The Truth About Cabinet Transformation Kits

I needed a change in our kitchen. I didn't want a $20,000 reno budget. We were getting 2 new appliances next week to change our kitchen over to stainless steel. I looked all over Pinterest for ideas and found this. For $75 with the Rust-oleum Transformation Kit, I was able to transform my kitchen AND bathroom into something entirely different! PLUS, I could do all of this without any experience in remodeling!

This can be used on a variety of cabinets but a good structure will make everything so much easier. If things are splitting or have major cosmetic defects, they will most often show up stronger after this kind of job. Cabinets in good condition will look best.

We already liked the nickel finish on the current knobs we had (and couldn't find anything else I liked) so we decided to keep these as they would go nicely with the stainless steel appliances we were putting in and the nickel finish we were changing to for the appliance covers.

This is a process with drying time required and obviously two sides to complete. In one day I did the deglossing (a product they give you with a
scratch pad" to smooth the surface. You have to wait an hour after this before the first base coat. On a 2nd day I did the backside base coat, 3rd-day front side again and later on the decorative glaze (optional). The last day I did the final top coat in which these suggest 8-12 hours of drying time in between that and rehanging and putting hardware back on. This time brings me to my next point.

You will want to dedicate an area to this project that's close by, ventilated and "safe". I would have done this in the garage but I was afraid of wind and dog hair ruining all of my hard work. So I set up shop in our kitchen and dining room and with tables downstairs. I put down some coverings on the tables for any drips, I would maybe even put little pieces of wood underneath to lift it off that a little to ensure full coverage on the edges. (I missed a few)

You don't need anything fancy. Basically, everything you need comes with a kit but make your life easy and get a power drill! Rent one if you have to. It makes taking things down and putting things up so much easier. I also recommend keeping hardware pieces labeled in bags and numbering your cabinets so they go back to the same place. Other than that, a steady had an patience is all you need!

How much can you cover? Well, each kit covers up to 100 square feet of space. I have about 12 drawers I did and about 20 cabinets and the backside of our counter bar side. I was able to do all of that with 1 kit and paint to spare.

Did you need to sand a lot? No need for stripping; acrylic/latex base easily adheres to wood.

Is it easy to clean? Yes! Its easy to clean with just mild soap and water and the top coat protects it.

Would I do this again? Absolutely! I would recommend it to anyone!

Here are the finished products of my kitchen and bathroom cabinet transformations.