Sunday, June 13, 2010

My Cabinet

My latest Craigslist find was a bathroom cabinet for the basement-bargain price of $5. And my next project is our master bathroom, so I was too excited by the find. By all accounts is was a fine cabinet except that it was so ugly I could barely stand to look at it. Oak and I do not get along very well, and oak veneer and I are sworn enemies. So without further ado, here is my uggo cabinet's before picture:

The worst part about it was that the door frames of the cabinet were literally covered with an oak sticker (peeling) over pressed particle board. So rather than painting over a bubbly sticker, I painstakingly peeled it all off. Here is one door finished beside the other one I haven't started yet.

After the peeling and sanding, I used a wood filler to fill in all the old hardware holes so I could start fresh (sorry old brass hardware, but your time has come and gone).
Next it was time for the primer. I don't skimp on steps, people! I have to say, it was already looking better just painted a flat white.
Then it was finally, finally time for my favorite part. I chose a dark "java" brown for the cabinet color. Incidentally, I also chose "heavy cream" for the bathroom walls, so apparently my bathroom with have a coffee theme of sorts, even though I won't touch the stuff myself.
The color turned out even more beautiful than I imagined and I was SO excited to have all traces of oak be gone for good.
Lastly, I attached my new hardware, all silver, and stood back to admire my work. Feel free to do the same (I did some last minute paint touch-ups that aren't yet dry in these pics):
And I did it all, 100% by myself. For less than $30, might I add. Plus I barely touched the can of primer or paint, so there is plenty more to do the bathroom vanity in the same finish, and then maybe it will be on to the kitchen cabinets...
While I was busy creating a masterpiece, TJ was busy replacing our kitchen light. It was an old fluorescent light before that looked more like it belonged in a shed than my kitchen.
Plus it was broken and would flash rhythmically on and off in a way that could drive a person mental. So now it's a modern track-light-style fixture and it's SO much brighter than the old one. I'm pretty sure these are the same type of lights that jewelry stores use because it makes my wedding ring bling and shine like it's brand new.
It has been storming for days now so it was a perfect Saturday to renovate our DRY home and smile as the inches added up in the rain gauge. --KC

4 comments:

  1. Wood cabinets are nice to look at. They give an additional zest to the room. Plus, it creates a natural-feel making you feel closer to nature. They can be remodeled as well depending on your preference.

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  2. Great Job...both of you...but where is TOPHER? I was waiting to see the cabinet open with him inside or something! Lol Love you all...mom

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  3. you are such a natural DIY-er. I'm so proud. :) It looks amazing after, and i'm like you, i hate oak, veneer, and especially COFFEE, blech! but i do love the colors of coffee (and the smell). ;) great job guys!

    Tina

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  4. Looks great! Golly do I hate sanding though, you are good to not skip steps. I've paid for skipping many times before!

    luvs, aby

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