I haven’t been keeping a precise record of how much time I’ve invested so far in the kitchen cabinet staining project, but I do know that since my last update I’ve found myself bathing in mineral spirits daily. Math time: If I’ve spent approximately two hours per day (with the exception of Sunday when I worked for 9 hours to remove the remaining cabinet doors, clean, and sand them while Pete installed our flagstone patio) it’s fair to guesstimate that I’ve invested about 25 hours on this bad boy of a project since it’s inception. And I’m not done, but there’s no turning back from here.
Spiffy. I really love how it plays up the tile floor.
A few things I’ve noticed along the way:
1. Hence the title of this post, my appliances have vanished.
Hands down, the biggest surprise of this project so far was the realization that the stained cabinets force the white/stainless/black appliances right into their place, making them blend right in and unite with the dark brown wood. It’s a magical sight, and a huge relief too, because until now I’ve had “nicer appliances” high on my “things I need to save for” list. Maybe these ones will do awhile longer and I can spend the money on new countertops instead.
2. Just when I didn’t think it was possible, I found more room in my heart for the shiplap walls.
Could the sight of my in-progress cabinets vibe any better with the rich shiplap walls in the dining room? Even without the cabinet doors, the stain subtly helps the rooms to flow together magnificently.
3. I refueled.
Well, I bought more stain. Girl couldn’t expect her test-sized half-pint to get her very far when there are 23 cabinet doors and their respective framework to coat. In my second purchase from amazon.com, I ordered the quart sized volume of Java Gel Stain
4. We need to reorg.
Holy too much stuff, man. Sorry that you have to see all of this. I have to say, exposing this mess makes me feel like I’m wearing underoos in front of a full theater. Between sanding and staining, there’s been a lot of packing and unpacking of food and cookware to keep things clean. But seriously, I’m so happy this light oak has left us.
I’m really ready to dig in and get the rest of the cabinets complete. Three coats of stain on each side of each door really makes this a long process, especially when I’m carefully allowing 24-36 hours to pass between each coat.
Back soon with a final reveal!
Editor’s Update: See the finished cabinets right here.
Looking for the Gel Stain that I used to stain the kitchen cabinets? I could not find it in stores, and my best resource was General Finishes via Amazon. Learn more about the product and purchase it for yourself right here
5 Comments
This is looking AMAZING! I never thought the cabinet color would make such a huge difference.
It’s more impacting than we expected too! Can’t wait to get those doors back on to get the full effect…
Can’t wait for the full reveal (and I’m sure you can’t wait either!) I love seeing variety on the ole blogs and everybody seems so into white cabinets these days. These are going to look totally rich and posh, I know it!
I think there are some misconceptions out there about how hard it is to sand/stain. I read on forums and other blogs that the grains were apt to pick up the stain differently, and to get a smooth finish you’d have to sand multiple times throughout the process. Not so with this gel stain; I think it’s easier than priming and painting would be! And we definitely considered the route of going white or a light gray for the cabinets (and it is/was our default if the stain didn’t work)… paint would have been nice, but I generally prefer the look of white cabinets that are smooth and flat, like laminate, not when you can see wood grain through painted wood. I don’t especially like the bevels in these bad boys, but I think the staining makes them less obvious (as you’ll see when I give you a good peek at the finished doors). Wahoo! Long unwarranted response.
Those cabinets looks amazing! I waiting with baited breath for the full reveal!