Kitchen 2013: The I’m-Getting-Sick-Of-Gray-Paint Update

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.

Ok, I promised you a real kitchen update today (read: finally, a post with pictures not taken with my phone), and that’s exactly what you’re going to get. But, brace yourselves… are you sure you’re truly ready to see a real kitchen in the midst of a remodel? We’re talking the kitchen of a person who spends most of her time outside her home and has been without a functioning kitchen for weeks. Not that I ever really cooked much in here before beginning the remodel, but still… it’s where the frozen pizza, tin foil, and microwave go. Important, necessary things on a grad school diet.

This post is also written at a time of night when sane people are sleeping, so apologies all around if I seem cranky or delirious. But let’s get to the good stuff:

Two coats down in some areas, a third in areas closer to the fridge. I snapped these pictures when I got home from work to have a hope of using some of the daylight to show the true color. Still, that orange-y oak is not a camera’s best friend.

For now, the kitchen is overall darker and even more unfortunate looking than when I started. But that’s simply what’s to be expected when you’re painting the dark part first (after all, I’m planning on adding a lot of white on the upper cabinets, possibly more with the backsplash, and getting rid of the ugly, painted counters). But thanks to a few coats of paint, I’m starting to see things match what’s been floating around in my head for years.

A few of you said you want to see things up close to judge the finish, so I took a few with the light hitting it just so. You can see what the wood grain looks like when it’s painted over (also fyi, the sheen is a satin finish). I expected it to look this way after the results a few years ago from painting the same style of cabinets in the bathrooms with a painting kit (posted here), so the wood grain showing is fine by me (as long as there is no bleed-through, just texture).

But when you step back, the color is exactly what I wanted. And it’s looking super smooth. I was even able to start putting the drawers back into place. Yay!

Despite that it’s unfinished, the kitchen is completely TRASHED, and I’m in desperate need of some sleep, I’m determined to press on until I can call it dunzo. This is one project that is not going to kick my ass.

Will not. Won’t.

I’m thinking if I say that over and over, squint my eyes, and tilt my head, the clutter will blur into a happy kaleidoscope of primary colors and won’t bother me as much. Wishful thinking of course, according to the twitch in my right eye.

But it’s also Friday, it’s football season, and despite most of the kitchen being unusable right now, I’ve still got a few cold ones readily accessible in the fridge when I cross the finish line.

Because blocking my access to the beer would be the dumbest option. Obviously.