Kitchen Cabinet Progress

I mentioned that I would be using the Rust-Oleum cabinet transformation kit to redo our cabinets. I am about 1/2 way through the kitchen cabinet transformation, so I thought I'd show you how it's going - So far I am really pleased with the product. I had a couple minor set backs but those were operator error. I somehow dripped the top coat on the front of the cabinets while finishing the back, it hardened and became a pain to remove and had to do a major touch up on about 5 cabinets. I think it would have been easier to just have redone the whole front but I was trying to conserve the products. Anyway, I have 1/2 of the kitchen done! Between coats, Todd and I just stand facing the completed side, repeatedly saying "I can't believe how good it looks! They look like brand new cabinets!" We are very pleased to say the least.

Pictures of our progress:
(After playing around with the settings on my camera - using the "food" setting,  I finally got a few that were closer to the true color which is a nice chocolate brown. Maybe the "food" setting worked because the color we chose was cocoa? or because it takes place in a kitchen?? Who knows.)

Before pictures:

(look behind the popcorn ceiling-dust-covered me and at the cabinets!)

For some reason the countertop goes all the way against the oven, while the cabinets do not. There is about a 3 inch gap on both sides between the cabinets and oven. Which the previous owners covered with a strip of lament. See how we fixed it below...

During:

This is after the doors and cabinets had been cleaned and the "bond coat" (sort of like paint/primer) had been applied

More during:

After you apply the Bond Coat, then you apply a decorative glaze provided in the kit. This is what really brings your cabinets to life and gives them character and a professional quality I don't think would have been achieved by paint alone.

The final step is to apply a clear top coat, which is also provided in the kit.

After (so far):

We added a piece of trim in place of the laminate to cover the gap next to the stove.

Sadly, my camera isn't able to properly capture the effect the "decorative glaze" has. It really makes a difference in person. I'll continue to play with the settings on my camera to see if I can get a better picture. 

 I am also in love the the hardware we chose, I'll show you a close up next time.

There is still a lot to do - Finish the rest of the cabinets, apply the hardware (we just bought a few to test them out) and do touch ups! I can't wait to finish so I can have my kitchen back and show you the final look!

one more before and after: 

Linking to: