I live in a small apartment with a pretty small kitchen, and barely any storage space. I've tried so many organizational ideas before, but having two cabinets and two drawers, plus the area under the sink and on top of the fridge...just wasn't enough. I bought this piece at a thrift store for $30. It was not made of wood, just the cheap laminate kind, but I could see its potential (kind of...I changed my mind a few times). It was the perfect size for my kitchen and even though it adds only one set of cabinets, it is already making a HUGE difference for my kitchen storage. Plus it is super pretty. Every time I walk by it, it makes me so happy.
I've had many of you ask for the tutorial on the kitchen hutch redo. So here it is!
French Country Kitchen Hutch
STEP BY STEP
1. I removed all the hardware, so I can take out all the doors, as well as the drawer.
A good tip is to put the hardware from each piece in separate baggies. So all the hardware from one of the door goes in one baggie, etc. This is so you don't forget where they go, which I have never done in the past *wink*, and never got super frustrated figuring out where each one fitted.
This is helpful even when you replace the hardware, as you can take the old ones to the store to get the sizes right for the new ones. I kept the original hardware, because I was going for a makeover with minimal expenses. Plus, the hardware was actually pretty cute and did not look dated.
2. Now, you probably think, I need to start sanding. Nope. I was also going for minimal work, especially since I was doing the project in my in-laws' garage and did not want to take it over forever. Plus, who likes sanding anyway? Who needs sanding anyway?
I did have to remove some sticker/contact paper that they used for the glass door trims. Even though the faux wood looked pretty lame, I was impressed by how good of a job they did matching the sticker wood paper to the rest of the fake wood.
3. On the top part of the hutch, there were these sticks that made slots for plates, which I did not really want. They came out really easily and I just filled the holes with wood filling.
4. I sanded down the places where I filled the holes with wood filler to create a smooth surface.
I then started priming. I used
Glidden Primer (the Home Depot guy told me this would stick to anything and that I didn't need priming, which was what I was looking for).
I used a brush for the edges and hard to reach places, and a roller for the rest.
I laid all the doors and shelves on the floor, taped the glass where necessary, and primed those too.
4. I got pretty good coverage and adherence, so I only went for one coat of primer. After it dried for a couple of hours, I put on the first layer of paint. Here are my beauties after the first coat.
I used Behr Premium Paint in Cottage white. I absolutely love this paint/color. It has a subtle creamy shade, soft, but still fresh.. If you don’t want a stark cold white, that looks bluish in certain light, but in the same time not a beige cream color either, I highly recommend this one.
I also painted the faux panel back with a Martha Stewert tester paint, but don't have pictures of this step.
5. After the first coat dried, I painted the second one. I let everything dry for the night.
6. I used a coarse sanding sheet and distressed the edges and other places I thought would look nice.
7. I didn't want a glossy look, so the paint was actually flat. But, to protect the finish, I applied a poly finish.
After it dried, I sanded it according to the product instructions. Wiped it down and applied a second coat.
All done! After 24 hours we put all the pieces together and voila!
Hugs,
It was in pretty good shape, but the color made it look dated and tired. Some primer, and a few coats of paint later, I have the dresser of my dreams.
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