Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- Kitchen Cabinets:Part I

Quick note: Part II here!

I finally got around to starting our biggest kitchen update to date! While my husband was off doing some training, I made the ultimate decision to paint The Monsters. I have done extensive googling and pinteresting research and discovered that I do not, in fact, have legit wood cabinets- BUMMER-, but some weird laminated, pressboard that is the stuff of nightmares. The previous owners have done a real number on them. There are so many dings and scratches and even little chunks of cabinet missing that they constantly look like they're covered in some beige splatter which drives me, and any OCD guests...Brittney, crazy.
I finally settled on using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White because I've coveted Miss Mustard Seed's kitchen for far too long. The crisp, clean look of white cabinets soothes my soul. The boxwood wreath was my sole motive for going out to purchase my own boxwood shrub a few days ago. That countertop?! I die. Dream kitchen, for sure. So this is the first step towards my own take on the white kitchen.

Now, I had read that ASCP was known best for being used without needing sanding or primer, making it the obvious choice. ASCP is sold pretty exclusively, so if you're looking to buy some, check here to find which retailers, or Stockists, are near you. I had to drive an hour away to get my hands on the stuff. I purchased 2 quarts of Pure White, one tub of Clear Soft Wax and one small sized brush and paid $145.30 total. Quite the chunk of change for 4 items! (Sorry I didn't take the time to clean my brush. You can actually clean them out using water because the paint is water based -hallelujah- but I have been keeping mine in a ziplock baggie when I don't feel like taking the time to rinse and dry.)

I quickly found that my cabinets were not the type of cabinets that didn't require sanding. Being laminated and all kind of completely ruined that, so I took some 150 grit sandpaper and lightly sanded every bit of surface. Tedious, but not difficult.
(QUICK EDIT: Don't bother sanding, I'll explain why in the updated Part II )

As well as dreaming of a white kitchen, I've also been drooling over the "accent" cabinet doors with glass inserts. I've decided I'm doing this to 2 of ours; the one that holds every last cheap glass and sippy cup we own and the one where we keep our tiny collection of matching dinnerware and stemware. One day, hopefully in the not-too-terribly-distant future, I'll have a large collection of glasses and dinnerware that match and are show worthy. Until then, y'all can look at the sippy cups and protein shakers and like it.

Here are the doors, and the cutting tool I used over on the foam in picture 1, during and after the panel removal process:

Please forgive the terrible quality. I've lost my camera and only have my phone, so bear with me...

I ripped out the remaining bits of particle board with pliers and found I have a perfect little lip I can use to lay the glass on. I just need to get a small-scale cutting tool to cut the back lip off, if that makes any sense. I'm going to use  caulk and the type of hardware used to keep mirrors on the wall in bathrooms to secure the glass.
Another phone picture to give y'all a visual:

Here are some "Before" pictures of our kitchen:






And the most recent progress picture:
**QUICK DISCLAIMER**
I am not affiliated in any way whatsoever with the ASCP brand so this quick little review is brought to you only by the humble, novice, opinion of a housewife and mostly inexperienced painter.

The paint itself goes on wonderfully smooth. I needed 2 coats to fully cover all areas, and rarely I would use a third to cover a few missed spots. After drying- which is super quick, I might add- you can use the Annie Sloan brand wax brush to brush in the wax or use a very clean rag to buff it in then wipe it off. I chose the rag mostly to eliminate the hassle of switching from brush to rag. It leaves a nice finish that has been easy to wipe clean. 

Now that I'm about to go attempt to make some more progress, so I will hopefully have another  update for you soon now! Here is Part II! 


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