The Goings-On: Cabinet Heartache

She thinks any open cabinet door is a portal to Narnia

What I said last post being a relief we found a stain color that matched the existing cabinets, I take it back. We found a stain that matches the color and finish to the existing very nicely, but it quickly went down hill from there.

It was a stain that had the finish mixed in with it, so you don't need a polyurethane coat afterwards. We didn't really care for that attribute, but it matched so well, we gave it a try. To match the intensity of the color to the existing, we needed to do 3-4 coats. Okay fine, that is expected. The application guide called for brush only application.

The coats begin. The first coat went on uneven and the brushstrokes were very visible. We figured it would get better with additional coats. The color evened out as the coats when on, but the brushstroke marks got more exaggerated with each application, making it rough compared to the existing cabinetry. We tried sanding between coats to smooth things out, but as soon as the next coat went on, back to square one. When sanding a section with the final amount of coats on it, after sanding, the finish was uneven. From a distance it looked alright, but up close it looked terrible. We tested going over the existing parts with stain, but it wouldn't stick and just streak. This stain didn't behave like normal stain, it had a very sticky consistency, probably due to the polyurethane already mixed.

Disgruntled with the mess we had, the primer came out. We painted a section of the cabinets with white primer and looked to each other, okay now what? We have a blank canvas in front of us. First thought was a dark brown to mimic what we had. Most likely an over-reaction to the midnight stain heartbreak, we chose an entirely different color in the kitchen. Remember my comment about the color collision in the kitchen, it could bear one more... (paint fumes and late nights can alter one's judgement)

Blue! We picked a stormy blue from the pantone book and picked up a can at Lowe's. I saw a kitchen redo a few minutes earlier in a blog that inspired the blue choice.

Cracked open the can, and painted one door and one panel. Hmmm... Maybe it will dry darker. *Waits a few hours, paints primer on rest of the cabinets.* Examines the blue again. Crap.

After admitting to each other we don't like it, we go back to the store for another gallon of paint. Blue is still the object of our affection, but to find the right blue. (We actually like the color itself a lot, just not there, on cabinetry. We will find use for it in a future project)