painting kitchen cabinets (alternate title: crazy DIY projects I do NOT recommend)

I'm up to my neck with a DIY cabinet painting project, which is better than where I was several days ago. Several days ago, I was in way over my head with a DIY cabinet painting project, certain that I was doomed for ultimate failure. I have a habit of thinking I can take on these huge projects, only to realize, just a moment too late, that this whole DIY stuff can be really, really hard. Huge projects like pouring your own concrete counter top, a story I meant to tell some time ago and still plan to tell (but not today), and painting your own kitchen cabinets.

In an effort to save a few pennies, I decided we could paint our own kitchen cabinets. On Saturday morning, armed with primer, paint, brushes, rollers, paper, and tape, lots of tape, I found myself quickly melting into a pool of stress and tears. You see, I'm a crier. Always have been. Sadness, happiness, anger, frustration - they all seem to bring out the waterworks. It finally hit me that painting cabinets is far more technical than painting the bathroom wall (my last painting project), and I am completely unqualified to undertake such a task. Not to mention that I also have to juggle nursing a small baby into the picture.

Thankfully, my dad stepped in with helpful advice and a paint sprayer, my mom has taken over my kids, and Ryan, despite his aversion to all things paint-related, has been more than helpful.

Primer has been applied and sanded, caulking has dried, and we sprayed a first coat of paint this afternoon. It did not go exactly as planned, mainly because we are all experimenting with technique. More hours of elbow grease and a second coat of paint should fix our boo boos, and if not, I'll probably melt into a puddle again.

At this point, I am no longer drowning, just dog paddling my way to finished cabinets. We still have a room full of drawers and doors in the raw, but as with all overwhelming projects, it is best to just take one small step at a time. And when all else fails, a little swearing and tool slamming doesn't hurt either. Yes, in addition to being a crier, I am a swearer and a tool slammer.

At the end of all this hard work, stress, and sore muscles, I'm fairly certain we will have the beautiful white cabinets I have been imagining in my head. And if we don't, I'll know we at least gave it a valiant effort.

Should you decide to undertake a project like this in the future, and you, too, find yourself completely under-qualified and overwhelmed, I offer you the following:

1. Painting itself is not the hardest part. It is the prep work and finishing that requires time, patience, and stamina. Prepare yourself for hours of removing all the doors and drawers that were just installed by the cabinet maker and hours of taping and papering (arguing with tape that won't stick, and trying to figure out how to protect a strangely shaped metal drawer roller from being coated in paint). Also, hours of sanding, caulking, and filling little holes with putty. And finally, hours of re-installing doors and drawers in (hopefully) the correct location, readjusting doors so they hang straight, and installing hardware so you can open your newly painted drawers without leaving gross fingerprints all over the front.

2. Prepare yourself for several trips to the paint store for more primer, more paint, more tape, more whatever. If you are like me, and the nearest Kelly Moore store is thirty-something miles away, this will take much more time out of your day than you would like.

3. Invest in ibuprofen, Tylenol, Vicodin, large quantities of alcohol, or whatever pain killer works best for you. You will be sore from hours of sanding and from contorting your body to reach the unreachable corners.

4. When someone offers to help you - ACCEPT. Accept their help without question. People who stop by to observe your pain and offer no assistance are not welcome. They may return after the project is completed only to offer compliments and to praise you on a job well done.

5. When someone gives you a bid to paint your cabinets and you think, "You are out of your mind," offer them $5 less than the amount of their bid and let them do the job. You will feel like a winner because you are paying less than the original bid AND because someone else will be doing all the hard stuff. The bonus is that if something goes terribly wrong, you have someone else to blame.

*****

In non-cabinet related news, the walls have been taped, textured, and painted. Doors are painted and (mostly) installed.

Rock has been installed on the fireplace wall and the chimney outside (though I can't find my picture of the chimney at the moment and the following picture of the fireplace wall doesn't show it at completion.)

Bathroom and laundry room cabinets are installed and counter tops are in progress.

We are making progress, leaving the tedious parts of house building yet to be done - flooring, tile, baseboards, light fixtures, switches and plugs, sinks, faucets, and about a hundred other little things that aren't important to list. Of course, there are big things too, like the final color coat of stucco and some concrete, but the more I add to this list, the farther I feel from having a stable home to live in, so I'll just leave it at that, and in the meantime, hope that I can post another amazing update soon.