Kitchen Cupboards in Annie Sloan Paint

This was the original kitchen when we bought our little nest in Tennessee. I had a vision. And this is how it rolled out.

Then we had the big house additions and overhaul. Walls were removed from the right of the front counter. Can lighting instead of track.  I always wanted a tile back splash and white cabinets in this house, but we waited  2 years after we put in the new granite and white granite sink in and all new appliances. I had this wallpaper from a previous home, so I added it to brighten things up. My cabinets are a white wash  solid oak. The color was a very pinkish grey. So after discovering Annie Sloan paint, I decided to redo the cabinets. One thing I swore I would never do again after painting the cabinets in a house many years ago in oil base enamel. What a job that was. Annie Sloan needs no prep except a clean surface. You use a clear or dark wax when finished. So I started with Annie Sloan Pure White.

My granite has white, black, grey and brown. I forgot ot mention that we put in the marble back splash a few months ago. So the painting started.

Again…what a mess. I think the worse room to tear up is the kitchen. I completed these two banks of cabinets to see how I liked it. Plus, I am trying to do things at a little slower pace. I have to remember, I’m retired. I have the time. I actually did do a practice board and it looked pretty good.

The completed look was nice. You can sort of compare the original cabinets on the right to the new one.  But… I hated them. If anything, it should have been a light grey rather than brown detail, but I wanted pure white. I went back to my Annie Sloan store and told the owner my plight. She was surprised it darkened that much, but the wax can does tell you that it will. Polyurethane will also darken the chalk paint. So she advised I use this product that she carries called ” Artisan Enhancements” by Aloha Coatings. I bought the Clear Topcoat Sealer. So back to square one. But no problem. The wax had cured almost a month and she said the chalk paint would go on without any prep once again. That is the big reason I love this paint so much.

I used two thin coats of sealer on the completed paint and the finish is wonderful with a soft luster. I am very happy with the cabinets now. Even with the restart, I went through 3 quarts very slightly thinned Pure White. The paint can be very thick and they tell you that you can add a little water if needed. It goes on like butter.  I used 1 1/4 cans of the top coat. Love this stuff and my new cabinets.

Isn’t she pretty. It was kind of a dark day when I shot this. But it really is a pure white. The back splash is a white grey marble. I used a brushed nickel hardware.

That white spot above the cabinets is the new socket for the lighting we had done above the cabinets. I will get that painted yellow soon. My yellow isn’t really that bright in real life. It’s a happy color.

So happy…and happy its done. By the way all the products are water and soap clean up. Can’t beat that. Also low VOC. You can check out Annie Sloan paint  here. Check around for a store in your area. The owners have to go through intense classes to carry the products.