Disclosure: Rust-Oleum paid for my transportation, lodging and food to attend this special event in New Orleans, where I could test this new product and hear directly from their company experts. There was no promise of news coverage. Opinions are my own.
Repainting your kitchen cabinets has historically been one of the most thankless home renovation projects. I say “thankless,” because in my experience, even after cleaning, sanding (argh), priming, then repainting — the doors still get chippy and the cabinets can still look kind of chalky and blah. It’s a lot of work with iffy results. Now, though, it seems like the folks at Rustoleum have come up with a new DIY painting system — Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations — that promises at least four major benefits: (1) No stripping, sanding or priming required, (2) excellent paint adhesion, (3) high-quality looks, and (4) a price tag less than $150. With this product, the company seems to be making a major move on today’s kitchen renovation market — which, in the wake of the Great Recession, is about working with what we have — especially what we have is existing, functional cabinetry. Of course, people still want an updated look, and Rustoleum is aiming to deliver it — in this cabinet-painting kit. My prediction: This product has all the makings of a huge hit.
Last week, I was one of 10 home renovation and design bloggers invited by Rustoleum to see and experience this new product.
Another benefit of Rustoleum’s new system is that everything you need comes in one kit, except for brushes and gloves. Before you start, remove and number the doors and set them up “assembly line” fashion for efficiency. If you’re going to change your cabinet pulls, this is also the time to drill new holes and fill the old.
5 steps to repaint your kitchen cabinets
Step #1 is to use their special solution to clean the cabinets. Their cleaner is formulated to remove grease and grime and to bring up the “tooth” of the wood, so that you don’t need sanding. Oh, and let me properly introduce you to Ashley Lehrmann, pictured throughout playing the role of DIY painter. She is Senior Brand Manager, Rustoleum — and this product has been her baby for the past two years.
Steps #2 and #3 — Paint the kitchen cabinets using the tinted “bond coat” paint provided. Two coats, dry between according to instructions. I’ll talk more about colors in a moment. No noxious fumes (read more on the website), in fact, they tell you to close all your windows while painting to avoid dust and such from ruining the finish.
Step #4 — Optional — Add glaze, also provided. You apply the glaze… then wipe it off to get the effect you like. For example, you can only do the beaded areas for slight antiquing. The glaze helps emphasize the wood grain. But, you can leave the glaze off altogether for a solid color look.
Step #5 — Apply clear top coat (oopsy, no photo)…. and you’re done and ready to reinstall your doors. You’ll be painting both sides of the doors. And, you’re also going to paint the inside of the cabinet (no glaze, typically.) Of course: Read all the instructions on the box — and be sure to check out the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations website, which should win an award for its presentation and thoroughness in today’s digital age. Nicely done.
Where to buy Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations
Pricing:
- $79.99 for the small kit — enough to cover 100 s.f.
- $149.99 for the large kit — for 200 s.f.
Where to buy:
- Check the website… but retailers include big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Menards… and there are smaller, more localized retailers, too.
Etc:
- Good on laminate and melamine, too.
- And yes: It will work on metal cabinets, too. Although you will get a satin finish, not a high-gloss enamel. Plus they said scuff up the metal and prime it, too. (Precautionary Pam reminds: Test for lead paint, consult with pro’s re proper safety and environmental precautions.) That said — they offered to talk to me further about other potential DIY solutions for our beloved steel cabinets. Stay tuned.
If you are super duper cost conscious, I think that you *could* do this project for less money, by using the “tried and trued” tools of sandpaper, primer and paint. But, I was convinced this $80-$150 expenditure looked well worth it, for a number of reasons:
- Rustoleum is a company that is all about “surfaces.” From their presentation it certainly seemed that they recognized the need for a paint system that combined excellent adhesion with professional quality looks. You DON’T want your painted kitchen cabinets to chip! I guess, like a 10-year-old car, we’ll see if their reassurances hold up, but from the look of the finish in person, I’d tend to think it will.
- In the same vein, the quality of the finish appeared to be excellent — the cabinets were beautiful. The two coats of color went on like liquid butter — there was both opacity and smooth flow. No lumps, nothing like that. I’ve spent many hours poking around kitchen stores looking at kitchen doors, and these looked like ringers to high-end painted-glazed kitchen doors to me.
- They had me at “no sanding.”
Retro kitchen cabinet colors
So now, let’s talk colors — vintage, retro, mid-century colors. There are 35 kitchen cabinet colors in the Transformations line right now, add glaze and they offer 70 looks in all.
In terms of the solid colors offered, I thought that a few — including a yellow, some of the blues, some of the whites, and even a Brady Bunch orange — had potential for our mid century kitchens. Except for the whites, the blue above, and the avocado green, though, none of them were what I’d call “retro”. Alas.
They also had a bundle of wood tones. I believe we were told that the Kona was selling like hotcakes. Again, though, nothing jumped out at me a “perfect” retro woodtone. In fact, I thought lots of the colors had a strange orange cast. I believe Rustoleum when they said they had consulted with professional color marketers and forecasters. I admit, I am out of touch with what’s popular “today” — I need to get me to a kitchen store to prowl around. To be sure, Rustoleum is aiming for the heart and soul of the mainstream, and that ain’t us, I guess… although, I certainly see “Retro” as an revival trend right now. Ummm, they had Greige, of course.
Yes, alas, no aquamarine, and wouldn’t it be fabulous to have, say, Mamie pink, sunbeam yellow, maybe a Ming green. The good news, though, is that the paint in the kit is tinted at the store when you buy it. So, it’s not an impossible thought that new color formulations could be developed — and they certainly know that Retro Renovation wants retro colors. I’ll keep in touch with Rustoleum about it… Meanwhile, if you are really hot to trot to freshen your cabinets, I’d for sure to out at look at the options available with this system.
On the use of glazes for mid century kitchen cabinets: Yes, I have seen marketing materials that indicated glazes were used on wood cabinets back in the day:
For example, these 1959 Fashionwood cabinets, above. Okay, maybe this is not “glaze over paint” — this may be a stain — but I think you can get the same basic look with the Rustoleum Transformations. The “avocado” color I mentioned before is achieved with a glaze.
As a reference for midcentury woodtones, here is another post I did about wood stain colors for television cabinetry from 1956.
And, here is another reference post — color combinations for wood kitchen cabinets from 1953. Of course, we have a gazillion more images all over the site and in the Galleries that show vintage kitchens with their original finishes.
More stories about mid century paint colors and kitchen cabinets
Point is, I have a number of resource references for retro kitchen cabinet colors on the blog:
- All my paint color palettes for mid century homes.
- All my stories about kitchen cabinets for mid century homes.
- And if you’re looking to design a retro kitchen, be sure to read my complete Retro Kitchen “get started” page here!
Many thanks to the team from Rustoleum, along with their media agency, Empower MediaMarketing, for the excellent preview event. Tomorrow: Photos of some of the fun.
Susmac says
Has anyone used their leftover paint/glaze for exterior doors (metal)? BTW, just finished doing our kitchen trasnformation and must say I’m very happy with them! Well worth the time and effort to save thousands. Took me about 2 weeks doing on weekends and a little here and there after work. Based on my question, you can see that we had plenty of paint & glaze.
pam kueber says
I do not believe this product is specified for outdoor use. Check with Rustoleum, though…
grace says
hi, my kitchen cabinet and washroom are kind a pink melamine, can i used that product to paint them in other color?
pam kueber says
grace, i recommend that you contact rustoleum customer service to ensure the applicability of their product to that surface. good luck!
Carole says
My Formica countertop has a gouge in it about the size of a dime. Can this be repaired before using Countertop Transformations?
BEV says
I’m a big fan of rust-0-leom products. However I am in need of extra top coat. Why can’t they sell this product by itself. When you want to just pain a small project you you can still use the top coat for protecting paint I would assume. So why not sell it by there can paint. I don’t like high gloss. This product looks like factory quality. So I wish they would think of the consumers and not there pockets and always make us buy the whole kit. I don’t have any left over from my cabinets but would like to use it one a chair and not have to buy a whole kit for it. Crazy. Sell some stuff separate.
krystal says
I wish there was a way for people to sell their extras since they’re buying for glaze…I’d love to get my hands on everything EXCEPT the glaze!
They should definitely sell them separately because I don’t think I should have to buy glaze that I don’t want to use.
Now, if anyone has any of the white they don’t want…………….
Connie Irvine says
I started out my Cabinet Transformations project in our master bathroom, just in case it didn’t look as good as the pictures on the packaging, because nobody really sees it besides the two of us! All of our cabinets were spray-painted with thick white latex before we bought the house. Naturally the guy sprayed right over the hinges and not only were they peeling, but so were the joints on the cabinets. Actually these cabinets were just about a deal-breaker for me, but I finally thought I’d just live with them for awhile and then have them ripped out and replaced. (For $30,000 or so!) Anyway, the bathroom turned out fantastic. So then I did the guest bath, and finally the kitchen. My one and only complaint is that Rustoleum doesn’t provide NEARLY enough glaze. They’ve gotta be kidding with that teeny little can – no WAY would it cover 100 feet. I called their Customer Service number to find out how to get more glaze, but was told that the product was so new that even the agent couldn’t get components separately. She directed me to just go buy another whole kit, and said Rustoleum would reimburse me. I’m on my last section of kitchen cabinets now and it’s clear that I’m going to run out of even THAT glaze before I get done. Does anybody know where to get that type of glaze? Lowe’s only has oil-based wood stain and I think the “glaze” is just a water-based wood stain, essentially. Incidentally, I bought a total of four kits for $79.99 apiece, the last one ONLY to get more glaze. At this point I have TWO unopened containers of deglosser and three cans apiece of base coat and top coat. This kit is the world’s greatest idea, but it is just proportioned SO WRONG!!! Can anybody help? Thanks!
pam kueber says
Connie, I have emailed Rustoleum — let’s see what they say! I’ve also emailed you — I’d love to get photos of your project. Glad to hear that except for this glaze issue, it’s going well!
Connie Irvine says
Hey Pam: Have you heard anything from Rustoleum about the glaze issue? I’ve just put the second base coat on my second-to-last bank of cabinets and will surely use up the little bit of remaining glaze tonight. That leaves me with four large lower cabinets at the opposite end of the kitchen – I have way more than enough deglosser, base coat, and protective top coat, but no glaze at all. If Rustoleum can’t sell me some extra glaze, do you think that maybe they’ll tell you how to substitute for it? I think the stuff is just glorified water-based wood stain, but I need to know for sure before I try it. Thanks for your efforts!
BTW, I cruised around your links and I see that you’re into retro mid-century homes and decorating. Here in the Palm Springs area, they’ve been having a great big “mid-century homes” thing this past week. All kinds of tours, daily articles in the Palm Springs Sun and whatnot. This area has a TON of neat mid-century homes, and most owners have tried to restore them true-to-the-decade rather than charging in and installing granite countertops, recessed can lighting, etc. Sounds exactly like your cup of tea. I hope you had a chance to either be here or at least follow the whole thing online.
Later….Connie
pam kueber says
Hi Connie — Rustoleum responded to my email last night saying someone would check, but I have not heard yet specifically any response to your question/issue…
Rust-Oleum Cathy says
Connie – I am so sorry that you ran out! As with any new product there is always room for improvement and comments like yours help us deliver better products in the end.
With that being said, at this time there is not and option to purchase the glaze on its own at a retailer, and we do not recommend any other product as a substitute.
As a result to consumer demand we will be adding an additional 1/2 pint of glaze to our small Cabinet Transformations kit going forward.
Rust-Oleum will also be offering additional glaze, in the near future, if someone happens to run out of the product. This option will be available shortly by calling our Customer Service line and requesting extra glaze.
The two options are:
1. Purchase another kit and Rust-Oleum will reimburse you for it
2. Contact Customer Service and they will ship you the extra glaze when it becomes available.
We do apologize that you ran out of the product, and really appreciate the feedback. Thank you – Rust-Oleum Cathy
Connie Irvine says
Hello again, Cathy: I took your advice and bought another Cabinet Transformations kit to get my hands on some extra glaze, and sent in the receipt for a refund, which I received promptly. (Thank you for that!) My problem now is that even that extra 8 fl. ounces was not enough glaze to finish my project. When you think about it, that’s the same amount as a small cup of coffee – no surprise to see that it doesn’t cover 100 square feet if used as directed. Anyway, I called the Customer Support line again last week to try to get more glaze. Of course it’s not an option to buy yet another whole kit and get a refund, which I wouldn’t want to do anyway. Mainly because it would be such a waste! I already have a ton of leftover deglosser and base coat and top coat – I just want some glaze so I can finish my last bank of cabinets. (About 24 square feet – it’s a 3′ x 8′ section). Your CSR took my name and address and said RustOleum would send some this week, but I haven’t received it. Do you know if more glaze is on the way? My kitchen and baths turned out GREAT – you can see for yourself on Pam Kueber’s blog this week. I would be more than happy to pay for the glaze, I just need to get my hands on it. Can you help? Thanks…Connie .
Rust-Oleum Cathy says
Connie –
Sorry you ran out! Can I ask how much glaze you are initially putting on the cabinets? A thick layer or thin layer?
I spoke with the team and the individual glaze components are now available, they just arrived Friday. You should get it this week. Please let me know if you do not.
Thank you,
Rust-Oleum Cathy
Krystal says
I’ve been living ‘cabinet door-free’ for several months now. I had the great idea to repaint them, then never got the motivation to start all the sanding!
Now I found out about the Rustoleum deal & I’m going with THAT!
I actually kinda like no cabinet doors…stuff can stick out off the edges of the shelves and I don’t have to worry about the doors not closing! (I’m a dork like that!)
I’d love to see what the contact paper looks like on a counter top. I’ve never heard of doing that before. It might keep me going until I can afford to do tile!
mary hershelman says
I removed my 26 doors and drawers from my GE pink and cream metal cabinets on September 9, 2001 to paint them solidly Rustoleum pink. I had pretty much thought I was going to live with open shelving due to the time it took to just get them down and cleaned (Simple Green not only removed fingerprints but the finish). I have never been so focused on getting something done as I was that horrible Tuesday. The Rustoleum pink was a little more pink than they were originally, but my Barbie Dream Kitchen’s finish is as beautiful today as it was the day I finished painting .
As for redoing countertops…I used 36″ wide heavy guage black contact paper (can be found online)….lasted for years….just make sure to use a cutting board.
Cheryl mikel says
I wonder how this would work on wood paneling or painted wood paneling? Kapow! Rustoleum could have a huge market there in older mobile homes! Bring back the retro colors! They did tell me last month that they only currently carry Aqua appliance paint for a retro color for those of you who want to retro color your kitchen appliances.
Melanie {The Tiny Tudor} says
I’m very glad you shared your experience with this product. I have been putting off painting my cabinets since i moved in (I dread sanding and dust…) Would love the ability to mix our own colors!