Dining Room Update: Painting the Built-ins

We're still loving the new color in the dining room.  A light, warm neutral was just what the space needed!  That said, the fresh new paint and white trim look so great that they make the built-in cabinets look dated and dingy.

 

We'd been thinking about painting the cabinets white, and the new wall color pushed us to finally go ahead and do it.

I started by removing the hardware and scrubbing everything to get it clean.  Then I sanded the trim and cabinets to create a rough surface for the paint to stick to.  Next I filled in any holes and divots with wood putty then did a final sanding.  For the final prep, I wiped everything down with a damp cloth.

I taped off things that didn't need paint - namely, the quarter-round that matches the floor, the grout and tiles, and the inside of the cabinets.

There was a little space between the top and the cabinets, so I filled it with paintable caulk.  Thanks to my husband for grabbing the camera!

Then I got to painting!

First Coat

Second Coat

First Coat

Second Coat

It took four coats to get decent coverage!!!  Thankfully the piece is small, so it didn't take all that long.

Meanwhile I got to work on the doors.  I started with the backs, which just like the cabinets took four coats of paint to get good coverage.

Before

Working on the first coat

Coat #1 done!

Coat #2 done!

After the backs had fully cured, I flipped them over and painted the fronts.  I did five coats of paint on the cabinet fronts, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with the results.

I gave them a full day to dry, but figured they could fully cure while hanging (which also gets them off my floor), so I went ahead and hung them back up!

The fresh bright paint makes such a difference!  The cabinets look much more modern, and the white paint helps you fully appreciate all that fancy beveling on the doors. {Thanks old owners, for choosing high-end cabinets!}

 

You're supposed to be looking at the tile, but aren't my "thanks for painting for a week straight" flowers from my husband pretty???

Jury's still out on whether the tile will stay, but for now I'm ready to forge ahead and finish decorating this room!  What do you think?  Should the tile stay or go?


You might also be interested in these posts:

Redecorating the Dining Room
Painting the Dining Room

Bonnie Projects