Tag Archives: DIY Shaker Cabinet

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – before and after

Posted on by September 3, 2015avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update - before and after - The DIY Girl

The inspiration came from the Lettered Cottage and the pictures to the left. They started with cabinets almost identical to mine so I figured I could do the same thing since I love the look of Shaker cabinets. I knew the kitchen had to be greatly improved if I was going to sell this house for a decent amount so the cabinets had to look better. They were well-built, solid cabinets, but ugly. I wanted to keep the cabinets, but lose the ugly while not spending much money. Many, many hours of work that required a lot of patience. This kind of … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – Painting the doors and drawers

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – Painting the doors and drawers - The DIY Girl

Finally. It took almost 2 weeks for me to get all the MDF strips done. I was working in the basement and the cool temperatures made the drying time for the Liquid Nails take forever. I had stumbled across the original post where the paint choice and instructions had come from at Ask the Paint Gurus http://paintgurus.typepad.com/blog/2011/01/the-right-way-to-re-finish-kitchen-cabinets.html. It’s a Benjamin Moore site. It’s a good write-up and I’d recommend a read for anyone planning to paint their cabinets. Set up I had saved a wooden door (I replaced a wood interior door that led to the garage with a steel door … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – applying the MDF strips

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – applying the MDF strips - The DIY Girl

I need to point out the fruit or futility of this project isn’t going to be evident until the final doors are hung from their hinges and the drawers are slid into their tracks and I can see how they look. Until then — who knows? It’s an exercise in faith. Correction — an exercise in faith by a complete novice with a minimal tools. I’m sure pros would groan over my methods. Prep for applying strips I built a couple of frames to assist me. For the drawers I cut sections of 2″ x 4″ and added some trashed … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – the materials odyssey

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – the materials odyssey - The DIY Girl

I had read a blog post from a couple who had found 1/4″ MDF at a lumber yard that also cut it into strips for them. This is what I was seeking. Do you think I could find it? Heck, no. Can I tell you how sick I am of walking into my kitchen with open cabinets and no drawers? I am so ready to get this project to be completed, my kitchen totally unpacked and fully functional. After making many phone calls for a month and a half I finally tracked down 1/4″ MDF in 4′ x 8′ sheets … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting tips

Posted on by September 13, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting hints - The DIY Girl

I won’t go into detail — after everything else I’ve written about painting kitchen cabinets it would be about interesting as, well, watching paint dry. So just some observations. Read the label As mentioned I am using Benjamin Moore’s ADVANCE Waterborne Interior Alkyd Paint – Satin Finish (792). I got curious about Alkyd — their site says Water Reducible Alkyd.  Apparently the major components of an alkyd coating are fatty acids and triglyceride oils and are not petroleum products, but slow the drying time so you end up with a harder finish. On kitchen cabinets this is a good thing. If you try … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting boxes

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting base - The DIY Girl

I have been very frustrated that other blogs have introduced the idea of a Shaker kitchen cabinet update and then provided next to NO details on how to do it. No mention of what wood, what thickness, what width strips, how they cut it, what type of adhesive they used. Nothing. Very frustrating. So for better or worse, I’m going to provide excrutiating detail of what I do with this Shaker kitchen cabinet update. I will tell you what I do and whether it works or not. The paint Since I want the paint to bind really well to the … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting prep

Posted on by September 10, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update – painting prep - The DIY Girl

I believe the first thing you need to do when contemplating painting cabinets is to take a real long look and decide how much. Just the face of the cabinet frames and the outside of the doors? Paint everything including the insides. Personally, even if you held a really big gun (and I mean something like a bazooka) you could not make me paint the inside of cabinets and fortunately I have cabinets with decent interiors. How much do you want to paint? So how much did I want to paint. The current green is only on the outside of … Read more…

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update Plans

Posted on by September 11, 2013avatar
Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Update Plans

Here’s the to do list for the kitchen update: Issue Plan 1. Popcorn ceilings Back Burner 2. Popcorn on soffits Removed and primed 3. Gold walls Change to buttery yellow 4. Green paint on cabinets and cabinet hardware Change look, paint, new hardware 5. 80’s light fixtures. update 6. Counter tops update 7. Black toe kick prime and paint with cabinets 8. Spindle railing live with for now 9. Vinyl flooring live with for now 10. Electrical issues – more outlets on back splash and hard wire light over sink with a switch get electrician to take care of I’m … Read more…