I recently wrote about my first press trip – to see and test-drive Rustoleum’s new “Cabinet Transformations” kitchen repainting kit. I was impressed with my experience – but there is nothing like a real-life testimonial from someone who has used the product on an entire kitchen. Did skeptical Connie like it? Yes. The minute she finished her first bathroom, she ran out for another kit to paint the second bathroom, then for more to repaint the kitchen. Here’s a snippet of her enthusiastic story:
What a great, great product. Tell Rustoleum they’re welcome to come over and shoot a commercial here if they want to. I wouldn’t want to be in it – I’m 59 years old and well past my expiration date. That’s what actressess and spokesmodels are for! I love the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations – I swear I’m about ready to buy stock in the company.
connie’s bathroom “before”
Actually, Connie first contacted me because there was a small problem. She wrote:
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!)
the same bathroom “after”
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 … 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?…This kit is the world’s greatest idea, but it is just proportioned SO WRONG!!! Can anybody help? Thanks!
By now I know all these people at Rustoleum. I emailed them, and they jumped right on it. Not only did they help Connie out with more glaze, at no additional cost. Cathy, a leading member of the Rustoleum brand team, responded quickly:
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. (Cathy then gave Connie some options to get more glaze.) We do apologize that you ran out of the product, and really appreciate the feedback. Thank you – Rust-Oleum Cathy
Isn’t that great customer service? Good on you, Rustoleum! Back to Connie… here’s her DIY painting story:
The cabinets in here were solid wood and well worth saving – none of those cheap crappy veneers that you usually see these days. I just didn’t think they were “salvageable”. Thus my willingness to spend $30,000 to rip them out and get new ones.
connie’s kitchen “before”
This is a “before” picture of the kitchen, but I didn’t specifically take it because I was going to re-do the cabinets. I just took those to send to some of my out-of-town buddies once we bought this house. Too bad I didn’t get close-ups of the awful peeling white paint on the hinges and joints!
Ugly white sprayed on paint, chipping and slopped over the hinges.
I deliberately took photos of the nice new finished cabinets (left side of pictures) while the awful chipped white cabinet doors were still in place on my last section of kitchen (right side of pictures).
As you can see, I went with the darker kit in my kitchen, due to the terra cotta colored floor tile.
In the bathrooms, my tile and grout is quite light. I used one “lighter” Cabinet Transformations kit, and that was enough for both bathrooms.
So I see all these kitchen and bathroom photos, and they don’t look particularly ”retro” to me, so I ask Connie how she happened upon this blog. She answers — and we also get this funny back story about her Dear Husband (DH):
I think I got there because I was trying to find out how I could get more glaze, and you had just participated as one of ten designers who went to RustOleum to test the Cabinet Transformations product. Your blog just happened to be about Cabinet Transformations that week. It was definitely a roundabout approach! Our condo is about thirty years old, so not really retro. We have cathedral ceilings which we call “retro” because all the newer houses have 10-foot ceilings and crown molding!
Here’s a funny story: I was one of the first people in the Palm Springs area to buy a Cabinet Transformations kit. Lowe’s had just put their first 8 boxes on display that day. So when I brought it home and showed my husband, he kinda rolled his eyes and said: “What did you waste money on THAT for?” I told him that if the thing works like I THINK it’s gonna work, it’ll save him thousands and thousands of dollars.
He was pretty skeptical, though. I couldn’t even get him to make me some drying racks, so the master bath seemed to take forever, because I had to wait for each coat to dry before I could flip the doors over and do the other sides.
Anyway, by the time I put the glaze coat on, his eyes were about popping out of his head. He immediately made some drying racks for me and he had the doors off the guest bath cabinets even as we were waiting for the top coat to fully dry before re-hanging the doors in the master bath! So as soon as I got done with the guest bath, I bought two more kits, this time in the darker shades. I’m pretty sure he had the kitchen cabinet doors off by the time I got home.
I can’t see how anybody could NOT love this product. In my case, replacing the existing cabinets with ones of the same quality would probably have cost at least $20,000 because they’re solid wood – not those cheap veneers you so often see. Instead I bought a total of four Cabinet Transformations kits and was refunded for the fourth one because I only bought that one to get more glaze. So, about $240 total.
I thought you’d get a kick out of my husband’s initial skepticism followed by his Attitude Transformation! If I’m Cabinet Transformation’s biggest fan, I’d have to say he’s now Number Two.
Thanks for your interest…this has been fun… Later, Connie
Thank you, Connie — yes, this has been fun! Please do keep in touch — I especially want to hear how the new paint wears! And if I ever make it to Palm Springs, you and I will have to go thrifting. We’ll get you some great bit 1960s lamps for your Palm Springs groove pad!
More links:
All I can say is WOW? Wonder if it would work in my bathrooms? I have St. Charles yellow metals in my kitchen is there anything available to spruce them up? They are in good condition for the age, finish has dulled some and previous owners tried to repaint a bit at the bottom of one. Love your commitment to this site and all the wonderful information. What can I say I am a fan.
That is amazing!! Everything looks beautiful (like new)!
Has anyone tried the product on metal cabinets? I have some I think I am going to use it on.
@Tava and Nancy, Rustoleum told me this would work on metal – BUT you will have to scuff up / sand the old metal finish — honestly, you better check with them for instructions first. And MOREOVER, you will NOT get a glossy finish. Tava — see category: Kitchens/Steel Cabinets for various readers and their experiences. In all case, Precautionary Pam reminds: test for lead and other nasties before you go disturbing any vintage surfaces — consult with pro’s to know what you are working with.
I have a question for Connie… What is required for prepping the cabinets? If stripping is not needed, I may be the #3 biggest fan.(We have 1978 cabinets in our 1957 ranch and its horrible to say the least…)
Erin – read my original post — click on the blue text in the first sentence to get there…
Erin: The kit comes with a great big container of de-glosser. You just have to apply it with a rough scrubby sponge – each kit comes with three of those. I did have Bill sand a few cabinet joints where the paint had cracked badly, but that was just a precaution. Good luck!
What color did you use on your kitchen cabinets.
Randy, I don’t think Connie is monitoring this anymore…
This looks wonderful and it is nice to hear a testimonial from a daring user!
I have a small cedar paneled room, 8 x 8 with 5 doors. It has been painted MANY times, but I am tempted to try this product.
Connie- Any feedback or suggestions on how a whole room would look with this method? Congratulations on a great job….your husband owes you 20K!
Actually, it might look pretty good! The kit covers about 100 square feet and there are tons of color choices. Connie
Now Connie wants to do the door leading to the garage and the block fireplace? The other day i was inspecting an 18,000 sq ft home in La Quinta and they were using a similar process on the five car garage doors!
Thank you.
Week-end, here I come!
What were your drying racks like. I have never started a project like this one …But now I will!
Bill got a couple of big sheets of drywall – about 6′ x 3′ – and then he drilled lots of long screws through it. That way I could flip my cabinet doors over and coat the other side almost immediately by setting them carefully on the screws. It would have been nice if I could have put the racks on sawhorses in the garage, but I didn’t have room. So I had them on my kitchen floor instead. I spent a lot of time on my knees – OW!
Connie they are gorgeous! I live in PS too!, have original ’57 wood cabinetry and I think I want “blonde” cabinets, not the overpainted white. Can you tell us the original ounce size can of glaze that is not enough? YOU did a fantastic job!!
The original size of the can of glaze was 8 fl. ounces. About the same as a cup of coffee! So you can see why it wouldn’t cover 100 feet!
Love seeing such a great transformation! I’m still really curious about the other non-traditional colors they offer (specifically the aqua-ish one). I’m curious, Connie, how long it took to do your bathroom cabinets. I think I’ll be trying this in the kids’ bathroom, but I’m not sure how much time to budget for project completion. I’ve read up on the Rustoleum web site, but I’m interested to hear from someone who’s actually used it in a “real life” setting.
Thanks!
De-glossing doesn’t take long, but be sure you rinse it off thoroughly. You’ll be able to do both base coats that same day, they only have to dry for two hours. And you can even apply the glaze two hours after the second base coat. That has to dry for 8 hours so you won’t be applying the top coat until the next morning. And then the cabinets have to dry for 12 hours before you rehang the doors. So, a two day project at worst.. Not bad at all considering the amazing results.
What a wonderful job! The kitchen transformation looks especially good to me. How did you deal with the peeling hinges in the bathroom?
I went to Lowe’s and bought all new hinges in antique brass. I took my time picking them out so that they would fit in the already existing holes. Each pair of hinges only cost $2.57, and they look great.
That kitchen color is pretty close to the “original blond” we want to go back to on our top cabinets! I was already thinking about trying this, but seeing these pics, I’m almost certainly gonna!
Whoa! I’m most impressed with the kitchen cabinets. I thought the picture at the top was the “before” pic of oak cabinets. They look just like are plain wood that has been stained, not painted. I will defintely keep this product in mind for possible future projects.
Actually, I’m starting to wonder if this would work on the blonde bedroom set I have. It’s pretty beat up with some peeling and water stains, but I haven’t wanted to paint it. I want to be true to the original color of the pieces since the set has been passed on to me from my grandmother who originally purchased them in 1958.
Wow! I don’t currently have anything to use this product on but I do admit, it’s pretty amazing!
I wonder if this product would work on damaged blond furniture? You know you can’t refinish that stuff and get the same effect. I have water rings and cigarette burns to deal with on the surface. Did everyone set their cigarettes on the edges of their furniture and then let them lay there and burn???? I think I’ll go to Lowes and see if they have Heywood Wakefield blond shade.
I remember back in the late 60′s early 70′s, “antiquing kits” were popular. Everybody was using them for furniture and cabinets. You could get avacado green, country blue, harvest goldy/yellow and different wood tones. It also came with a base coat, and an antiquing glaze. They gave instructions on making a faux wood grain, and knot holes using cheesecloth. My mom got one…..are you all sitting down???? She “antiqued” our original pink GE metal kitchen cabinets. It didn’t bother me then, at the age of 7, but now, it just makes me a little sick.
Lynne, I’m sure you could use it on your blond furniture. The base coat is just a high quality paint and would cover the water marks and burns with no problem. When you’re done, it’ll look just like stained wood. And you’re so right: when I first saw the kit in Lowe’s, I read everything on the box and thought: Hey! This is just like antiquing! I antiqued a whole kitchen way back when I was in my 20′s, and it turned out great. Which is why I was pretty sure Cabinet Transformations was gonna work. Good luck!
Everyone did NOT set their cigarettes on the edges of furniture.
Only husbands.
I think it *is* similar to antiquing. Degloss / two tinted base coats / glaze (optional) / then a clear sealant on top. The keys seem to be: (1) The quality of of ther overall look based on the formulation they have come up with, (2) no sanding, and (3) – durability / lack of chippiness — of course, time will be what really tells on this one… Rustoleum is no fly-by-night manufacturer, though, so we can assume and hope they have done their research and the durabilty will come through…
Hey Pam: I think the top coat will prevent chips. That kitchen I antiqued back in the 1970′s never chipped at all, and we weren’t especially careful with it. I’ve got to assume that this new top coat is probably even better – it really looks like quality stuff! By the way, did you notice that Bill (DH) replied to Gavin? He actually did see some painters using the same process on this gigantic custom house. They were glazing the five-car garage doors when he went to do his inspection. He asked the guys where to get that glaze and they told him Vista Paints would have it. Naturally I rushed to Vista and they had never heard of the stuff. I still need one more can, but RustOleum said they would send one within a week! Later, Connie
Thanks, Connie. I am no paint expert, but I would think the most important aspect is adhesion — do those base coats stay “stuck” on… I am guessing also it’s a “whole system” thing. Let us know how it goes!
Your transformation looks great! I was wondering if you had issues with the paint being sticky (making the doors stick to the frame). Thanks. – Kate
Hi Kate, I am not sure that person featured in this post is actually monitoring the comments. I would suggest that you contact Rustoleum customer service.
See my original post — which also points you to the website — for some shots of color. Of course, you need to see these in the light of day of your own home. Unfortunately, Rustoleum does not have “chips” or “doors” like a kitchen cabinet maker…. That was one concern that was voiced by the bloggers at the event.
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Hey Lynne, please don’t forget the ultra cool HOT HOT HOT Pink antiquing glaze. My poor mother bought the most beautiful carved ornate Brunswick French Provincial/Queen Anne phonograph (similar to a “Victrola” which seems like “Kleenex” is to tissue paper), and the prior owners had antiqued it hot pink!
She stripped it down to its absolutely beautiful mahogany wood and it is a showstopper now. Well, it was a showstopper before she stripped it too, for that matter! LOL. Thankfully they left the insides untouched, and never antiqued the mahogany inside the lid nor the original Brunswick stenciling inside the lid.
Tami
My mom went on an antiquing craze in the 70′s too. She did the kitchen cabinets, cedar chests, sewing machine cabinet, basically anything that stood still long enough. Then she decal’ed a big eagle on them.
Pam had a post about refinishing blonde furniture a while ago. http://retrorenovation.com/2008/07/11/how-to-refinish-heywood-wakefield-furniture-palm-springs-stephan-advises/
I still have an awesome blonde bar cabinet with pink mirror glass tiles and no finish sitting in a spare room waiting to be worked on.
haha: Put an Eagle on It!
And yes, I think to refinish Hey Wake style furniture, I’d likely try PSS’ method.
bwa-ha, “decal’d a big eagle on it.” snort!
Nice! If I can’t talk my hubby into replacing the cabinets in our kitchen (some of the drawers are falling apart and there’s some water damage under the sink due to a leaky sink), I think I’m going to have to try this when we end up repainting. The previous owners were flippers who did a very poor job of painting the kitchen cabs and the cabs in both bathrooms.
Connie, you are my hero! Thanks for trying this out, and letting Pam know your results as a “real life” user. This is great news, as I am faced with painting an entire kitchen and two bathrooms worth of cabinets.
Not that Pam’s testimonial wasn’t valuable – but I guess it is different when you don’t have the manufacturer right there to help out/explain etc. Kinda like going to the hair dresser and NEVER being able to get your hair to look the same doing it yourself once you get home! It’s good to know this stands the test of true DIY.
Your cabinets look outstanding! Great job!
I actually agree with you, TTT — I was happy to hear from someone who used it in the wild, not just in a 2-hour demo complete with shrimp jumbalaya!
There’s these little yellow triangles called Painters Pyramids. Someone posted on another board that they were worth their weight in gold. You paint the back side of the doors, flip them over on these things and paint the front. No marks. Worth a look. BTW, the cabinets look great.
crazy!! hard work really pays off, and it looks like perhaps it wasn’t too hard at all!
I remember they used to tell you to use a chain to “antique” your furniture — give it some dents to make it look old.
I wonder how this will stand up on those garage doors, which of course will be outside and subjected to rain and snow.
In the mid mod house I grew up in, someone did that to ALL the cabinet doors!! as a kid, I was always totally baffled by it!
The comments on 70s antiquing got me thinking–my mom did that kind of stuff a lot back then, including plaster and ceramic pieces. She bought the brown antiquing liquid (not a “glaze” of the type you put on ceramics, but a paint) at the ceramics shop. Don’t see those around often anymore, but that could be a good source for glazing products if someone wants to cook up a DIY version of the Rustoleum process.
Looks great, Connie! Congrats on your success from boldly jumping in!
The remark about redoing interior doors grabbed me. Mine are the 1956 installations but they have been very badly redone. The staining is uneven and the seal coat has runs down the doors. However, I can see that the wood has a pretty grain to it so I’ve been thinking about sanding them down and starting over. Now, I have another option to think about. Hmmmmm……… what to do?
just occurred to me i should be using this on the 1980′s oak vanity & medicine cabinets in my purple bathroom! [yes, I know i owe you pictures; crazy crazy couple of weeks]
http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/Sonshineonme/Rustoleum%20Cabinet%20Transformations%20Cabernet/
Here is mine in cabernet color from Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations
Hey Kelly, the … Transformation …
…. looks fantastic! Are you happy with the quality of the finish, and from the process that you went through? From the photos, they look like new!
Hello, I am happy with the result. This is what I did. I completely washed my cabinets and doors with dish detergent and water to remove any oils. Then I used the deglosser and scrubby pads on all. I did not take any short cuts. Where it said to paint 2 coats of base coat, I used 4 coats on back and 4 coats on front of my doors and base cabinets. The color is dark and I used thin coats and let dry in between for a uniform look. I didn’t want globbiness in the places where the doors have a routered edge. I then antiqued the base cabinets and kept my doors in the garage to work on to keep down the mess in the house. I used the (sweetmilk colored) finish coat last. It dries to clear, but don’t get it thick in the corners or it will dry milky. I cannot atest to the duribility as I have just finished the project but they look great. Kinda looks like red cherry but the color is Cabernet. The color on the front of the little handbook looks pretty true. Also, we routed out 4 small doors and cut out wood panels and took to a glass company and picked out glass and they installed for us. It was $107.00 for all 4 doors. It took me 2 kits to do this project and I had deglosser and finish coat left. All in all, I would use this product again.
Thanks for sharing your experience and all this detail, Kelly. Great idea re: creating some glass wall cabinets! Very inspiring!
I to just had the same problem that Connie, the person in the above article. Two thirds the way through my kitchen cabinet renovation i ran out of glaze. Same as Connie i called the 800 number to Rustoleum the person on the other end told me i must have figured my square feet wrong, then she suggested i go buy another kit,finally after me not giving up on my argument that the kits are very much un proportioned, she finally said if i would send her my receit of puchase she could send me another can of glage.So i guess my kitchen project will have to be on hold till who knows when.
I was wondering if anyone has used cabinet transformations on foil lamanent cabnets. I have white Wellborn cabinets that are 15 years old and havea plastic lamanent that has some cracks and chips in it.
Any suggestions?
kate, check the rustoleum website for cabinet transformations info — they also have customer service number that you can call…
Hey Connie…… good job. What color did you use for your kitchen cabinets. I have oak cabinet and i think the color you used in your kitchen will spruce up oak cabinets too.
Curious if anyone has used this product or even simply paint on previously stained and polyed cabinets,,, annnnddd how the new finish faired during the drier winter heating months,, when the wood panesl shrink within the frames… Does a noticable line appear on the door panel between the new finish and the edge of the frame ..??
Nother question.. Can any of the coatings be applied via air,, saaaay using an HVLP sprayer ??? I have a hard time getting a pro looking finish with a brush….
Great job your kitchen looks fantastic! just helped some friends use this product in their kitchen. they went from a beechwood to the Cabernet and it looks like a new kitchen. I’m so impressed, I’m getting ready to do my kitchen. Can I ask what color you used? Even with good brushes, did you have brush stoke issues? If so, how did you resolve?
@mike, they actually say not to use rollers or sprayers. (not sure why). although that would have made the process so much faster.
I have completed most of my previously stained golden oak cabinets to the black. I did not use the gloss. I applied 1 light coat of the top coat and was wondering about applying another coat to smooth out the surface.
Wow! I saw this product at Lowe’s yesterday and wondered if it really worked, and I see that it does. Your project looks great! I have real wood cabinets that are pretty worn but structurally sound and didn’t want to replace them with the junk that is on the market now. thanks for sharing.
Hi Connie,
Your kitchen looks amazing. I have one question for you. How much of the wood grain is visible in your cabinets? We have oak cabinets similar to yours that we want to paint white, and ideally we’d like for the grain not to show through. What were your results? Thanks so much.
Jami, I am not sure that Connie is monitoring these comments. I have painted a vanity with Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations, and also participated in their product launch event. I would say: If you use the glaze, the grain WILL show. The glaze actually is darker and designed to seep into the grain and “bring it out.” For a more matte finish with less of the grain showing, just go straight from the two base coats to the top coat. However, I still don’t think your grain will be “invisible.” Perhaps you also should reach out to Rustoleum’s customer service to verify what I am suggesting. They also may have a reco for you on a product to eliminate “fill in” the grain altogether… Good luck.
Pam,
Thanks so much for your response! I think we’re going to use the technique you suggested and not use the glaze. I’ve looked at some other photos where people haven’t used the glaze, and their cabinets look fantastic (the ones with the glaze look great too, but I like more of a matte finish). I know the grain won’t be invisible, but since I don’t have to sand and prime, I can more than live with it. Thanks again!
Does anyone know if this product will dry and look the same if you have old cabinet doors next to a new wood door? My original cabs/ doors are an old dried out walnut and I’m having a few new wood doors made. I’m thinking if this is more like stain than paint, it might not cover the same? Any suggestions??
Jennifer, in my experience — this is Paint, NOT stain. I really suggest you call Rust-Oleum’s customer service, though, to check your question with them. Good luck!
Hi Jennifer,
I was just doing my own research on Rustoleum’s website & this was one of the questions listed on there. They recommend when you have ‘raw’ cabinets next to already finished one’s, to prime the unfinished cabinet first. Hope that helps!
I’m considering using this, have been reading reviews and so far I haven’t seen much negative. my question is this…i have a drawer that needs some filler put in it. will this product cover up wood filler?
Autumn, I really suggest you call Rust-Oleum’s customer service number to ask this question….
Here’s a link to my transformation still in progress. I did use wood filler for my drawers because my new pulls were a different size. It works just fine.
http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/Sonshineonme/Rustoleum%20Cabinet%20Transformations%20Cabernet/
Your cabs look GREAT! This is just so unbelieveable! Looks like you choose “cabernet”? I was afraid that might turn out too purple, but it looks like a dark cherry!
Here are direct pics if this works.
Can someone help me figure out the color Connie used on her kitchen cabinets. Looks like either gingerbread or harvest to me.
I also would like to know what color Connie used in her kitchen…
I’m excited and nervous to use this product. I want to use the counter transformation in my guest bathroom as a test run and if it looks great, I’ll do it in my master bathroom. My only issue is, I have undermount porcelain sinks. Can I still use the counter transformation with this type of sink?
connie, could you please tell me what color you used in your bathrooms and kitchen. i just put buttercup on and have not glazed yet. i am freaking out because it looks entirely too yellow at this point.
First on this blog. I’m strongly considering buttercup glazed. Curious how your cabinets turned ou last year. Thx
What color is this? Provincial, russett, gingerbread?
The cabinets do look amazing. I just bought a kit, but can you tell me which color you got for your kitchen?
I am currently trying to purchase a rusteolum cabinet transformatios large kit and have not been able to. I went to home depot in ponce puerto rico and baymon, puerto rico and other plasses but they only have a coubter paint. THEY DON’T EVEN CARRY THAT KIT EITHER. can u help me find a plcae or even purchase one dir from you? I unstand the cost is $149.99. please let me know asap. I know you have a job but this is part of your job, getting potential customers your product. Thank you very much.
Hi!
After many weeks of researching this product, i just finished my bathroom and am very happy with the resukts so far. I didnt find it a particular easy poject but it is extremely difficult either. I am very crafty and used to painting, repairing and changing things around. It is a tedious job and i wouldnt consider it a weekend project if you’re doing a kitchen and want to be thorough, i know im pretty prefectionist and pay too much attention to small details, so perphaps that’s the reason why it took me longer then people have indicated. I took my time on every step and extended the drying period suggested. I found that it does peel extremely easy, even with the extra drying period and extreme caution used to handle each door/drawer. I am thinking of doing an extra top coat shall i see that it peels. I did read in one of the many reviews sites visited, someone had the same concern and there was a response that after the top coat that wasnt an issue AND that it needed time to “cure”. So, i shall wait and see but that is my only concern really, because the cabinets look absolutely beautiful and “professionally” done. Has anyone had their finished product “in use” long enough to comment on it’s durability? I chose the toasted almond with glaze to replace my “white wash” (which is more like a salmon pinkish thing) that was long over due in this house!
I would think that it’s extremely important to (1) ensure you deglaze the original finish well… and (2) to ensure you allow for very thorough drying between coats. These are just my personal thoughts, though… I am sure RustOleum can comment….
Well, good for Connie. Rustoleum probably gladly furnished more glaze because it’s not their control product. I asked Rustoleum to SELL me more “bond coat” after the store told me that Rustoleum won’t sell bond coat outside of the kit. Rustoleum confirmed it: “The kit holds 100 sq. feet of bond coat; if you want more, you need to buy another kit.” That means, spend $160 for 130 square feet. The kit is priced at twice the shelf price of the components and then they control the main ingredient to FORCE YOU to buy more kits. It’s a ripoff and it’s outrageous. Never again.
I bought 3 large kits and want to try this on my paneling. Wish me luck.
Luck!!! Let me know how it turns out!
Pam, I used Cabinet Transformations on my livingroom paneling. I ended up using two large kits and had some trial and error on one wall. My room is 19×20. Although it said not to sand I had a very high gloss on my walls and after lots of elbow grease on one wall, I decided to degloss the other walls and follow up with some sanding. I just love my walls now. I would send pics…however, I am not for sure where I should download them.
I am glad that some of you had success, but know that you MUST be sure about your color choice. Rustoleum will not sell you more of ANY parts of the kit. I bought the large kit in “Porcelain”. I painted the inside of one of my cabinet doors and it just wasn’t right with the rest of the kitchen (tile, wall color, etc.). I called Rustoleum and BEGGED them to sell me (SELL me, mind you, not give me for free) another can of the base and they WOULD NOT do it. They said I would have to buy an entire whole kit which costs $150.00. Further, the representative would not let me speak to anyone else or transfer me to anyone else in the company!!?? Sorry, but that is really poor customer service. The kit is very expensive in the first place, but their inflexibility to help you out is absurd. Even if I could afford another $150.00 kit (which I can’t) I would never buy anything from them again. “Satisfaction Guaranteed” my foot…..
Hello,
I am curious about how to do the areas BETWEEN the cabinets? Obviously you cannot take those off the wall with ease like you can the cabinet doors. Is it safe to do the spaces in-between the actual cabinet doors as they hang (vertically), or will the all/ either of the bond coat, glaze, or top coat drip? Thank you in advance for your input
I just finished doing my 1959 Kitchen cabinets with this product. 32 cabinets which took MUCH longer than I anticipated. I will post pictures and a full review soon. I must agree with some other here that the product is awesome but the kits are horribly miss proportioned.
I needed ONE more canister of base. And ended up having to buy an entire new kit. So now I am stuck with a ton of “Extras” I will most likely never need. I didnt use the antique technique so I have several cans of that. However, something I MIGHT suggest to help others…Thanks to a very friendly Home Depot associate, SHE suggested she tint only ONE can of the base. She said we could come back at any time and have the second can tinted. This allows us the extra can for other projects and to use a different color. It still kind of sucked having all this extra stuff, but that was a helpful suggestion. Over all the product can NOT be beat for a very inexpensive renovation. But it would be nice if they readjusted their kits or allowed consumers to buy “Extras” outside of a kit.
I am looking for a can of the glaze. if you are not using it, I will buy it from you. I also could use the lint free rags and top coat.
I’ve just completed my first project with the cabinet transformations kit. I have a problem with the glaze not drying clear in a few crevices where I apparently didn’t brush up the excess. How can I get rid of the milky spots? I tried to call the Rustoleum help line and unfortunately they’re not open on the weekend. Has anyone else had this problem?
What did you do?? I’m having the same problem
Did anyone have any luck with this? Really don’t want to top coat it again. Wondering if I cant just gloss it and darken it?
It was actually the top coat that I was having trouble with not drying clear (not the glaze). I ended up redoing the two doors that had a few milky spots after drying. However, the next vanity that I did using the kit, I skipped the top coat liquid in the kit and used a spray polyurethane. This added to the cost of the project, but it was so much easier and looks great. I ordered it online: Satin Varathane no odor polyurethane (fast drying/heavy use formula/interior/water based/crystal clear).
They added the extra glaze but not before my poor grandmother bought two kits without knowing they were one old kit and one new kit. They were labeled the same color, and same amount of sq feet, however the older kit with only one can is lighter then the one with two cans. Now we are stuck with what to do, her kitchen is half way done with two different glaze colors. I love the kit, its a lot of elbow grease but its what my grandmother wanted. I am really hoping that home depot well trade us a newer kit, it seems silly they didn’t send the older kits back to the manufacturer, or put some kind of sticker on it saying it only had one glaze. The only way you would know the difference is if you look at the very small picture on the back with what is included. If you have never done the kit before, it would be really hard to know one had two cans of glaze and the other had one.
PLEASE- let your stores that sell your product send the old kits back so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Instead of the top coat I used Rustoleum Spray Satin Finish, it was so much easier and gave a smoother finish. The top coat provided with the kit dries too fast, or maybe I didn’t work fast enough! Either way I think the spray is the way to go. A little more expensive, but well worth it.
I wanted to know what color was used in Connies Kitchen (top happy picture on this page). I know it says the dark kit was used but I wanted to know what color exactly? I’m really apprehensive to pick a color from the swatches on the Rustoleum site and I love the color she used!
Thanks
Erin
I need more glaze and don’t want to buy another kit, is it possible to have one shipped? Thank you
I am in the process of using the cabinet transformations kit (I’ve done the base cabinets, but still need to do doors). I’m still not sure if I like the outcome of just my base cabinets. I’m doing pure white and the bond coat does go on even and leaves a nice color finish, but even with the protective coat it still seems kind of rough to the touch. I’m not sure if this is because I haven’t put enough protective coat on or not. (It says to use a thing coat). I’m debating on doing another coat of the protective and seeing what happens. It just seems like it should be smoother for cleaning purposes.
I also agree with the folks that say the kits are not proportioned well. I will have TONS of deglosser and protective coat left in the end! Really wishing I could just buy the bond coat in another color so I can do my bathrooms with the left over product instead of buying another kit!
I’m still up in the air if this product is really much better than using an oil based paint designed for cabinets or not. It seems like a lot more steps involved and the outcome is pretty much the same! Hopefully this product will last without chipping, etc.
Anyone else have issues with the protective topcoat? I knew it dried fast and have been working in small sections, but it just doesn’t seem smooth and some areas dried milky even though they were not white or frothy after application. Also I did not shake the can at all, just stirred it and even tried applying it with a low nap roller.
Use a brush for a better finish
Can you use it on the older cabinets that’s not wood, but that ply stuff?
I’m working on completing my large country kitchen cabinets. For those people that say the top coat doesn’t feel smooth…add another coat or two of the top coat. I did a total of three top coats bc I was looking for a smooth durable finish. Be sure to allow the dry time necessary between coats. I used the toasted almond with glaze and I”m happy with the end results. The project turned out requiring more time then I expected bc of the dry time of each step and between coats. I too had cabinet pieces laying all around bc of a lack of a drying rack. Lots of work but well worth the savings in remodeling $$$. Next step is back splash and new window trim around replaced windows. Oh the job goes on and on….
I’ve recently discovered that with the glaze and top coat one is only able to work when the area is wet. Going back over trouble spot that has been worked with even two minutes ago causes more problems. DO NOT GO BACK OVER ANYTHING FOR ANY REASON just go back one complete step and yet again.
Home depot sell the glaze on its own 14 dollars i think i paid for a large one……
I’m just finishing my upper kitchen cabinets, it has been a crazy amount of work but well worth it! I was not in a hurry when I started the project so I had the luxury of being incredibly organized as far as prep and drying areas. I bought 8′ lengths of 1×2 scraps to raise my doors up off the work surface and actually bought a 6′ folding table for extra work area. Having plenty of work room is crucial to your sanity for sure! I had a friend help me the first day but I’ve done the rest of the work by myself, that’s a great feeling!
does anyone know the best place to buy these kits? I will probably be needing two of the large kits and want to buy these as inexpensively as possible. By the way, all of the pictures look great and I can’t wait to do my cabinets! I bought some old cabinets off of craigslist for a mountain home and I just know they are going to look spectacular!
Dont mean to jump in on blogs etc. But I ran across this while in the process of re-Rustoleum-ing my kitchen. **Long story… fiance picked out the Rustic color when we first moved in. I did the kitchen, but HATED the color. I’m either a dark or light kinda person, no in between for me, and Rustic was rather red for my liking. But I lived with it for about 7 months before I finally admitted it to him and purchased the kit in a different color.** Anyway, I’m in the process of painting my cabinets in Linen over the Rustic I didnt like. (I’m loving the white now in case anyone is wondering!:) With the old color, I didnt use the glaze as I found it actually wiped some of the bond coat off. And when I used the top coat, it streaked terribly. So I used Minwax on it instead. It worked ok, but both of those top coats felt rough and chalky to me. This time I went to the store and the associate recommended the Rustoleum Varathane. I was extremely skeptical, because I wanted to really enjoy my kitchen this time, but this stuff is awesome! I got the full gloss (probably too shiny for others), and it is so smooth to the touch! My 18 month old is really liking the color difference and loves rubbing her hands all over the cabinets that are done. The old color/top coat she doesnt even go near as it is very rough.
Anyway, just thought I’d share the Varathane hint if anyones interested. The top coat in the kit wasnt up to my expectations but the Varathane goes beyond!
I’m in the middle of redoingmy kitchen cabinets. I was wondering if anyone knew if the glaze in all the kits are the same or if the different color. The reason I ask is because I am using quilter’s white. When I apply the glaze to my cabinet doors, I am able to wipe enough off to get the desired color, however, when I glaze the laminate on the cabinet bases and frames, it seems to come out much darker and blotchy. I know home depot now sells the glaze separately and was wondering if they sold a lighter color glaze. Any help would be appreciated
Hi,
I wondered what colors Connie used in the kitchen and bath pictured above?
Thank you!
I have used the Linen on some cabinets and loved it! A trick I found was to dampen a couple of the cloths and have dry ones also. It allowed me to get the color exactly like I wanted it! I also used it on an old wooden bed and it came out great! Now I’m trying to decide what color I want to use on my kitchen cabinets.
I spent several days deglossing my white cabinets(they are made out of a cheap material too)…I started putting my first coat of dark color on the back side of one of my doors ( I choose Cabernet) but it went on really streaky and could see lots of white still in the cabinets….I think it will take alot more than 2 coats to get a dark solid color…Did the degloss not work or what do I need to do? I thought going from white to dark would cover up quick and good but it is not..now I’m scared to do another one…Help!!!
Shala — you need to contact Rust-Oleum customer service directly. Good luck.
Can you put three coats of bond on cabinets? I think mine are going to need it.
Pat – I think you should call the Rust-Oleum customer service line to ask about this. Good luck!