*Have you been following along with the house tour? If not, you can start the tour here.
Recently, my husband gave me that look and said, “Hey, you wanna come with me to Home Depot?”
My heart skipped a beat. He still knows just how to make me woozy after all these years.
Even though it was a date, he wandered over to lumber while I dawdled around the paint aisle to see if I needed to buy paint for, you know, something.
That’s when I saw it. A display of this product:
The beginning of my undoing
“Does that stuff really work?” I asked the saleslady. I was thinking of my dull, golden oak kitchen cabinets, these ones, behind this shameless picture of my adorable twins.
The sales clerk had wonderful things to say about the product, but at nearly $80 a box, I wasn’t willing to take the gamble on a product that might not work.
Well, Home Depot loves me almost as much as I love them, and while I was pondering whether or not a kitchen transformation was worth $80, they dropped the price. $39.99, baby. That’s a deal.
I quickly ordered two kits in Espresso. I wasn’t sure if one kit would be enough, and I didn’t want to pay full price for a second kit if I needed it later. In other words, I was too lazy to figure the square footage of my cabinets and decided to play it safe.
When the product arrived, I watched the DVD tutorial that came with the kit. The Barbie and Ken homeowners in the video assured me that this was a simple project I could do in a weekend. Let me assure you. Unless your “kitchen” consists of a microwave stand and a cupboard for Cheetos, this project will take longer than a weekend.Much longer.Had I know that at the beginning, I might not have had that slight mental breakdown around Day 4.But I’m getting ahead of myself.The first thing I did, as per Barbie and Ken’s instructions, was to clean my cabinets thoroughly. 
I wasn’t sure how clean they had to be so I baptized those bad boys in an ammonia solution I cooked up and applied out on the deck so I wouldn’t pass out from the fumes. It is very likely I didn’t need to work that hard. But I’m an overachiever.
I let the cabinets dry overnight and then went to work on the first step of the kit, the deglosser. This is a watery solution that strips the finish off the cabinets. It is the reason Rustoleum can make the claim that if you use this kit, you won’t have to sand your cabinets. Let me just tell you a secret. You still do. It’s just you don’t have to do it with sandpaper. You get to scrub the solution onto your cabinets using a green scrubby. This sounds easy, and in one sense, it is, especially if you have bionic arms. But my, oh my, if you don’t have bionic arms, your hands will hurt by the end. 
Furthermore, whatever you do, don’t forget about those four doors you left drying in the tub because when you find them after you think you’re done “deglossing,” you will cry.Fortunately, Rustoleum is very generous with the deglosser. You will have plenty to last for days and days and days and…In fact, the two large bottles I found when I opened the kit should have been a clue that I was going to be “deglossing” for a good long time.
Still deglossing…It took me two days to do this part of the process. Barbie made it look so easy. This is what I looked like:
I don’t think I brushed my hair for two days. Nor did I clean my house:
If you look closely, you’ll see Paul is on the floor with his shirt on backwards.
Here I am, thinking of what I’m going to do the next time my husband sweet-talks me into going to Home Depot. When at last the deglossing is done, I moved on to the second step, which is applying the Bond Coat, or cabinet color. The Bond Coat is like a cross between a paint and a stain. It allows the wood grain to show through, but it doesn’t penetrate the wood the way a stain does.
This was definitely the most fun part of the process for me. Once you begin painting the cabinets, it starts to feel like you’re actually getting somewhere, and you’ll be so happy, you might even manage to put on mascara for the first time all week.
But somewhere along the way, you’ll realize that you have to do two coats.
That’s all those cabinets…times two.It will begin to feel like this project is never going to end.
Note to husbands and small children: Now is not a good time to ask “What’s for dinner?” Just don’t do it.Because even though it looks like I was sitting around eating bon bons for four days, I was actually quite busy. In between slapping on layers of Bond Coat, I spray painted the old hinges so they’d blend in with the cabinets. 
Does this seem like a cheap short-cut to buying new hinges?
Not at all. There are several reasons why it’s okay to spray paint hardware without feeling the least bit guilty about it.
First of all, if you own an older home (and trust me, anything that predates my high school graduation is considered an older home), it might be difficult to match the hinges on your cabinets. If you can’t find matching hinges, you’ll have to putty the old holes and drill new ones to accommodate the update hardware.
That sounds an awful lot like the kind of work I don’t like.
Second, if you get a high-quality spray paint it will be very durable. I prefer Rustoleum to Krylon for anything that gets handled, like hardware. I really like their Metallic Finish series because it has a texture to it that hides imperfections like rust or general griminess.
Third, if you’re trying to redo your kitchen on a budget, buying new hinges is an added expense. Sure, it’s nice to have all-new stuff, but if you can salvage what you have, this is one area you can skimp and save a few dollars without giving up much in the quality of the final product.
I also chose to add crown molding to the tops of the cabinets and above the pantry door. The Cabinet Transformations product will stick to fiberboard or engineered wood which is a great thing because that is so much cheaper than real wood trim.
I bought the length of trim I needed, watched a few YouTube videos on how to install crown molding, had my husband help me when I couldn’t figure out how to unlock his miter saw, watched more YouTube videos because the first video neglected to tell me that I needed to cut crown molding upside down so I totally ruined it, bought more trim because of said mistake with cutting, and finally, had my husband help nail up the final product.
While I was rockin’ the power tools, I used the table saw to cut wainscoting to classy-up the island, which looked like it used to have a wall attached to it.
Because it did.
The wainscoting and trim made the island look more substantial and less like it was once attached to a wall, especially after the Bond Coat was applied.
Here is the island, in process.
After the trim was on, I was able to complete the last step of the Cabinet Transformation process, the protective polyurethane coat. The kit included a decorative glaze, but because I was using the Espresso color, I felt the decorative glaze was an unnecessary step, and by that point in the project, I was ready to eliminate all unnecessary steps.
So good-bye, decorative glaze. I’ll save you for another day.
The poly coat was tricky. I wasn’t a big fan of the polyurethane included in the kit. It dried super, super fast which made it difficult to get a nice finish on large, flat surfaces, like the ends of cabinets or the pantry door. I ended up sanding and applying a second coat to some places that I just couldn’t get right.
Additionally, the kit comes with plenty of product except for the poly. I had to buy more. Unfortunately, Rustoleum doesn’t sell their polyurethane in the store! I had to purchase a different brand and hope the finish matched. Fortunately, the new polyurethane was much easier to work with!
If I could do things over again, I would have ditched the polyurethane from the kit and finished the entire project with a different brand.
But, it all worked out okay in the end. Here is the island, completed.
We added stainless steal cabinet pulls that I purchased from Overstock.com for a fraction of the cost of buying the exact same thing from a box store.
Even with a coupon, the cabinet pulls cost almost as one of the Cabinet Transformations kits, but it added so much to the final look of the kitchen, I was glad we did it. I’ve already shown you the before and after pictures of this room, but here are a few in case you missed it: 
Above is the before, and here is the after:
Now. I complained a lot about the work involved with this transformation. It certainly would have been easier with a Fairy Godmother or a magic wand for help.
But I love, love, love the end results. Every realtor who has come into our home has commented on the cabinets. It looks and feels like a whole new kitchen. Sure, it took a lot of effort, but every good thing takes effort, right?
In fact, I loved the results so much, I ended up using the second kit to do the cabinets in our master bathroom, which I’ll show you during the next part of our tour!
So even though it was a lot of work, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
How about you? Are you ready to tackle a kitchen transformation of your own? If you need a little motivation, check out the side-by-side shot one more time!
*I was not paid for any portion of this review, or supplied with product, although that would have been super-awesome.
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hi there!! looking forward to doing the same cabinet painting for out cabinets- its crazy, we actually have the same “old” cabinets, and boy are they glossy! so my question to you is, what do you suggest as far as deglosser or should I just prime right over them?? I know I will need to sand but what are the better steps to take as far as your experience?
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I talked with rustoleum about what kind of poly to use as I wanted to give the cabinets a second coat ( sprayed both the bond coat and protective coat – sprays beautifully). They recommended the Varathane Ultimate Poly in satin sheen. It’s on the pricey side. So I headed over to Habitat for Humanity Restore store and found a whole 32oz can for $10.
I found the protective coat at the Restore store. There were entire kits also but they were already tinted.
Have u or anyone use this on painted cabinets?
please advise.
Thanks,
Mark
Hi, Your ‘new’ kitchen looks great. Especially like the wainscoting on the island and crown moulding above the cabinets. I noticed your husband putting up white crown moulding over the painted cabinets. Was is easier to put the trim up and then paint it? Or would you recommend cutting the trim to size, painting then nailing up? Thanks!
All the videos and instructions seem to transform lighter cabinets to darker ones. I am interested in transforming my dark stained cabinets to white. Any comments on this?
Dennis, I’m afraid I’ve only gone from light to dark, except when I painted over dark tile. I’m not sure how this product works for a project like yours, but I was super impressed with how it turned out in our kitchen!
I’m starting on my mom’s kitchen tomorrow! She’s going from a walnut stain to the quilter’s white. Great post!
I hope it turns out well!
Are those granite counter tops?
Yep!
I second the thought of buying a different polyurethane. Had the same issues but still give this product a thumbs up!
We are going to be painting our kitchen cabinets, as we can’t afford to replace. There have been three owners of our home – we are obviously the third. Our house was built in the 1980’s, and used to have nice wood kitchen and bath cabinets. The second owner must not have wanted to go through the paint or refinish process, so they took out the nice, wooden cabinets and installed the prefab, golden oak ones from the box stores.
The ends are literally paper over pressed wood. Were your cabinets the same? If so, did you also have to scrub the finish off of the ends, as the door fronts, etc? Also, when you went to paint, did you fill in seams between cabinets, as sometimes these become more apparent with paint vs. stain. Thank you for your assistance!
You did a great job, it looks nice. I just redid my island with the same product, except I bought the smaller furniture transformation kit. It is exactly the same except for smaller quantities in it and also I was told just a bit fewer color choices. I chose chocolate (dark brown). I TOTALLY agree with you though. The polyurethane included in the kit is just awful! It almost ruined my whole job. It is hard to apply, doesn’t dries evenly and dries too quickly.
By the way how come you did most of the work? For me it seem like every time my wife has a great idea I end up doing all the work! What’s his secret?
Thanks for that post. Your kitchen looks great. it is much prettier than most of h ones posted on Rustoleum’s website. I plan on doing this soon. I just took all the old lady wallpaper out of my kitchen and am painting. Next I will attack the counters and cabinets! I’m trying to decide on Rustoleum, Gianni or making my own kit!
Just read in the comments that you moved out of the house in the post. Any plans to tackle another kitchen renovation in your future? Will you use a kit again, or buy the supplies individually?
Hi there! We are on the deglossing step of our cabinets- and I noticed my husband has done this step very quickly- and we have 20 cupboards. We have 27 drawers to still degloss- but I noticed you said this step took you two days. He did the cupboards in a couple hours…. I’m nervous he didn’t do something right?! Did you do the fronts and backs of the cupboards? Also, ours are just flat doors… maybe that makes a difference as well?
Thank you SO much for the helpful tricks and tips. Today is day THREE for us, using the Espresso. No shower, no change of clothes and my husband has dared NOT ask “What’s for dinner?” It’s finally starting to LOOK like something. A TON of work but, I think I like it too!
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for the detailed write up! I’m in the process of deglossing my oak cabinets using the Rustoleum kit and after the cabinets dried, they still have a slight shine to them. The instructional video showed a similar shine, however, Barbie and Ken continued to finish the project. Did your cabinets have a slight shine to them after deglossing? I don’t want to proceed to step 2 if they aren’t adequately deglossed as the paint bond won’t adhere as good as it should. Thoughts?
Thanks
That part was so hard. I couldn’t get all the shine off. I mean, you’d practically have to strip the cabinets to do that. So, I just scrubbed really well and roughed it up. That seemed to work well!
I would not worry too, too much about that. The bond coat is really great and will cover all that anyway. The de-glosser removes most of the dirt and grime and allows the bond coat to stick better. You will need to apply two coats of it. In my case anyway it did not make a difference even if there was a bit of shine left before the first application. If you’re not sure just test in only one small area or on only one door first.
Hi, Kristen! Great makeover. Was curious, how are the hinges holding up? We are doing this to ours, but my husband insists it’s not going to work and the movement of the hinge is going to rub off the paint. Thanks much!
I wish I knew! We sold the house last spring, very soon after the makeover was completed. I have used that spray paint for other things and it is pretty dog-gone durable. We have even used it for dresser knobs in the past and have gotten a few years of wear out of it before having to reapply. I wish I could give you a better answer on this particular application.
Hi!! Great job!! I’m thinking of using this product and wondering how the finish has stood up since you finished? I’ve read other reviews online who have said after a year they have experienced chipping. ..?
Your cabinets look beautiful! I stumbled upon your page because we are doing this to our cabinets right now! We couldn’t decide if we wanted to use the decorative glaze or not, yours turned out so well though, I think we are also going to take out that step! We were also looking to spray paint our hinges, but the color we got turned out really…sparkly… Normally sparkles would be ok, just not on my cabinet hardware 🙂 What color was your spray paint?
I used Rust-o-Leums’s metal finish spray paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze. No sparkles! I’ve also used their copper color and it isn’t sparkly either. I love that product!
Greeeattt job! How many hrs would u say you put into this? I am getting ready to do this very project. What brand of poly did u like??I
It’s hard to tell how many hours it took but it was several days of pretty solid work. I thought it would never end. 🙂 Seriously, I almost died. But, it was so worth it! I ended up buying Varathane brand poly in Satin, but I’ve used Minwax with great success as well. Either brand is a huge improvement over the stuff that came in the kit. I hope that helps!
We were quoted $7000 to reface our cabinets that look just like yours. The new doors would be made of MDF board with a veneer. That worries us. I’ve been considering do the job myself but have heard horror stories of paint chipping. Seeing your project has decided me that it just might be worth the elbow grease to do it myself. You did a FANTASTIC job!!! Do you hire out? : )
Thanks for sharing this with us. You’re inspirational!!!
It is SO expensive to redo cabinets! Agh! I hope it turns out well for you!
Daaaaaang. Get it, girl! It turned out so awesome. But I’m definitely inferior. The most ambitious thing I’ve done recently is take all five of my children to Walmart AND Goodwill in the same day. (although, when I think about it, it sounds pretty risky; I’m practically a daredevil!).
Looks gorgeous!
WOW! That’s a whole lot different and darker
Awesome job, Super Woman!!!
You seriously motivate me to want to do my own kitchen project. Although we’re renting right now that’s currently not an option for me. I will have to be content with tending my gardens (vegetable and flower.)
Wow-the crown molding was exactly the right choice but ugh, cutting crown is my least favorite job. Maybe because it includes angles and math and both of those still make me shiver. Great job-can’t wait to see the rest of the house!
Love it! Great job. We are about to buy our first home, and we are going to be needing to do a lot of projects ourselves. I have small children too, and you inspired me that it still is possible to get things done around the house with small children. I think I may have had handprints on each of my cabinets. So kudos to you!
I love your kitchen transformation! Thankfully you had wood cabinets so you could do this. We finished our total kitchen reno about two years ago, but we had to totally gut it (our home was built in the 1880s). It’s nice to see someone else going through the renovations too, we’ve been at it for 9 years, every time I get pregnant, my husband gets the renovation nesting urge… 🙂 I hope you continue blogging once you move, your writing is a great encouragement.
Nice! Getting ready to try out whiteboard paint with magnetic primer underneath for our kitchen door chore chart center!