it.  Grrrr. But, rest assured, I have more kitchens that I’m spraying so I’ll make sure it’s charged and ready next time.

Spraying a Kitchen

So it’s basically, six hours of prep, one hour of painting.  Is anyone looking for a paint-prepping job?  I may be hiring.

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But this kitchen has a whole new lease on life now.  The color we went with was the same custom color I used in my kitchen.  And the hardware from D. Lawless Hardware finishes it off beautifully!

Painted Kitchen After

It’s funny, so many people are not thrilled with their backsplash or their countertops, but once the cabinets are painted, they don’t seem to bother them nearly as much.

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These knobs and cup pulls from D. Lawless Hardware are a favorite, and always look fresh and pretty in a newly painted kitchen.

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Here is the little desk area before I got to work.

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The little desk area is all dressed up now too.  I love how crisp everything looks against the refinished floors.  And the countertops are the same ones that they had before.  They took on a whole new identity, didn’t they?

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If you’re looking to paint your cabinets, and want to know how – here is my complete tutorial.  If you don’t want to tackle it on your own, and you live in the Dayton/Cincinnati area – contact me.

Jenny

Linking to:

TDC Before and After

27 Comments

  • Reply
    Debra
    September 20, 2016 at 12:55 pm

    Love,Love,Love the white. Brings so much light in. I too have maple cabinets which my other half won’t hear to painting. Grrrrrr. They do get orangy with age and I’m with you gal on this one. Just BEAUTIFUL…

    • Reply
      Dawn Rene in ATL
      September 20, 2016 at 3:47 pm

      Debra…I say paint now, ask forgiveness later! Hee!!

      • Reply
        Jenny
        September 20, 2016 at 9:31 pm

        Dawn, I like the way you think! 😉

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 20, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you so much Debra!

  • Reply
    Dawn Rene in ATL
    September 20, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    It looks fabulous! Paint works wonders…great job.

  • Reply
    Lauren
    September 20, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    I live in Louisville. Is that too far for you to come?? Or do you know anyone in this area who can do kitchen cabinets? My cabinets are maple-y also. I think your work on all the kitchens is wonderful!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 20, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Unfortunately, Louisville is out of my range, and I don’t know anyone in your area that does cabinets. I’m starting to think that I need to get a mobile workshop and roam the country, redoing cabinets. 😉

  • Reply
    Julie
    September 21, 2016 at 12:50 am

    Wow, what a great job you did! I thought when I saw the after pictures that you had changed the backsplash and counters and I had to go back to the before pictures to check when you said they were the same! Amazing This is also a much more environmentally friendly approach rather than dumping cupboards in the landfill, just because the colour is dated. Keep up the great work!

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 22, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      Thank you so much Julie – I never tire of giving a kitchen a new lease on life! 🙂

  • Reply
    Marie Powers
    September 22, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    I love the kitchen redo. I updated my kitchen 14 years ago by using Facelifters. I have new doors and drawers but the frames and sides area wood veneer (I think). Can my kitchen be updated again by painting the cabinets and frames? I live outside of Philadelphia, guessing you don’t come this far!,, thanks for your help.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 22, 2016 at 7:22 pm

      I don’t see why it couldn’t bee updated again Marie. As long as there is good prep and the right paint products, it shouldn’t be a problem. Philly is a couple states over from me, and I’m starting to think that I need a mobile workshop that I can take cross-country. 😉

  • Reply
    April
    September 22, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Jenny – did you use an HVLP paint sprayer? I have one and would like to try and paint my kitchen cabinets but am worried about the overspray/dust. Do you have a problem with that? Thanks

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 22, 2016 at 7:21 pm

      I do use an HVLP sprayer and work out of a big unfinished area in my basement. I put up a tarp (using a Zipwall – amazing invention), and I have an exhaust fan and a door to the outside that I also have a fan set up with ducting to help vent out the overspray. It’s not a perfect setup, but it works for the most part.

  • Reply
    Kim
    September 22, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Our kitchen cabinets are just builder grade oak and I really dislike them. We have discussed having them painted many times but the problem for us is that everything in our house is oak…the pantry door, the wood trim around the door, Windows, and floor. The oak continues into the kitchenette area, the family room, and throughout the house. It’s just like…where do you stop? If you paint the cabinets, it’s going to look weird next to the oak trim. Or maybe it wouldn’t?? And if you paint the kitchen trim white, isn’t it weird to have the rest of the house still with the oak trim? I have no idea and am really just terrible at design stuff.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 22, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      I’ve seen it done in all sorts of ways, and in each one, it has worked. I’ve seen white cabinets with stained wood trim, white cabinets with white trim in the kitchen only, etc… You could do the one room (i.e., the kitchen) in white with painted trim and white cabinets, and even paint the pantry door in a completely different color altogether. There are all sorts of options out there that work and can look good!

  • Reply
    Jessica Janowski
    November 13, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    Do you paint doors and trim?

    • Reply
      Jenny
      November 14, 2017 at 11:23 pm

      I’m usually just there to do the cabinet doors, but on some occasions, I have painted trim for customers. Haven’t been asked to do regular doors, but I’ve done some in my own home. 🙂

  • Reply
    Freida
    November 13, 2018 at 8:21 am

    My custom made cabinets are only 3 yrs old and white with beadboard inserts. Im so tired of white. The granite countertops have light browns, grey and a small amount of black. I’m thinking of repainting then in a light shade of grey. Don’t want a dark color of any kind, just want to get rid of the white. The walls a taupe color.with white trim. Any suggestions?

    • Reply
      Jenny
      November 13, 2018 at 6:59 pm

      Revere Pewter is a great option that goes with just about anything, and I just recently did a kitchen in Anew Gray (a Sherwin Williams color) and it turned out beautifully!

  • Reply
    Leslie
    February 1, 2019 at 10:07 am

    What color stain did you use on the floor and is it a white oak flooring?

  • Reply
    Jessica
    April 20, 2019 at 1:03 pm

    Do you know the name of the granite? I’m building a house and wanted white cabinets in the kitchen. This looks beautiful .

    • Reply
      Jenny
      April 23, 2019 at 8:35 pm

      Sorry – I don’t know the name of the granite.

  • Reply
    Christian Graffagnino
    January 19, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    Love it! What are the dimensions between your stove side and island? And between the dishwasher side and island? We are moving a wall and installing an island and just curious about how far apart yours is from the other sides.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      January 22, 2020 at 7:45 am

      Not sure – it was a client’s kitchen and not mine. Sorry!

  • Reply
    Kim
    May 22, 2020 at 10:16 am

    I know this was a while ago, but do you happen to remember what the wall paint color was or know a close one for this house? I love it!! Thank you so much for posting your walk through! I’ve refinished several pieces of furniture, but this will be my first time attempting cabinets.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      May 26, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      If memory serves, I think this was Simply White (a Benjamin Moore color).

  • Reply
    Melissa
    August 19, 2020 at 10:20 am

    Love the look! What color did you paint in your kitchen? Trying to find the perfect gray!

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