PAINTED CABINETS || a review of our cabinets painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®

Painting your own cabinetry is such a great way to completely change the look of a room for very little money!  As you know, my dear hubby builds beautiful cabinetry and finishes them in his spray booth with some fantastic products he buys from our local Rodda Paint store.  I am a firm believer that Chalk Paint is not for every job, and I am the first to tell customer that!  However, it is a fantastic option for DIY and of course it's amazing for decorative finishes!  I thought it might be helpful to give a little review of our kitchen cabinets I painted 3 years ago with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®

When we first moved in, the walls were yellow and the cabinets were a shiny maple.  When we bought our home, we had intentions of remodeling within 2 years....we just passed the 4 year mark :)  I just wanted to make the kitchen feel a bit more "me", even if it was a temporary fix!

I painted everything, except the uppers, Annie Sloan GRAPHITE.  I wanted the black appliances to  blend in and I love how the black hides everything :)  I painted the uppers Annie Sloan OLD WHITE and sealed with 2 coats of CLEAR WAX.

To prep the cabinets for painting:

Clean the surface with a degreaser, then wipe the surface down with warm soapy water.

Lightly sand the surface. You are not sanding to remove any finish, just sanding lightly to give the paint a little something extra to stick to!

Apply 2-3 coats, depending on the color of paint and the color of existing cabinetry you are covering.  

Seal with 2 light coats of Annie Sloan Clear Wax, lightly buff away excess wax.

Enjoy!  To clean, wipe down with a warm rag.  I use Murphey's Oil Soap when they need a good scrub.

I lightly distressed the edges of my doors and cabinet faces.  I wanted a bit of a distressed look.  I then sealed everything with 1 coat of dark wax.  I recommend 2 light coats, but I was going for a temporary fix and didn't want to put in the effort of applying a second coat of wax! 

So, 3 years later and here is my humble little opinion.....

This kitchen gets A LOT of use!  I enjoy cooking and baking and so do my little peanuts!  We cook most meals at home and we love feeding other people so this little kitchen gets a lot of use.  The paint is chipping in the "usual" spots....the cabinet the houses the trash can!!  Also, our cabinet that houses the cutting boards and baking sheets has a little extra chippy factor happening.  If I had knobs, there would be very little chipping!  Plus, I am just plain hard on it because I am hoping that one day my dear hubby will build me some new cabinets! :) The rest of the kitchen looks just as good as the day I finished painting.  It really has held up so well!

I have sold Annie Sloan's incredible paint for 5 years now!  I sell it because I believe in it....it's such a fantastic product!  It makes DIY cabinet painting attainable for anyone!  It's forgiving and provides a beautiful finish.  I could go on for hours!  So, if you are on the fence about painting your cabinetry....I say go for it!!!!!!  With a little bit of money and a lot of elbow grease, you can completely change the look of your space!  

I sure hope you found this helpful!  You can always email or call the shop and we are more than happy to answer your questions!  And, be sure to share pictures of your painted cabinets....I LOVE to see before + after photos!!

love,

Darci