I was really proud of that accomplishment and thrilled with the results. I started with leftover white paint and gradually had to buy a couple more gallons but that cost is relatively small for how much of an improvement it brought to our cupboards. Also a PRIME opportunity to touch every single thing in those cupboard and really pare down what we needed. There is nothing like a good, fresh backdrop to make me not want to keep everything.
A couple years ago I painted a few of the lowers in our kitchen but didn't blog about them. About a year ago I painted under the kitchen sink. For 6 years I had our large corner cabinet looming. I considered painting it SO MANY TIMES. Then talked myself out of it SO MANY TIMES. I could always find some yard work or other house organizing projects to do to fill a Saturday. Also, I really didn't want to paint that cupboard, I just wanted it magically done.
Well. Then we got quarantined. I was initially stressed about many things (my husband working in a hospital for one, the health of loved ones for another, having to homeschool a third stressor) but once that initial stress wore off, I was concerned with how we could keep moving on projects when our shopping options were much more limited. I knew the time had finally come. I had paint. I had contact paper. I had to paint the cupboard.
Matt had Good Friday off work and it was chilly and gross outside so I knew we'd be inside all day. It felt like the perfect day to finally tackle this tasks. Luke had the day off school and I was HIGHLY motivated to get the painting done on Friday so I could put it all back together on Saturday and thus get our dining table back for Easter baskets on Sunday. It was the perfect storm.
Let me tell you, I quickly remembered why I had been stalling on this project for FIVE years. I got more up close and personal with that cabinet than I ever expected or hoped to get. I spent a good amount of time almost entirely inside the cabinet. Scraping off the (very) old contact paper and getting 3+ coats of paint back there was no joke. I don't think people are supposed to be that up close and confined with paint fumes. It was humorous in how weird/uncomfortable it was. I knew I bought it upon myself and I knew I'd be so much happier with the result.
It took a good two hours to remove the contact paper and I finished the first coat 5 minutes before we watched Good Friday services on Facebook (I may have had paint in my hair). I had a tight schedule to get 4 coats of a paint/primer all on before we went to bed. By the last coat I wasn't too picky with the far back corner. I expect it will at least be decades before anyone else is close enough to see that I wasn't doing my best painting back there.
I woke up on Saturday morning so excited. For one, it was Holy Saturday which meant Easter was almost here, we were about to celebrate Jesus' resurrection and that is always exciting, pandemic or not. I had also knocked out a long dreaded project, got all the coats on in time to clear the table for Easter. It was incredibly exciting. Now every time I open the cabinet I don't have to think, even in the way back of my head: I have to paint this some day.
There was a little reorganizing in putting things back. A few things (apple dehydrator, baby bottles saved for a potential #3) got moved down the basement pantry shelves and I bought a few new containers for here (via Target pick-up and then letting them sit in my basement for a week to "de-COVID" (I don't know if that's a thing but made me feel better.)). The large white basket in the back holds various lunchboxes (one benefit to homeschooling is that it got me out of lunch packing for many months!). Then there are pitchers and water bottles not currently in use.
I don't know how much paint I've gone through in all my cabinet/cupboard painting. I don't know how many hours I've spent. I don't know how many days I had an entire cabinet's contents on the dining table (I mean, relatively few over 5 years). I do know I have FIVE different contact papers throughout all the cabinets I painted just in the kitchen (could have planned that one a little better).
However, I am very happy with the results and so glad I took this project on so many years ago. I know it's just paint and contact paper but it also made the cabinets "mine". It made them look cleaner which made me want to pare down what we keep in ALL of them. It made me want to keep them looking clearer and not filled with stuff. I always appreciate a good organizing project; I really love them. I also really appreciate the process of going through things and really determining what we need and use.
It makes me happy to open my cupboard and see the bright white paint and know that everything has a place. I know that's not for everyone but I do get a little bit of joy out of it every single time. And also finally getting that project checked off my mental to-do list. I never put it on my 20 in 2020 or 19 in 2019 list because I really didn't want to have to do it! So getting that checked off is still a little bit amazing to me. I remark to Matt at least once a week about how glad I am that it is done (which is better than constantly bemoaning that I still "needed" to do it!). Life is weird right now but my cupboard is painted. I'm going to take joy in that.
And a good before (after I took everything out) and after!
My long cabinet/cupboard journey is almost fully documented on the blog:
Painting my Drawers
Under the Kitchen Sink: A Before & After
Pantry Cupboard
Alcohol cabinet
Upper cabinets (holiday dishes)
Baking cupboard
Kitchen cupboard over the stove
Kitchen dishes cupboard
Office cupboard
Office closets
Kitchen cleaning cupboard
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