Chalk painted kitchen cabinets

[ms.yt]

When we bought our house 8 years ago, we had the cabinets painted black because I didn't like the orange looking 60s wood that was in it. After living here awhile, we realized that we have terrible lighting in the kitchen, and the black cabinets don't help. Plus, I'm just kind of going for a new more country farmhouse look in my kitchen.

I was thinking about painting them myself with a light gray chalk paint. I've looked online and have seen multiple blog posts that look great, but I'm wondering about how they look a few years down the road. Anyone done this and can give testimony?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Chalk paint is out for 2018.

 

[ms.yt]

What's in or out doesn't really matter to me.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

What's in or out doesn't really matter to me.

I know you say it doesn't matter but chalk paint on kitchen cupboards was done in the early 2000's and it will really date your kitchen. I would pick a fresh white paint.

 

[amberpi]

I know you say it doesn't matter but chalk paint on kitchen cupboards was done in the early 2000's and it will really date your kitchen. I would pick a fresh white paint.

And it will still be dark. Fresh white can go from Dwell to HGTV with no problem

 

[RitaE]

I agree that it's much more important to have something that you like than to follow whatever the current trend might be. So if you like the Chalk Paint then go for it. But to me the country farmhouse would also be white or cream colored and not grey? I'm just unsure about repainting cabinets that have already been painted. Will they have to be sanded first? Also, if your problem is lighting it might make more sense to spend your effort improving the lighting than redoing the cabinets?

Otherwise, I'm no help sorry. I've never painted with chalk paint.

 

[Poohlove]

I also vote for a white or a cream color, Sherwin Williams makes an excellent primer (the name of which escapes me at the moment). One thin coat and then you can paint, just make sure that the surface is clean and there isn't any loose plaster,etc. I used it to paint over formica and it worked like a charm.

 

[because]

I disagree that chalk paint is going out. Just look at how Annie Sloan's business is booming. Our local stockist can't keep the most popular colors in stock. Classes are booked full as soon as they are offered.

We used Annie Sloan on our cabinets last year and absolutely love the look! I much prefer the matte finish to the look of latex paint. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The subtle tones you can achieve with all the different waxes now cannot be replicated with plain old paint.

 

[amberpi]

I disagree that chalk paint is going out. Just look at how Annie Sloan's business is booming. Our local stockist can't keep the most popular colors in stock. Classes are booked full as soon as they are offered.

We used Annie Sloan on our cabinets last year and absolutely love the look! I much prefer the matte finish to the look of latex paint. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The subtle tones you can achieve with all the different waxes now cannot be replicated with plain old paint.

I had never heard of this person before, she has some crafting ideas crafty friends would love - already thinking of spring bday presents now. Learn something new all the time on the Dis!

 

[Distinkt]

My friend painted her kitchen using Annie Sloan paints and while it looked nice from across the room, when I got up close to it, the brush marks drove me nuts. I used Graphite chalk from her to paint some old but nice furniture and it turned out pretty well. I am pretty finicky about how things look and was satisfied, but it was hard. The furniture was an old Pennsylvanian house farm house style sofa table, coffee table and end tables that I painted for an apartment we had. It has bee over 4 years and they look nice. I ended up giving them to one of my children for their family room and one of the other kids commented that it looked so nice and asked where it came from, so it must have looked pretty good.

That being said, I felt it was hard enough to do that I do not think I would recommend painting my whole kitchen, and I agree that white is probably the best idea.

 

[because]

My friend painted her kitchen using Annie Sloan paints and while it looked nice from across the room, when I got up close to it, the brush marks drove me nuts. I used Graphite chalk from her to paint some old but nice furniture and it turned out pretty well. I am pretty finicky about how things look and was satisfied, but it was hard. The furniture was an old Pennsylvanian house farm house style sofa table, coffee table and end tables that I painted for an apartment we had. It has bee over 4 years and they look nice. I ended up giving them to one of my children for their family room and one of the other kids commented that it looked so nice and asked where it came from, so it must have looked pretty good.

That being said, I felt it was hard enough to do that I do not think I would recommend painting my whole kitchen, and I agree that white is probably the best idea.

If you want a perfectly flat, smooth finish, Annie Sloan is probably not for you. It is a preference thing. While it can be achieved, the whole appeal of chalk paint is the texture. The brush strokes is what allows you to accent with waxes. I always tell everyone to buy some of the colors in the trial pots and do the inside of a door or a piece of wood to see if you like the look.

My kitchen took me a couple of weekends, not very long at all. Mine are a country grey, old white and pure white. Mixed so that each coat is progressively lighter and applied lightly so that the darker colors show through in places. I used dark wax, clear wax, and white wax to finish. They turned out looking like bleached driftwood, which was the coastal look I was going for.

 

[disykat]

It cracks me up when people say something is outdated and then say to go with white. I had painted white cupboards in the late 80's/early 90's because they were in then. They'be been "in" several times since then too. Go with what you want. Unless you paint every few years, during the lifetime of the paint it will be in, then out, then back in.

 

[Bob Dolewhip]

If they are wood from the 60s I think you should strip off all the paint and old finish and refinish them with some non yellowing polyeurythane to show off the natural wood. Wood never goes out of style

 

[luvsJack]

If you want a perfectly flat, smooth finish, Annie Sloan is probably not for you. It is a preference thing. While it can be achieved, the whole appeal of chalk paint is the texture. The brush strokes is what allows you to accent with waxes. I always tell everyone to buy some of the colors in the trial pots and do the inside of a door or a piece of wood to see if you like the look.

My kitchen took me a couple of weekends, not very long at all. Mine are a country grey, old white and pure white. Mixed so that each coat is progressively lighter and applied lightly so that the darker colors show through in places. I used dark wax, clear wax, and white wax to finish. They turned out looking like bleached driftwood, which was the coastal look I was going for.

Probably a dumb question but could this technique be used on furniture? I am redecorating my bedroom and this would be perfect for updating my furniture to the look I want. And it would look great on my bathroom cabinets!

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Probably a dumb question but could this technique be used on furniture? I am redecorating my bedroom and this would be perfect for updating my furniture to the look I want. And it would look great on my bathroom cabinets!

Absolutely. I have tons of chalkpainted furniture in my house. I make my own chalkpaint because it is so much cheaper.

 

[Wendy31]

If you want a perfectly flat, smooth finish, Annie Sloan is probably not for you. It is a preference thing. While it can be achieved, the whole appeal of chalk paint is the texture. The brush strokes is what allows you to accent with waxes. I always tell everyone to buy some of the colors in the trial pots and do the inside of a door or a piece of wood to see if you like the look.

My kitchen took me a couple of weekends, not very long at all. Mine are a country grey, old white and pure white. Mixed so that each coat is progressively lighter and applied lightly so that the darker colors show through in places. I used dark wax, clear wax, and white wax to finish. They turned out looking like bleached driftwood, which was the coastal look I was going for.

I would LOVE to see some pics!

Our whole house is themed "seaside cottage," & I'm always looking for new ways to give our house that "look".

 

[debknight]

Here's an interesting blog about Chalk Paint.

https://www.addicted2decorating.com/why-i-dont-use-chalk-paint.html

 

[corgi_monster]

Chalk paint wears down relatively quickly in area of high use. You will get the distressed look around the edges of cabinets and drawers that you use frequently. Even though you don't HAVE to, you should really sand and prime your cabinets before painting, especially since you're starting with black. Black will contrast harshly with the grey paint, and black is not a color you normally see in a country/farmhouse palette. The bottom color will peak out in many spots so make sure it has the same undertones as the grey chalk paint.

 

[Hikergirl]

I know you say it doesn't matter but chalk paint on kitchen cupboards was done in the early 2000's and it will really date your kitchen. I would pick a fresh white paint.

There is a local company owned by 2 women whose business is thriving and all they do is restore old furniture and and chalk paint it. They do kitchens too. I called them just to get an estimate and I'm on a month long waiting list just for that.
Funny thing was I was going to just go with a white paint myself, even bought the rustoleum stuff but I saw their advertisement of a few they did with chalk paint and fell in love.