And now to work! Last week I showed you some inspirational kitchens. This week I’ll show you what’s been happening — with lots and LOTS of photos. First, THE CABINETS:

I studied the photo gallery on the Rustoleum site, read people’s reviews on Amazon, and decided to go with the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation Kit for white cabinets. The kit includes a deglosser (so sanding, stripping, or priming isn’t needed), the bond coat (this is the paint), an optional decorative glaze, and a protective top coat. Here I’m prepping for deglossing:

In one review, a very disappointed man wrote about how the tannins of his oak cabinets leaked through his white bond coat and ruined everything. I am so glad I read this! I called Rustoleum and learned that ONLY in the case of painting OAK cabinets WHITE (and sans the decorative glaze), the cabinets must be primed to block the leaky tannins. Good thing I like to paint.  Here’s the priming step (notice the old almond-colored countertop, circa 1984):

Next, THE COUNTERTOPS:  In the middle of my cabinet-priming, our carpenter said he had two days he could come to install the new butcher-block countertops, a new sink and a new faucet. Here’s the “raw” countertop, mounted on the primed cabinet frames. (The cabinet doors were all undergoing the same treatment out in the garage.)

With the new sink, we would gain an inch in depth — very noticeable! And with the new faucet, we would gain MUCH more space under the spout for tall items —  cookie sheets, for instance :).

FINALLY, 5 coats of paint later (actually 1 primer, 3 paint, 1 finish coat) and with the carpenter paid — THE REVEAL…with finished counters, finished cabinets, and new hardware!  (I did, however, reuse the old hinges by cleaning, priming and spray-painting them white, and then waiting several days before reinstalling them.)

It’s a work in progress! So far, I’ve used a homemade beeswax-and-mineral-oil paste to rub into the wood. I tried mineral oil alone first, but it kept raising the grain of the wood. Here’s a good “recipe.” Also, in these pics you see the wall where the old molded backsplash, attached to the old counter, came up the wall. I’ll soon paint it the same color as the wall until I decide what to do for a new backsplash.

For the window, I finally tried an idea I’ve had tucked away in my mind. I bought a vinyl roller blind (at Menard’s, where they cut it to size) and hung it up. I bought and cut fabric to fit the window with 1″ extra on each side for a fused hem, 1-1/4″ extra at the bottom for a rod pocket, and about 6-8″ extra at the top, to go around the roller. I took down the blind, unrolled it on a clean table, left a couple revolutions of the vinyl on the roller and cut the rest off. I then overlapped the top edge of the fabric with the bottom of the vinyl left on the roller and taped it with packaging tape, both front and back. I stuck the rod in the rod pocket. I rolled the blind up tightly, now with the fabric on it, and hung it back up. It works great!

(The clear plastic handle I put on the bottom of the blind to protect it from wet hands, etc., is too tight and makes the rod curl in these photos. I need to take it off, I think.) On the left, under the window, are narrow shelves for cookbooks and other sundry items. These are made out of the leftover butcher block from the counters. They’re still unfinished, but I will likely stain and seal them eventually.

There’s an awful lot of white here with the cabinets, the appliances, the island, the floor. Again, this kitchen is a work in progress! I’m painting the island right now (“Mega Greige” by Sherwin-Williams). Hope to change out the floor with my hubby sometime this year when we’re both free for a big project. And then we’ll reconsider lighting above the island, where there’s currently a fan with down-lights.

For now, at least, here’s the whole shebang in BEFORE and AFTER shots —

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 I’m so happy with it! I love the sense of lightness from the white and the warmth and organic feel of the wood, just as I had hoped :).