I’m Gonna Put My BIG GIRL Panties On And Do It!!!

Oh my, I wonder what kind of creepos I am gonna get with that title?!!!

I was going to come up with another title, but I couldn’t find another one that quite captured what I was feeling than the one above.

I am sick and tired of waiting.

And making excuses.

I’m gonna put my big girl panties on and do it!!!

What am I gonna do, you ask?

I’m going to break down and paint my kitchen cabinets!

 

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It was the first thing we said we were going to do when we bought this house. 

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They are dark.

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And ugly.

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And oh-not-so-cottage-y.

But when we decided to start building the addition onto our home, well let’s just say that I lost the "umph" to paint those cabinets.

We are already living in a construction zone, so why would I want to add even more mess to the whole thing. 

But now I am saying, why not?

I feel those cabinets taunting me every time I walk into the kitchen.  "Nanny, nanny, boo, boo, We’re the color of doo, doo."

Yep, they say that.

Well, no more my friends!

The time has come!

I am going to cover those brown old cabinets in layers of glorious white paint with the halleluiah chorus singing in the background!

And I cannot wait!

So far, I have removed the cabinet doors because I am planning on creating some open shelving.

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The cabinet shelves have this  “beautiful" blue contact paper on them (that I have already removed.)

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I’ve emptied the shelves out, and I am headed to Lowe’s tomorrow to get the paint supplies.

I am going to do this!!!

I am KNOW I will be so glad that I did. 

Especially before the holidays. 

 

Please feel free to cheer me on!  Pep talks are welcome!!

 

Thanks!

106 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to see the end result! What color? I had the same epiphany with my dining room chairs this weekend. I’m almost 1/2 way finished pulling the old upholstery off and then I’ll paint them. My problem is I can’t commit to what direction I want to go with the paint… safe? or wildly fantastic? (which may end up annoying me in a couple of years)… After pulling off the upholstery I did decide that a professional is going to reupholster them… I could do it but I want it done absolutely perfect.

  2. You can do it! The hardest part for me with any project is just starting, then it seems to go pretty quickly from there. You’ll be so glad when you’re done! Love your appliances :)

  3. Do it, do it! :) I inherited those same dark cabinets when we bought our house. They even had blue contact paper in them too, but mine had country hearts as well, lol! I finally painted mine Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster last fall and it made such a huge difference. Every day for the last year I’ve thought about how glad I am that I painted them. It will be work, but in the end you’ll know that it was soooo worth it. I can’t wait to see your finished cabinets! :)

  4. I love it!
    Go for it.
    I’m next.
    I spend so much time contemplating things and never doing it because I will be afraid it won’t turn out right.
    And then I got to someone elses house and praise them for doing the things I think about.

    In fact, you are inspiring me to go for it.

    Can’t wait to see how it turns out- it’s gonna be great!

  5. I have been planning to do that for a LONG time!! I’m so excited to see how yours turn out. Mine are more of the 70’s orangish wood…but no character to the doors, just flat doors. What will your steps be? Do you plan to sand? or just prime and paint? I’m always worried I’m going to do it all wrong and have chipping paint where I don’t want it to chip!

  6. I am so looking forward to seeing this makeover – I bet they will be beautiful! But come on, how could you possibly throw away that gorgeous blue contact paper!!! ;D

  7. Oh yeah everyone’s cheering you on but I’m the one that has to listen to you! Hahaha!!Yep just throw one more thing on that plate sis!! You can do it and I know you’ll be glad! They are hideously ugly! :-)

  8. I know you can do this. I’ve seen all the wonderful projects you’ve shown us on your blog.

    I did my kitchen cabinets about 6 years ago and have never regretted it. They look great and for a fraction of the cost of replacing them. Since my house is only 12 years old…

    Good Luck!! Can’t wait to see the finished product.

  9. Ohhh I am very excited for you! I rent, so I can’t paint my ugly cabinets, but I totally would jump on that if I could. Are you going to keep your hardware or replace that as well? I think you could go either way, new would look awesome obviously, but the old could look pretty cool too with a little paint :)

  10. GO TRACI ! GO TRACI! You can do it!!
    Okay…lol, now back to reality. painting kitchen cabinets ca be daunting…but if you take your time, sand, prime , paint and seal…you will be so happy with them when you are done. I also hear that numbering your doors and hinges helps out too for when you want to put them back on.

    I know they will look marvelous when you are done. The open shelving idea sounds great. Don’t let those cabinets taunt you anymore. : )

  11. You can do it!! I’m painting my black cabinets white in the next few weeks! I already bought the paint, so I can’t turn back (and I used sample paint on one cabinet so I couldn’t back out)!

  12. Traci, you will love it ! I did it, I painted orange-y oak cabinets and I like it soooo much better! Take your time and you will be rewarded with brand new kitchen.

  13. I am here in GA cheering you on….YOU GO GIRL, Paint those cabinets…no “do do” colors in the kitchen! ;)
    & that IS such a lovely blue, you’ll miss it, I’m sure. Ha. Well, the contact paper I removed from the cabinets in our 1st home would beat yours in the lovely color contest, no doubt. Orangey, brownish, yellow flowers, with a touch of dirty….
    White cabinets!! White Cabinets!! Cheering…can’t wait to see the end result!

  14. I can’t wait to see the end results!!! I have so many projects that I WANT to do, but I just lack motivation to get started on them which is the biggest problem. At least you are started, that’s the biggest step!

    I look forward to seeing some “After” pictures soon!!!

  15. That is awesome that you are taking on such an exciting project!!! Go you! I wish I would have painted my cabinets 2 years ago when we remolded but I ended up staining them and now I would feel super guilty if I changed them. Can’t wait to see how your kitchen turns out!

  16. I just jumped over from homestories & she posted about backlinks…then I saw your title & thought you were going to give a tune up on the importance of backlinking! HA! I didn’t expect the kitchen cabinets :) We painted our cabinets white over the summer (your kitchen looks similar to what ours was….check them out, the picture quality is horrible as it was my first post as a blogger and had no clue about size and all that exposure stuff! But you’ll get the jist :) Good luck and they will look great!

  17. You. Can. Do. It!!!!! And you are SO right when you will LOVE that you did it after it’s all done…once you get going, you’ll stride right through! Can’t wait to see the end result!
    Jen

  18. I love it!! I am doing the same thing…I have been putting it off for a year now…I have wanted to do this forever but I had to convince my DH that white painted wood is ok…haha…it has taken me 12 years to convince him and I am not sure he is totally convinced yet!! It is happening, not soon enough. I have to get done with 2 classes first…then it will just be work! Cannot wait! Good luck and look forward to reading tips and seeing the end result!

  19. You can DO IT!! Well done you for choosing the big girl clause, you are an inspiration to me (as I sit here looking at my own feral kitchen for oh….4 years now?) Off to get my own big girl panties!
    xx

  20. You go, girl! Those cabinets are almost IDENTICAL to the ones that hubby painted when we moved into our new{old} house! Contact paper and all! ;) Oh, and ours had some HUGE hardware! People comment all the time now about how nice they are and they think they are new?!? It cost under $100 to do it all. WOO! Yours are going to be fabulous! I cannot wait to see them. ;)

  21. You will most definitely be my inspiration! I have the same dilemma you have…UGLY cabinets! I can’t WAIT to see how yours look! Take LOADS of pics, please! :)

  22. Oh, gosh, things say that “nanny, nanny, boo, boo” to you, too? That’s exactly the way unfinished projects taunt me. But those dark cabinets are NOT going to get the better of you.

    You go, girl! Cottage power, here she comes!!

  23. OOOOH! I’ve been talking about doing the same thing for a long time. Maybe I need to put my big girl panties on too!!!! Can’t wait to see how they turn out!

  24. GO TRACI, GO TRACI, GO TRACI, GO TRACI!!!!!!!

    Ughhh, When you are finished, you high tail it down here to Tennessee and I might even compromise and let you paint mine Kentucky/Univ of Memphis BLUE!!!! Wellllllll, on second thought, I kinda like white better! Girl, I am O-V-E-R those screamin’ ugly builder grade cabinets. Can’t wait to see yours finished!!!

    I am SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

    CAN I GET AN AMEN????!!!!!

  25. You put those big girl panties on and get your groove on. I right there with you. With kitchen cabinets, walls and trim, and curtains for my living room and homeschooling. So I send prayers of strength, perseverance and everything needed in you to get it done.

  26. It’s TOTALLY worth it! I accomplished that task this summer….still working on our kitchen remodel, but the cabinets are beautiful. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Hike those panties up and it will done and sparkling before you know it.

  27. I painted my cabinets in my last house… sooooo glad I did. BUT, my friend assured me it would only take 2 or 3 days, tops… boy was she wrong… it took 3 weeks. yes weeks. Would I do it again? YES!!! Btw, I used oil based primer and I never had any chips.

  28. Wait, I can’t believe you got rid of that *fabulous* blue liner!! (lol). Your “new” kitchen cabs will look absolutely fabulous! I just painted mine and love them! Can’t wait to see the progress.

  29. Girl, I know you and I know these will be life changing for you. I know it has to be driving you crazy after leaving your oh’ so beautiful house. Sometimes we put off doing things until we can do them like we dream we want them to be. Hating the thought of wasting money on a temporary solution but I say don’t wait! Do it and you’ll feel fabulous. I’ve lived through renovation nightmare and those in-between fixes can save your sanity. It’s not worth it to wait. Knowing how cute yours will be, you may just never want to change it again.

    Hugs…Tracy :)

  30. Perfect timing! I am going to start painting the brown cabinets in my laundry room and one bathroom and you can walk me through it! You go first!!

    Had to laugh….I had that contact paper in my blue kitchen in the 80’s…..!!

  31. Give me a “T”
    Give me a “R”
    Give me a “A”
    Give me a “C”
    Give me a “I”
    What’s that spell, TRACi, TRACI…GOOOO TRACI!!

    How’s that for a cheer? LOL.
    Keep those big girl panties on and kick those cabinets in the rear (or front)!!

    Cindy~

  32. You can do it! Whoo-hoo! I’m pretty sure they will turn out fabulous. As a mom of 4 I’m sure you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, why not have it beautiful right away. Can’t wait to see the newly painted kitchen.

  33. GO — TRACI — GO!
    GO — TRACI — GO!
    GO — TRACI — GO!
    Show us what you can do to get rid of the doo-doo (color)!
    I know you can!
    I know you can!
    I know you can!
    Ooooh….I’m so excited to see the results!

  34. Oh Traci, I’m glad I clicked on, I was just sitting there thinking that I’d just wait till spring to do paint my cabinets white and here you go putting Your Big Girl Panties on, thanks for inspiring me to do this! Mine are an orangey lookin oak and I feel the same way about walking into my kitchen…hate it!
    I’ll be falling along to see how you do!

  35. Gooooooooooooo Traci! Some other bloggers have posted good results with the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations (Centsational Girl Kate did her guest home kitchen). Best part–no sanding!

    I just know you’ll do a great job no matter what.

  36. Do it! If you hunker down, you’ll be done in less than a week and you will jump for joy every time you step into your kitchen! We just did it last month and it makes a dramatic difference for little cost and you’ll be so proud you did it yourself.

  37. Traci,

    You are going to be SO glad once this is done; they will look gorgeous!! I just painted my kitchen cabinets over the summer, and while it was a pain in the booty, I am SO glad they are done. Our kitchen looks brighter, fresher, and cleaner. I LOVE it, and I know you will love yours, too. I saw what your sister wrote…haha…you need to make her get in there and help you! :)

    Best wishes on a productive and paint-filled day!
    Jill

  38. I can’t wait to see the end result !!!! I have been comtemplating this for years, but not sure….. hoping you will share all the steps and I will be ready !!! My cabinets are similar to yours….I also need a new countertop.,…..I don’t have a “handy man” husband, so I don’t know what he’s willing to help me tackle.
    Now get to work !!!!

  39. I was so excited to read this today! I am in the process of completing mine rightnow… we have gotten the “upper” done… now just for the “lowers”… it was actually suprisingly easy :] or easy-ish, I should say… if you can get your hands on a paint sprayer, it makes it 10 times better… and I found that using a stripper to strip then (take the shiny off) versus sanding… it saves SOOOO much time.. you still have to sand, but not as much! It cut out almost an hour of work on each door! I so enjoy your blog :] keep doing what you do :]]

  40. Yay! Those cabinets are going to look SOOOOOO good when you get finished with them! It will be worth all of the hard work you put into it! I know for me, having my kitchen updated and looking pretty just makes working in there cooking meals, and cleaning so much more enjoyable! I can’t wait to see how great they are going to look painted white!!!! And by the way, your taunting cabinets quote made me laugh! :)

  41. We also had dark, ugly cabinets in our kitchen. To give them an updated look (because of course at this point, I can’t afford to new cabinets), I crackled them. They turned out great. I could share a picture with you if you’re at all interested. We had a raised inset – that was the part we crackled. The rest of the cabinet we painted a creamy white.

    I was really afraid of how dirty they might get. Here it is 5 years later and they have held up wonderfully and clean up great!

    Good luck!!
    Lisa

  42. Ha ha ha!! You GO GIRL!! Can’t wait to see the final results, I KNOW it’s going to look FABULOUS!! Now just be sure you don’t get your Big Girl Panites in a bind when it starts to get a little tiring, you can do it!! ;) I’m rooting for you!!

  43. I had my kitchen cabinets(every cabinet in the house!)painted white 25 years ago when we built our house and have LOVED them every one of those 25 years! You will love the light it brings….good luck!

  44. Good luck! I’ve been putting off painting mine for ages… Can I use your big girl panties when you are done with them? (oh wait, that sounds way awkward)

  45. You are going to fall in love… You will SWOON over your kitchen when you are done!!!! One of the very best do overs on cabinets that I have seen in blogland so far…. not that I have seen them all by any means.. but….. “A wanna-be decorator” and of course Miss Mustard Seed!!!! What a difference when they painted their cabinets!!! Soooooooooooo gorgeous!!!! go for it!!!! Terri

  46. I would love to have white cabinets, but the hubs loves the wood. Since he does most of the cooking, I will defer to his wishes. I know you will enjoy them when they are finished.

  47. I have the SAME cabinets and want to do the same. Hubby doesn’t think they can be painted but once he saw the new Rustoleum Transformation products for cabinets, he is on board somewhat more. No Sanding is the BIG PLus in using this product. The Lowes guy said it worked great! I’m anxious to watch you so I can learn from your expertise and/or mistakes!!!

    Get Started ASAP
    Blessings
    Gmama Jane

  48. They will be beautiful and you’ll be so happy when they are completed. I pledge to pray for you daily. It’s really hard to disrupt the kitchen. With your new addition you have the rest of the house to live in but I assume you only have ONE kitchen. Or do you have one in the guest house you can use?

  49. Traci you are such a great DIY gal that you will do a great job and it will be awesome!!!! Can’t wait to see the finished kitchen!

  50. You go, Girll!! After 10 years of owning my home, I finally painted my brown cabinets white inside and out. I too had old shelf paper that was glued down and hideous. The result is sooooooo worth the effort !!!! My kitchen is much lighter in color and emotions.., if that makes any sense. The kitchen is airy and warm and seems bigger and more happy… I left one large 2 door cabinet open so you could see the shelving and glass dishes. I smile now every time I walk in… good luck !! :o)

  51. I am so excited to read this post! I want to paint my kitchen cabinets white also, but I’m too scared. I can’t wait to see how it goes. Keep us posted. I think it will look great!

  52. I have been there, and it isn’t so bad. It is sooo do-able and you are going to LOVE the freshness of your new kitchen.
    YOU CAN DO IT….
    just a tip…i used foam brushes and mini rollers for a super smooth finish.
    good luck, D

  53. You GO GIRL!!!! :) Can’t wait to see it all finished! Might as well tear everything up while you have the mess! That’s my motto anyway!

  54. For just a second, I thought you were in my kitchen! Only the 30 year old gold stove was missing!

    I, took, want to paint mine. And I will probably get a fight over it with my husband, but I keep repeating “KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS SELL HOUSES!” like they say on HGTV.

    Keeping in mind that I have fibromyalgia and face a foot surgery before the end of this year, it will be sometimes NEXT year until I tackle this (both the painting AND the arguing).

    So please do share the steps. And if there’s any way to shorten them, please especially share that!

  55. AWesome! You CAN do it! I can’t wait to see progress! We are getting ready to replace our cabinets- (let’s just say I have a very very very very small galley style kitchen) Like there is NO room at all. It’s hideous- the cabinets that there the only reason we aren’t painting are the ones that are all MDF with white melamine (?) laminate and are coming apart. More appropriate for laundry or garage NOT my kitchen. But I digress- hubby bought the house as a bachelor. Anyhow- it’s not our forever home but we wanted/ NEED to upgrade to even be able to sell our house. We went with what was on mega sale- white shaker style cabinets. It isn’t my first choice- but it will look very clean and nice when all is said and done with. Plus I’ve been stalking Pinterest for ideas. At least your cabinets are salvageable. :)
    Good Luck!

  56. You’re going to love having white cabinets. Your kitchen will look bigger, brighter, and more cheerful, too. Yes, they really show the dirt, but in my book, that’s a plus. I can readily see any drips and stains and take care of them before they harden. Every time you do the dishes, just run a wet dish cloth down the cabinet doors and you’ll never have to use a chisel to remove petrified blobs of oatmeal. (Not that I’d know anything about that.)

  57. I’ve done it. Twice. Two pieces of advice:

    1. Pay someone else to do it. I am cheap. I don’t ever want to do that job again.
    2. If you proceed to do it yourself :-) be sure to number/mark every single door and drawer. They have to go back where they came from or you’ll go nuts.

    The end results are worth the pain but oh how I hate that job….

    I really didn’t mean for this to be a discouraging comment, just realistic from my experience.

  58. I am so glad you are getting rid of the doo doo, they are so not you you!! I can’t wait to see the new and improved cupboards………B:)

  59. Traci, Your “nanny, nanny, boo, boo …” jingle had me in stitches this morning! You go, grrrrrrllllll! Looking forward to finally meeting you in person at Haven. – Susan

  60. Hi Traci- We’re in the middle of painting our kitchen cabinets using the Rustomleum Cabinet refinishing kit and so far it is going great. Since I work full time and have 3 busy kids, we decided to do it piece-meal, so I have been emptying one cabinet at a time, prepping it, then using the 3 step process (deglosser, base coat, top coat) on that one cabinet. Then I move onto the next cabinet. They look wonderful and it’s been relatively easy and not very disruptive.
    Good luck! You will probably be done before I am!

  61. Good for you! Love your ideas. I, too, am in the middle of kitchen cabinet painting. Too many years of ugly cabinets and I finally said ENOUGH! Probably one of the more therapeutic projects I’ve tackled so far and have learned that, as with every major project, thinking about it is worse than actually doing it. Can’t wait to see your grand finale!

  62. We painted our cabinets a creamy white and I love them! Actually, we had them painted and it was rather expensive, but It was worth it. Also did beadboard. By the way, I am a Kentuckian also, and would love to be invited on Pinterest! I just hope I can figure out how to do it. I see things all the time that I know I won’t remember! I try to bookmark some of them, but… I have really enjoyed your blog and how you have shared your home and your heart. Keep up the good work, from a sister in Christ, Debbie

  63. Alright, I am putting my big girls panties on too. I have had the stuff to do it for 1 year. Time to get going! Thanks for the push. Maybe you should have a monthly Big Girl Panty Party–help us all get moving on our projects.

  64. I admire your bravery ! Can’t wait to see it , because I want to do the same, but am SOOOO afraid of messing it up !

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