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This paint refresh of a tired kitchen makes the whole space look wonderfully clean, bright and modern.
- The project
- Before and after
- More kitchens transformed with paint
- How to plan a kitchen renovation
- More kitchen renovation projects
The project
I decided after looking at a boring beige kitchen for six months that it was time for a freshen-up.
After seeing what was possible with the Dulux Renovation range I started pulling the kitchen apart and prepped everything.
First I painted the bottom cabinetry grey. Then painted the benchtop, splashback subway tiles and top cupboards bright white.
I also removed the under-mount rangehood and the cupboard for it. We also decided to update the cupboard handles to black.
After everything was painted I put everything and back together and put in a new Everdure rangehood, which is vented to an outdoor under-eave vent.
From start to finish it took about three to four weeks, but I was only working on it every couple of days as it takes a while for each coat to fully cure.
Because I started with no real plan I bought way too much grey paint. In total I bought:
- 2L grey cabinet door paint
- 1L primer
- 1L white cabinet door paint
- 1L gloss, white tile and benchtop paint
- 1L clear gloss clear coat.
I only used about half a litre of the grey paint doing two coats. I had so much left over that
I ended up painting the basin cabinets in my bathroom and ensuite.
I ended up needing a whole litre of bench and tile paint as it didn't go as far as the other paint, possibly because I was going from a dark grey to bright white. It took three coats to get full coverage and then two clear coats. That paint doesn't require a primer.
I used 100mm wide 4mm nap rollers for everything except the clear coat on the bench, for which I used a smaller roller (I found the wider roller gave a more consistent, smoother finish). I also used a cut-in brush in corners as needed.
In terms of budget it came to about $450, including the stuff required for cleaning and prep. The rangehood cost another $220.
It's definitely a cheap way to freshen up a bland kitchen but it is a lot of fiddly work.
If I did this again I would do the benchtop and splashback first because the paint takes about eight days to fully cure. I did this last and, combined with waiting eight hours between coats, it meant I was basically without a kitchen for a long time.
If I had have done this first I could have been doing coats of paint on the cabinet doors while the benchtop was setting.
One final bit of advice for someone painting the benchtop is that if you think its fully cured wait another two days before using it as normal again because you don't want to have to do repairs later on.
Also prep is crucial. All the work you do at the start determines the quality of the finish. Here's a hyperlapse of me painting it.
Good luck to anyone giving it a go. It's fiddly and time-consuming but worth it.
Before and after
More kitchens transformed with paint
Painting your cabinets, drawers and tiled splashback is an affordable way to give your kitchen a new look without a huge renovation. Check out 10 kitchens transformed with paint.
How to plan a kitchen renovation
No matter what kind of kitchen you have, a little planning and research can go a long way in helping you make the most of it. Check out How to plan a kitchen renovation by experienced Bunnings Workshop member Adam Woodhams for advice on how to create a plan and redesign your space.
More kitchen renovation projects
For more ideas and inspiration for your kitchen, check out our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects.
