Painting – The Ocelots' Den

The Unfinished Project

By Julia on 1 September, 2017

In July, Daniel started my stairwell and hallway project for me. I decided to thank him by starting the project of refinishing all of my kitchen cabinets!!! One of us was not very pleased with this when they came home from work! Oops!

My initial plan had been to start with one section of cabinets at a time. Minimize the impact of a project in the kitchen and gradually finish the project. So I started with the lower cabinets of what I like to call the coffee bar.

One set finished! Just need to find pulls that I like!

I finished it fairly quickly, and then Daniel convinced me I should just do all of the work at once to get it all over with and in the end, it should be a faster process. This seemed so logical, so of course, I obliged.

First Step: while the doors are hanging, LABEL them. I have heard so many horror stories about people mixing up their doors. If you only have a few, sure not a big deal… I have 35 and at most only 2 are the same size, but they are coordinating sets…Also label the drawers. I would suggest labeling them based on location and perhaps what you store in each cabinet. You could also create a numbered list, but I’d need a cheat sheet to remember the logic for my numbering system and that seemed like more work. A couple of examples are “Spices L” and “Spices R.” Simple and anyone that lives in my house should be able to identify which cabinet that is.

At this point, I realized I should use power tools

Second Step: taking down all of the doors and removing all of the hardware. Use power tools. It will save an immense amount of time. Don’t be like me. I realized my mistake 24 doors into the project, and already had completed 4 of the doors…

Carefully store the hardware. I have 2 hinges and 6 screws for every door. And all of the knobs or pulls (I am not keeping my knobs, which will be donated to my next yard sale, because I am changing to pulls).

Step 3: Sand and Fill and Sand some more. One of the primary reasons I wanted to refinish our cabinets is because of all the scratches, gouges, and dents that have occurred over the years. Yes, they are solid wood cabinets. There was a debate for 2 years about it within our household. I was tired of the horrible imperfections as well as the permanent marker that was in a few places. I also adore white cabinets, and I wanted to have pulls instead of knobs.

This applied to the cabinet doors, the base cabinets and ALL of the trim. I used wood filler to fill the imperfections, but always use thin coats and gradually build as necessary .

Wipe down everything. Perhaps wipe it down a second time. You really don’t want dust mixing into your paint!

Step 4: Prime Time! Unfortunately, my paint spray gun isn’t compatible with oil-based paint/ primer, at least, not the primer that I like to use. The primer also cannot be thinned. Heed the directions. I like to use an oil paintbrush for all of the nooks and crannies and quickly go over it with a foam roller. (If you have a partner, it makes the process go MUCH faster because they can work behind you). Once it is dry, I do a light sanding to smooth the finish. Repeat until you have full coverage.

If you do not properly prime and seal the wood, (especially where you may have sanded through the finish) the tannins of the wood will bleed through and you will have to prime and paint more.

As before, wipe after sanding before painting!

Step 5: Tape off and prepare the surfaces for overspray. When I use a paintbrush alone, I don’t always tape off ahead of time, ESPECIALLY if there is crown molding or chair rail; it’s an easier line to follow. I had already painted the walls in the kitchen, so I used plastic drop cloths to protect them.

Step 6: Spray time! This is certainly my favorite part of the process!!! Actually painting the cabinets. I like to keep it simple with my trim paint and since I want ALL of the trim in my house to be white, I used the same white for my cabinets. Some may say my choice of Behr Premium Pure White in gloss is boring, but I love that I don’t have to color match and it is a beautiful, crisp white. If you prefer a different shade or tone of white, go crazy!

Thin the paint (with water) to the correct viscosity for your paint sprayer (or use a foam roller for smooth surfaces).

Spray thin coats. As soon as you finish, go back to your starting point to look for any drips! Use a clean foam roller for smooth surfaces to tidy up any drips! I like to do 2-3 coats of paint.

As the title of this post implies, this project isn’t finished. I have the base cabinets and all of the trim painted, but the doors are another story. I have them tucked about between different rooms. Eventually, when weather and time permits, I will finish all of the doors. For now, we have open cabinets and several people have remarked that it is “great for entertaining! Guests can see where to find everything!”

I do look forward to the actual finished project.

Home Improvements

Three Down and One to Go!

By Julia on 10 July, 2017

When we moved into our house, we thought there were only three spaces with wallpaper. Our dining room, the half bathroom, and the stairwell/second-floor hallway. I was a bit surprised when I discovered the foyer had wallpaper underneath the paint. (Who does this?!) As of now, there is only one room left with wallpaper, the half bath! (It is also the only room on the first floor that hasn’t had any changes since we moved in).

For my major July project, Daniel started it off for me. I came home after spending some time at the lake with a friend to him ripping down the wallpaper in the stairwell and hallway. I hadn’t really anticipated spending the time on this project now, but once you start ripping it down, there is no turning back.

Daniel quickly tired of pulling the paper down, and I’m “better at it.” So I changed and took over the project.

Some could say this is “nice” wallpaper. Well, I’m sorry friends and family, it’s only “nice” wallpaper if it isn’t peeling, and there aren’t patches of drywall repaired OVER the wallpaper. I’ve also had friends tell me that wallpaper is making a comeback. I’m sure there are pockets where it is. I’m not 100% anti-wallpaper, there is BEAUTIFUL wallpaper in my office, but I’m not taking it down to put any backup. It’s far too much work (especially in 10-20 years when it needs updating)!

Step one, peel off the wallpaper. This part usually goes pretty easy for us. Unfortunately, the backing paper is often left behind. I have used the horrible smelling solution recommended at home improvement stores to no avail. You know what works really well AND smells nice? Warm water and fabric softener. Yup, put it in a spray bottle, and grab a putty scraper. (Disclaimer- I tried this with a friend, and it wasn’t successful with the type of wallpaper in her house).

It is the most satisfying when the paper comes off in complete sheets! I feel victorious! (Even though I’m not painting, I wear paint clothes because the residue/ glue gets messy).

Once all of the backing paper is free from the walls, I wash them with TSP to get any additional residue off, sometimes the putty scraper assists if there is a lot of leftover residues. Once this step is complete and the walls are dry, you can fill any holes, pits, drywall seams, etc. and sand them down. If there is a lot of damage from the wallpaper, go ahead, mud the walls. Don’t second guess yourself; you’ll save time versus filling and sanding three times. (I made this mistake on the lower parts of the walls in my dining room).

Weird bumps in the wall

Once your walls are smooth, it’s time to wash ALL of the dust away. Let it dry, and FINALLY, it’s time to paint!!!

I have used Behr paint for all of my home projects. All of my trim is the gloss, white straight from the can. So far, all of the walls have an eggshell finish. I like the durability and the slightest hint of sheen. This gray is Silver Bullet (N520-2); we used the same light to medium gray in our sunroom. The walls look fresh, and the dingy yellowing shiny striped wallpaper is no more!

I’m always shocked at what a profound difference the time of day has on the color in photos. I was excited when I finished in the evening, but the paint is still wet, and the lighting isn’t optimal. (thank you, warm boob lights) In the daylight, I was entirely pleased with the results. No more peeling wallpaper. No more wallpaper that has been spackled over (the size of the palm of my hand). Just glorious airiness that helps you float up the stairs!

Some additional notes

At this point in our home’s life, I have opted not to paint the trim in the hallway and up the stairs. Eventually, we plan to pull out the carpet and put in hardwood (or manufactured hardwood) flooring. It makes more sense to wait and paint the trim when the carpet is out before the new flooring goes in. (Then I can use my paint spray gun! So much faster, even coats, and a LOT more fun). I did opt to move the transition point, so the stairs are wood grain, and everything level on the second floor is white. The doors will need to come down too to match the crisp white trim. (Straight from the can white. I know everyone chooses their white, but I’m a rebel. And I also think it is a perfectly balanced white that fits all my needs).