The Painted Cabinets (a Month Later)

Hello my friends! Since it's been a month (to the day, although I totally didn't plan that) that I shared our new kitchen, I figured it would be a good time to update you on the how the cabinets are holding up. 

Painting them was a HUGE project -- not hard, but a bit stressful and time consuming just because you are literally watching paint dry. It was also huge because it made the biggest impact in the renovation. 

I've been so happy with the cabinets and thought I would be hard pressed to find any issues to share with you today…but of course I spoke too soon. I do have a couple issues to share with you, one is minor, the other made me want to rock in a corner for a bit. :)

So I shared the epic painting tutorial here and the sprayer I used here. Here's a closer look at the smooth finish that sprayer gives you: 

These are all photos taken today, they have held up GREAT overall. 

Here's a closer look at the cabinets I did by hand on our island years ago: 

And the smooth finish the sprayer gives you: 

The difference is amazing! Not to mention, spraying takes a fraction of the time painting by hand does.

It was hard to find any issues with the cabinets when I started looking. I did find one really random spot by our lazy Susan that had rubbed off:

There's the cat. There's always a cat. :)

I've never noticed it till now and I have no idea what it came from -- the door that latches there doesn't have anything on it that would have scraped it or stuck to it. I'm guessing it was just a small spot that I didn't clean well enough and it wore off? No idea.

Not a big deal because it will just take a little sanding and I can touch it up quickly with a roller and the paint. I noticed when I inspected it that the frame next to it could use another coat anyway.

This next one hurt my heart a little bit when it happened, not gonna lie. I was taking photos and noticed one drawer had some drips from what I think was syrup, so I went to clean it with a soft cloth, and this happened:

*Wails, cries, curls up into a ball on the floor.*

I wiped down the drawer with some pressure and most of it was fine, but I scrubbed a little bit and obviously you can see where it marred the surface. I wouldn't even call it a scratch, because it's not rough or down to the primer. It's more like a scuff but it definitely left a mark. 

My guess is that the last coat I sprayed was thick. It's still not cured completely. Soooo…I won't be scrubbing my cabinets for another few months, darn. :) Funny thing is, things bang into these all the time and nothing has scratched them or knocked any of the paint off. I was shocked that this happened. This is just an issue of cure time. 

I painted my cabinets fully expecting to have to touch up a few cabinet doors once a year or so, so although I was sad when it happened, it's not something I'll worry about fixing for some time. Little stuff like this is only noticeable to me, and after a day even I forget about it. 

You don't see it unless you know it's there and you're looking for it: 

See? Can't even see it. :) 

Otherwise? Everything is BEAUTIFUL. The uppers are holding up great: 

I love the smooth, slight shine of them. Every time I open a cabinet in this kitchen my heart flips a little bit because I love the changes to them so much. 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat and would recommend to any of you to do the same. But do treat them with kid gloves for a few months. I didn't tighten our hardware all the way till about three weeks after I had painted them. I only did that because even if they leave a mark, we'll always have the hardware there anyway, so it's no biggie. 

Did you know it can take a month to a few months for paint to fully cure? The glossier the finish the longer it will take. You can wipe it down within a week or so, but the heavier stuff like scrubbing will take longer. I thought I was passed that point and wasn't. Lesson learned. 

Overall they are holding up beautifully and I'm still thrilled with the painted cabinets. They absolutely make our kitchen! 

I wanted to share this because I love reading follow ups to big projects like this and figured you would be interested too. It may look great in photos but if it doesn't function well there's just no point (at least in this house). I'll share more updates in the coming months on everything from the cabinets to the appliances! 

If you want to paint your cabinets with a brush, check out my tutorial for that here.