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White Painted Kitchen Cabinet Reveal with Before and After Photos and Video

Ever since I moved into my house just over a year ago, I have just felt like my kitchen was too monochromatic.  The floor color, blind color and cabinet color were all so similar and it was starting to suck the life out of me.  I wanted to update/change something.  I decided the best/cheapest route for me would be to have my cabinets painted.  White is the new cool kid on the block and I thought that by painting the cabinets white it would bring some lightness and brightness into my kitchen.  Another thing about my kitchen is that it is on the east side of the house.  This means that the morning hours are light and bright in my kitchen but after about noon it’s dark.  The color of the cabinets did not help this.  I knew right away that I would be definitely hiring someone to paint my cabinets.  Let’s just say I’m not the most patient or perfectionist DIYer.  Which means that projects come out horrible because I don’t want to wait for paint to dry etc.  I also have a motto in life which is “eh, it’s good enough.”  This is good for being easy going, bad for projects that need preciseness.  Soooo, I decided to hire the Utah Paint Pro–Chameleon Painting.  I knew when I looked at some of the befores and afters on their webpage that they would do a great job!  
I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen
Here is the BEFORE photo of what my kitchen looked like.  Just a little too monochromatic for my liking.  The cheapest solution would be to paint the cabinets a lighter color.  If you’d like a bid on your kitchen text Mike at 801-915-5217 and tell him Karen from 365 Days of Slow Cooking sent you.  Mike can usually give you a bid just by you telling him how many cupboard doors and drawer fronts you have!

So I decided I would call Chameleon Painting to give me a bid.  I was a little nervous because I hoped that it wouldn’t be too expensive.  Mike, the owner, came to my home and met with me.  He explained the process and then gave me a fair bid (it’s probably much cheaper than you think.  If you’d like a bid on your kitchen text Mike at 801-915-5217 and tell him Karen from 365 Days of Slow Cooking sent you.  Mike can usually give you a bid just by you telling him how many cupboard doors and drawer fronts you have).  I was surprised to learn that he would be spraying the base of my cabinets right inside my home!  I couldn’t imagine how they could do this without getting paint on EVERYTHING.  But I figured he’s the pro and I’ll leave it up to him.  He also told me that he would take the door and drawer fronts back to his shop for spraying.  We made an appointment for a few weeks later for him and his team to get started.

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen
So a few weeks later, Mike, and 2 of his crew got started.  They started by removing all the door and drawer fronts.  They prepped the wood with a light sanding and filled in some of those knots.  I didn’t really think that my knotty cabinets could be completely smooth.  But I figured I’d put my trust in the experts and see what happened.  
Next they covered and taped EVERYTHING that wouldn’t be painted.  I didn’t have to take ANYthing out of my cabinets.  They just put protective plastic over everything.  They were very thorough.  I was really surprised at how long the prep work took and how little time the actual painting took.  
After the kitchen was totally covered and protected, Mike sprayed some areas with primer.  No brushes were used at all in the painting of my cabinets.  Which means there are NO brush strokes and everything looks even and professional.
Next, it was finally time to get to the paint!  I chose Sherwin Williams Snowbound paint color.  It is a soft, cool white and I am very very pleased with the results.  
Here is a short video of Mike using his sprayer to paint the base of the cabinets in a quick and speedy fashion!  I couldn’t believe how fast the actual painting went.  It was done in no time at all!

After he was done spraying, the crew took down all the tape and coverings.  Then they took my drawer and door fronts back to Mike’s shop to be returned in about a week’s time.

  
When they returned there were just a few spots that needed to be fixed.  So they taped up a few areas and sprayed again.  And then they installed all the door and drawer fronts.  When they finished I was so excited to see the results.  It looks like a whole different kitchen to me!  
I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen What do you think?!  (scroll to the bottom to see the before and after pictures side by side)

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

You can see how smooth the knotty alder cabinets turned out.  I’ve had many friends come over and ask if I got new cabinets.  They were surprised at how great they looked!
I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

One thing that painting my cabinets did was help me to really love my counter tops.  Before, the counter tops seemed to just blend in with the cabinets.  Now that the cabinets are white the dark contrasting counter tops look really awesome!!
I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

 I chose to keep my island white like the rest of the kitchen, but I know that you can easily choose another color for the island, if you so choose.

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

I love how my black appliances look contrasted against the white paint!

Cute little diy menu board that even a dummy can make :)

I made this cute little menu board for my kitchen.  I just got an unpainted 8×10 inch frame at Michaels.  Painted it blue, then rubbed stain on it.  Next I chose a cute piece of scrapbook paper and printed the days of the week on it.  Finally, I put the scrapbook paper behind the glass/plastic and then use a dry erase marker to write my menu each week.
painted aqua pantry door...so easy it only took me a couple of hours
I decided I wanted a little pop of color in my kitchen and decided to paint my pantry door.  I used a robin’s egg blue color of paint.  Then it turned into this greenish/aqua/turquoise color by rubbing stain over the blue paint and then rubbing the stain off with a rag.  I also bought the E, A, T at JoAnn’s and painted them the same way to match.  This is the extent of my DIY-ness.  So don’t expect anything more.  🙂
Here is a before/after 2 1/2 minute video that shows you how different my kitchen looks!

I just love these white cabinets that were painted by www.utahpaintpro.com #diy #cabinet #kitchen

So there you have it!  I’d love to know what you think.  I have so love my kitchen so far!  Remember, if you’d like to get a bid from Mike at Chameleon Paining just go to his website here or text him at 801-915-5217.

I received a discount of painting services from Chameleon Painting in exchange for my blog post.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Post by 365 days of slow cooking.

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Comments

  2. Nosulire says

    We’re currently looking at re-doing and designing our kitchen, so this post is fab, as it isn’t all that big. I’m looking to completely change the styling and these are right up my street! Thank you so much for sharing so many amazing ideas.

    Reply

  3. Amy says

    How are the cabinets holding up after 5+ years? I have knotty wood and want to do the same thing. It looks fabulous! Are the knots completely flat or can you still see them a bit after painting?

    Reply

  4. Catey says

    I found this post when I was looking for DIY instructions in painting knotty alder, and I’m SO glad I did!! We got some refinishing bids last year but they were so pricey. I figured after reading this post that it wouldn’t hurt to get one more bid before jumping into what would be a gigantic project. I was blown away at how much less their bid was! Enough that we decided to do our bathroom cabinets too. Yay!

    I have had Mike at my home for the past two days, he has been fantastic!
    Even without the doors/drawer fronts, my kitchen looks completely different already; so much brighter! It has totally opened up the feel of the bathrooms as well. I am so excited to get everything put together next week! I can’t wait for the finished product.
    So having said all that, thank you!! 🙂

    Reply

  5. Helen says

    Perhaps you could help me with your pantry door. Can you advise as to what paint and stain you used please, looks great

    Reply

    • Karen says

      Hi Helen,
      Thanks so much. I used a blue paint that I had used for my living room. Then I wiped stain over it and then wiped it off. I am not sure on the names of the colors. But it was a fun project and really easy. If you don’t like it you can always paint over it too!

      Reply

  6. Marisa says

    Thank you for this review, and including how they have held up. I needed to get some cabinets painted in my basement and their price was so much lower then others I got bids from and they were much nicer. I was happy with the results.

    Reply

    • Karen says

      Very well, except the island where there is a few spots that are chipping. The kids are rough on it so I think I’ll have Mike come out and touch it up for me.

      Reply

  9. Nicole says

    Hello, I followed the link to your blog from the Chameleon Painting website. I was wondering if you could give me an idea of about how much it costs. My kitchen looks like it is a similar size to yours and I don't want to waste my time if it is way out of my budget! More or less than $1000?
    Thanks in advance 🙂

    Reply

  12. Anonymous says

    When I bought my home, the previous owner had already painted the cabinets beige, which was an improvement on the outdated wood finish, but very, very drab.. Last summer I re-painted them white – Behr "Popcorn." I love it. It's not a professional job but I love being in my kitchen now! I also have dark appliances and countertops and it all just looks so sharp and sleek, yet cozy. I'm glad there are other people like me who don't think it's a "sin" to paint wood 😉

    Reply

  17. Nancy Gleason says

    I LOVE the transformation! My husband & I own a kitchen cabinet/remodeling company so I am speaking from a professional point of view. You are so right about how the countertops & appliances 'pop' against the white. It's beautiful: I hope you enjoy it for many years to come 🙂

    Reply

  22. [email protected] says

    I am loving the white! Your kitchen now looks so light and bright and airy making it such an inviting place to hangout for you to do your cooking and your kids to do their homework, etc! Great job!

    Reply

  24. Lisa K says

    I think it look like it should have to begin with! LOVE IT!
    Only thing I see I would change would be to paint the blind white or buy a white one.
    Seriously, it look GREAT!!! Lots bigger and more open!
    Kuddos to the painters, they did an awesome job!
    Lisa K.

    Reply

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