DIY Projects

Nothing is more satisfying than completing a DIY project that meets or exceeds your expectations. My kitchen cabinets were the dullest, drabbest, ugliest, not to mention dirty, brown for years....just like they were the day I moved in. What took me so long to finally tackle them? I guess fear - that they would be just as ugly after I finished them. That and time and money had something to do with it too...had I known just how MUCH time it would really take, I might never have considered trying. But, I love them now. First, the "Before" shots:


Granted, the picture shows the wear around the handles way worse than you would have seen in person. Keep in mind, this is an old farmhouse that has been added on to repeatedly over some 100 years. The cabinets themselves were built in 3 different sections over about a 20 year period, and it had been over 20 years since their last paint job!....NOW, for the new look:



I love this! The base is painted in a dark, deep red with just a hint of rust. The doors are "Cake batter" cream, then antiqued with a dark brown glaze that I dry-brushed on vertically. And the handles are the cherry on top for me...bought them off ebay for less than 1/2 what they cost retail...and they are top quality oil-rubbed bronze. I had planned to replace the old formica countertops which are off-white with tiny brown flecks, but they are the perfect compliment to the new paint job and the whole "farmhouse" style. Yep, I spent almost the whole summer scrubbing, sanding, removing doors and hardware, painting, and replacing everything - with LOTS of help from husband and daughter (thank you! thank you! thank you!) - but it has proved to be worth it all.