Kitchen Update Seven Years in the Making

Some people think the "Old World" kitchen is on its way out of style but after touring several Parade of Homes last month I was relieved to see the look is still going strong. Yes, there were a number of homes with contemporary designs, clean lines, and even an art-deco feel; but "Old World" still made a strong showing. I noticed an update was to paint the kitchen island or buffet a different color than the cabinets.
Reassured I wasn't making a style faux pas, I finally put a mocha glaze on my maple cabinets and painted my kitchen island red. Many of the blogs I follow show all white kitchens. They are beautiful, crisp, and have an airy feeling, but I love color. Plus, I have 3 little chicks who would wreak havoc on an all-white kitchen.

Before - maple cabinets and island with just a light stain.

We built our home seven years ago and the cheap builder's-grade clear coat failed and left much to be desired. Several of the cabinets and drawers had these scratch-looking water marks that I couldn't seem to get rid of. I can't believe I put this project off for so long. Look at those drawers - ugh! I kept them clean, but they were well worn.

Our weapons of choice:

Judd applied two coats of primer on the island. Since we were painting it red we used a blue-tinted primer for better coverage.

We chose Allen and Roth for Valspar paint in "Bodega". We took the paint chip to Sherwin-Williams because they could color match it and had red-based tintable paint for better coverage and deeper color. Over the years we've learned if using a deep color, such as red, don't use regular paint with the color recipe added to it (which is what would happen if purchased it at Lowe's). If going that route, it will take layer after layer after layer after layer to slowly build up the depth of color desired. But, if the paint starts out with a red tint prior to the color recipe being added to it, the desired depth of color is reached in only two coats (sorry no picture of the can of pain). Then, I applied three layers of clear coat and hope that's enough to ward off those pesky water spots in the future.

After -

For the cabinets I used Valspar Translucent Color Glaze in Mocha. I brushed on some glaze with a chip brush and used a cloth to rub off the excess while concentrating the color in the frame and moulding details. After the glaze dried (about 48 hours) I applied three coats of Kel-Thane II Waterborne Interior Clear Coat. I applied five coats on the cabinets below the kitchen sink since that area contained the most water marks in the old clear coat.

We love our updated kitchen. It looks richer, deeper, and more colorful with noticeable details. Yes, we should have done this years ago, but at least we finally accomplished the look we've wanted.