Chalk paint for anything

I have chalk painted anything from old dressers, stepstools, old hutches, kitchen tables and my two year old kitchen cabinets. Chalk paint is the best thing ever invented. My friend Chelsey first introduced me too it and I have been in love since. The recipe I use is 2 cups of latex paint, 5 tbs of Plaster Paris, 3tbsp of water.(Don't go buy the expensive chalk paint, this recipe works every bit as good and is lots cheaper) After years of using this I've learned you should combine Plaster of Paris and water first and use a wire whisk to mix them together and get all the clumps out and then add to latex paint and stir well. If you don't do this you will end up with clumps in your paint. The best part about this paint is you don't have to sand first.. That's honestly what sold me on the chalk paint. I wouldn't refinish near as many things if I had to sand first.... I hate sanding!!!
 I absolutely love white kitchen cabinets and I kick myself every day that I didn't just spend the extra money and do all white in my kitchen. I don't understand why the paint grade cabinets are more expensive than the stain grade.... but oh well. My island cabinets where originally black and I wanted to lighten up my kitchen a little so after contemplating it for awhile one day I decided to just do it.

Here's another picture of my kitchen from a different angle.

 

     I started on the back because it's just regular old bead board and that way if I decided I didn't like it I would just paint it back black. I had just gotten started and my husband called. I asked my daughter to answer it... The first words out of her mouth were, "Dad, Mom's painting the cabinets." I'm not one to keep secrets from my husband, but since I was just going to do the bead board I didn't think I needed to stress him out with asking first lol. (He say's I give him anxiety with all my projects!) The only thing he said was, "You know the cabinets are only two years old, right??" He's such a good sport though and trusts me with my  crazy ideas.
     I had to do 3 coats of paint on the bead board. I will warn you when you do the 1st coat you start to freak out a little because it doesn't look good at all. Before doing the next coat the 1st layer needs to be totally dry. I finished the bead board and was in love!!! But I decided I wouldn't make any rash decisions (because I tend to do that) and wait until my husband got home and see what he thought and see how I felt about it in the morning.

                                                    I know this picture isn't the best but you can see the difference!!!

     I woke up and loved it even more so I went ahead and took off all the cabinets doors, drawer faces, handles and knobs and started painting away.


     I can't remember for sure if I ended up doing 3 or 4 coats. I am in love with the antique, vintage look so before I put the varnish on I used a piece of sandpaper and distressed everything just a little.  Once all of the paint was dry I used a polyacrylic varnish (2-3 coats). Make sure you use a water base varnish on paint because if you use polyurethane, which is an oil base varnish it will turn whatever you are painting yellow. ( I know this from experience.)

   
    It's been a little over a month since I painted my kitchen island and so far I love it. My biggest worry was if they would be durable and so far I can say they have. My girls have defiantly put them to the test and they are holding up great.



Before

                                                                   After