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.
kathy says
I have cabinets that have undergone several paint jobs and they continue to wear and chip. The examples I see are cabinets that are just stained. What is the prep for cabinets that are already sanded?
pam kueber says
kathy — you should contact Rust-Oleum directly to get this information. Good luck.
Peggie says
My cabinets are glossy white and I believe they are laminate, want to do an antique destress cream, but some of the cabinets have been water loged and some are so warn at the bottom and especially around the stove will this process work and would I need to sand the rough edges?
pam kueber says
Peggie, I think you need to contact Rust-Oleum directly with these questions. Good luck!
Lenetta says
Can I do this in a cherry wood look. I have light beige cabinets right now.
Tracy says
I would like to do my bathroom cabinets that are oak and paint them black as my summer project. Does this come in black?
Patty says
I love the look of glazed cabinets, but mine have no molding on them so it wouldn’t look as well. Does the paint hold up well. I mean no chipping after awhile?
Pete says
If we have older oak cabinets will this be thick enough to cover up the grain of the wood if we choose to go with a white color?
pam kueber says
Pete, see the info I recently obtained from Rustoleum about this issue, it’s featured in this page: https://retrorenovation.com/rustoleum-cabinet-transformations/ under “If you are using a light color kit”
David High says
I have standard contractor, white cabinets. Will these kits work on them?
Melissa says
Like Tiffany, what color was used in the demo photos? I think it would look nice in my kitchen.
Tiffany Norman says
Can you tell me what color was used in the tutorial at the top of this page please..I love it!
Connie Irvine says
Hello, Carol – I was wondering if you shook the can of top coat, instead of stirring it. Shaking it will cause bubbles – you have to stir it very gently. I also missed a couple of small areas with the top coat. I don’t know if that was my fault or if the top coat was at fault. At any rate, it was easy to touch up. I’m not sure about how well Liquid Gold would work on this finish. It seems to me that the top coat might prevent the wood from absorbing the oil, but I really doubt whether it would harm the finish. I used Cabinet Transformations on every cabinet in my house, and they still look great. I live in the desert, too – Palm Springs area, so my climate is just like yours. Hope this helps….Connie