She Painted The Honey Oak Cabinets To Match The Walls And The Kitchen Suddenly Looked More Expensive

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The phrase "a fresh coat" of paint may feel like a tired old expression rather than an actual design hack. However, Instagram user @delancey.diy proves otherwise with her amazing kitchen renovation video. Delancy painted her tired old honey oak cabinets to match the walls, and the result was astonishing. "If you've been wanting to change up your kitchen, painting your cabinets has a HUGE impact," she wrote in the video's caption. Instead of looking dated, the space suddenly looked vibrant and fresh, as if it had undergone a complete facelift rather than an inexpensive paint job." Fortunately, Delancey walked her viewers through the process to ensure they could recreate her look if they're feeling inspired.

Start by removing the cabinet doors and drawers and giving them a good scrubbing with a degreaser to make sure you remove any built-up grime, then sand them down. These steps are important to ensure the primer has a good clean surface to adhere to. If you want to completely cover the wood grain, which Delancey did, she recommends using a watered-down wood filler on the front of the cabinets, letting it dry, and then sanding it again before applying the first coat of primer. While it may seem a bit labor intensive, she repeated this process a second time, this time adding a slight tint to the wood filler to see where it had been applied. When it's finally time to paint, Delancey recommends using a sprayer rather than a brush or roller for a more even result, at least for the doors and drawers, if not the cabinet frames. She also advises choosing a high-quality cabinet paint and applying two coats to give it that expensive-looking finish.

The best part about Delancey's DIY is that it's highly cost-effective. Home Depot is a one-stop shopping destination for the project. The retailer offers Kilz Multi-Surface Primer for about $13, and a Gorilla Wood Filler for around $10. The most expensive piece of equipment you might need to buy is the paint sprayer. Home Right's Super Finish Max Handheld Paint Sprayer is about on par with the $60 Delancey said she paid for hers. Finally, a gallon of high-quality cabinet paint will also cost you somewhere in the $50 to $60 range, depending on the brand you choose. But all in, you'll still be saving a fortune by performing the upgrade yourself.

In her kitchen, Delancey painted the cabinets a bright, clean white to match her walls. The result was that the room felt both more spacious and contemporary, with a modern farmhouse vibe. However, her trick could be applied no matter what your wall color. The point is simply to create a seamless flow between the various elements of your space. If you wanted a bit of variance, you could even try painting the cabinets a shade or two lighter or darker than the walls.