Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

  • Home
  • Decorating/DIY
    • Create Your Decor
    • Decorate Your Home
    • Paint Your Walls
    • Transform Your Furniture
  • Healthy Living
    • Essential Oils
    • Family Wellness
    • Household Care
  • Project Gallery
  • Contact
You are visiting: Home » Giveaways & Product Reviews » Transforming Your Kitchen Cabinets {and More!}

Transforming Your Kitchen Cabinets {and More!}

by Lindsay Ballard on February 28, 2011 129 Comments

This post is sponsored by Rustoleum.

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to refresh your kitchen is to give the cabinets a little face lift.  Sometimes, a little change such as adding/changing the hardware on the doors and drawers is enough.  However, he majority of the time, a fresh coat of paint or a new stain on the cabinets makes the biggest impact.

If you are like me, you’ve seen fabulous kitchens all over Blogland transformed by washing, stripping, sanding, priming, painting, and using a lot of elbow grease.  While the outcome is usually gorgeous, I get nervous thinking about doing all of those steps exactly right so as not to really mess up the largest focal point of one of the most used rooms in the home.  Yep, I’m scared.

In early February, Rust-Oleum hosted me in New Orleans for a little hands-on time with a new product designed to take the worry out of updating your kitchen cabinets – Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations.  They promised no sanding, no stripping, and no priming with the new product, and I wanted to call their bluff.

Okay, not really.  The Rust-Oleum family of brands includes some of my favorite products, including my beloved Zinsser line of primers, so I figure they know what they are talking about.

The Cabinet Transformations product is a kit sold in home improvement stores (it’s definitely at Lowe’s and Home Depot).  It’s a water-based, multi-purpose product for use on wood, laminate, melamine and metal.  You take the kit up to the paint counter and ask them to tint it in one of 35 different colors – which becomes 70 when you add the optional decorative glaze.

Then, you take it home and get to work.  The process is four steps and it’s really no more difficult than painting and wiping.


The product experts at Rust-Oleum demonstrated how to use the product and then put us to work ourselves.  It was honestly no more difficult than the above instructions.  The Cabinet Transformations kit comes with an instructional DVD or you can watch it here.

Hey, that’s me!

I have absolutely zero complaints about this product, and I honestly do recommend it.  I even tried to scratch some of the dried sample cabinets with my fingernail to see if the paint would come off, but it didn’t leave any sort of mark.  Shhh…don’t tell the Rust-Oleum people that I tried to destroy their cabinets.  But, in case you don’t want to just take my word for it (Gah! The nerve!), check out these testimonials – including my favorite transformation by Savannah:

Before

After

Doesn’t that look great?  You can’t really tell in these photos, but the decorative glaze makes a big difference when used over the bond coat.  When transforming your cabinets using the lighter colors, I recommend using a light hand with the glaze and really just work it into the corners instead of spreading it all over.  Perhaps it’s just the aesthetic that I am drawn to, but I thought it looked best that way.

The Cabinet Transformations kit comes in 2 sizes – Small (covers 100 sq ft, like a condo) and Large (covers 200 sq ft, like an average kitchen) – and has the suggested retail price of $79.99 and $149.99 respectively.  Upon first glance, the price seems a little spendy, but once I calculated the cost of sandpaper + primer + paint + protective coating + a lot more time, I decided that it was well worth the price.

Also, since this product can be used on so many different surfaces, there are many other items you can transform with the kit, such as LAMINATE FURNITURE! See?  An (easier) way to paint laminate furniture than my original tutorial.  Woo hoo!  I know all of you who have been emailing me about your laminate bookcases and dressers are doing a happy dance right about now.

Does this sound like a product that you would use?  I’d love to get your opinion and answer any questions you may have in the comments – and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll get in touch with the fine folks at Rust-Oleum and find the answer for you.

P.S. We also got a hands-on experience with the sister product, Countertop Transformations.  I’ll review that one for you in an upcoming post.

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

« Born With a Silver{plate} Spoon on my Wrist
DIY Rosette Embellished Pillow »

Comments

  1. ashley says

    February 28, 2011 at 10:33 am

    ok…so my cabinets in my kitchen are an awful light wood. Your saying this wood work on that??!! also my bathroom cabinets are painted(like that when we moved in). it would work on those too?? Say it aint so!! This could be so exciting

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 28, 2011 at 9:51 pm

      Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying! As long as the paint on your bathroom cabinets isn’t in bad shape (i.e., peeling or cracking), you don’t have to sand or anything. It’s amazing.

      Reply
  2. Erin says

    February 28, 2011 at 11:00 am

    Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. Right now I live in an apparently and I am not doing anything to the cabinets but when we go to buy a house in the hopefully near future I will defiantly have a fugly kitchen that will need a painting. I might try this instead. (I have painted wooden cabinets before and it is A LOT of work). I wonder if its available in Canada yet or ill I will have to cross boarders to get it. Is there anything about having to clean the cabinets before hand with TSP or the like? or does the deglosser also degrease?
    thanks so much for the post and the info!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 28, 2011 at 9:59 pm

      Hey Erin! The deglosser will probably be okay unless the previous homeowner did a whole lot of frying in the kitchen. If it seems like the cabinets have grease on them, I’d probably use a degreaser just in case (and I’d probably use something like Simple Green instead of TSP just for the odor factor!).

      I’m not sure if its available in Canada, but I will find out for you!

      Reply
    • Maggie says

      March 6, 2018 at 7:30 pm

      Yes, it is available in Canada at HomeHardware and Home Depot for sure. I am planning on redoing mu cabinets with and the local (Northern Alberta) HomeHardware store has it is stock.

      Reply
  3. Katherine says

    February 28, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    I can hardly believe my eyes! My husband brought home a brochure from the home improvement store and I was so skeptical but your before & after has my head spinning!

    I’m definitely going to do my kitchen and I’m also thinking that this would be PERFECT for staircase! Can you picture the re-do of banister and hand rails? It would be so much easier than sanding and refinishing!!!

    Thanks so much for sharing!!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 28, 2011 at 9:59 pm

      I didn’t even consider the banister and hand rails, but I agree it would be a great product for that application. I like the way you think!

      Reply
    • Sheila says

      February 20, 2013 at 8:35 pm

      I know this an old post but wondering if iu did your banister and staircase? I’d love to know how it turned out!

      Thanks
      Sheila

      Reply
    • Stephanie says

      October 3, 2016 at 11:05 am

      My thoughts exactly!

      Reply
  4. Erin says

    February 28, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    I recently saw this product while browsing around Home Depot. I despise my kitchen cabinets and have been looking for an affordable way to re-do them! Thank you your post on the product…I am so happy to hear great things about it!
    I do have some questions though…is there sanding required before applying the product? And how fast does it dry? I have a toddler and would need to get this done in a good time frame!
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 28, 2011 at 10:11 pm

      Hey Erin! Nope, no sanding (unless the paint/finish on your cabinets is in bad condition – peeling, flaking, etc)! It rocks. As far as drying time, I think it needs to dry a few hours between each coat and then 24 hours for full use.

      Reply
      • Erin says

        February 28, 2011 at 11:36 pm

        Thanks again for the info! I can’t wait to tackle this project this summer when the weather is better!

        Reply
  5. CarrieJo says

    February 28, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    they look GREAT! what a difference! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Amy says

    February 28, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    We’re thinking about a remodel and this would be great for our kitchen cabinets. We’ll be for sure looking into this! Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Kristen says

    February 28, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Um, yes! We’ve been putting off painting the kitchen cabinets for 2 years now cause I just don’t want to do it. But they need it and we are moving soon, so they REALLY need it! 🙂 Thanks for the heads up.

    Reply
  8. Sure Fit Inc. says

    February 28, 2011 at 6:13 pm

    Amazing Results!! The Before and After pics are great! Look like new cabinets, Says a lot for the product.
    Sure Fit Slipcovers

    Reply
  9. Melanie says

    February 28, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Our home’s previous homeowners had an ‘interesting’ color perspective… to say the least. The stained the base of our cabinets a redwood color and painted the doors black. I’ve been dying to refinish them but haven’t wanted to go through all the effort of the HUGE overtaking that would be sand, prime, paint, etc…

    Would this product work well in lightening the black cabinets? I would prefer a much more natural look.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 28, 2011 at 10:15 pm

      Hi Melanie- Yes, I do believe it would work for the dark cabinets. You would probably want to use two coats of the bond coat, just to be sure the black was fully covered.

      I can’t even visualize black doors on redwood cabinets! LOL

      Reply
  10. Jody says

    February 28, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    Thanks for sharing. Finally something to make that job EASIER! Would love to try it sometime for our cabinets.

    Reply
  11. laurenjanelle says

    February 28, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    I’m really excited about their countertop transformations along with these cabinet tranformations.

    Reply
  12. Cheryl says

    February 28, 2011 at 10:38 pm

    Why didn’t I see this yesterday before I ruined a perfectly good laminate bookcase by painting it incorrectly….

    Reply
  13. Cara says

    February 28, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    I am so intrigued by this product! We upgraded our kitchen cabinets to dark cherry when we moved in, but now I’m wanting white. This might be a good way to do it!

    Reply
    • Tricia says

      August 9, 2012 at 3:10 pm

      Cara – I also want to lighten my dark cherry cabinets to the creamy, worn look – am interested in how yours came out 🙂

      Reply
  14. meryl says

    March 1, 2011 at 2:23 am

    Hi, I just started following your posts! This product sounds amazing. I’ve been putting a lot of thought into painting my cabinets, too. A while ago, I did my parents’ kitchen and thinking back on all that tedious work made me not want to do my own place. But with this stuff…I just may reconsider.

    Thanks for the info!

    Reply
  15. Tiffany says

    March 1, 2011 at 5:26 am

    That is an amazing transformation!

    Reply
  16. Jenny W says

    March 1, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    Thanks for sharing this information! I have been wanting to paint our kitchen cabinets but my husband is not too keen on the idea. Perhaps this product would sway him to my idea. My cabinets are a blonde oak with lots of wood grain. Would the wood grain show through the paint?

    Reply
  17. Valarie @ Our Sequestered Nook says

    March 1, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    Oh man, I cannot wait to try this out! I have a huge armoire that needs a new look. And, we just moved into a new house and I’m starting to think we need to change things in the kitchen. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  18. Anna @ The Owl & The Phoenix says

    March 1, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    I am super excited about this product, since it says it can be used on laminate. My question is, has anyone seen it on laminate? All the pictures/testimonials I’ve been able to find are wood cabinets. My cabs are the awful 80’s white laminate with oak trim. Blech!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:52 am

      I haven’t actually seen it on laminate personally. But, I will say that Rust-Oleum makes my beloved Zinsser primer, which is what I use on laminate, so they are the experts!

      Reply
  19. Brianna says

    March 1, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    ok so this is amazing, I have been staring at my kitchen cabinets for two years trying to get the guts to paint them cream, but this is even better!!! We wanted a darker finish instead of the oak it came with and this sounds waaay easier that painting them!!! How does this work though on the sides of the cabinet that can’t be removed? Will it be drippy and get everywhere?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:52 am

      Hey Brianna! This product has excellent “vertical adhesion” – doesn’t that sound scientific-y? In other words, it won’t drip down your cabinets and all that yucky business.

      Reply
  20. Val says

    March 1, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    OK, so I know I’m bucking the trend but my kitchen has been white for the last 10 years so I wanted to use this stuff in the Espresso or Kona finish to make it dark & redo my blah laminate counters too. Thanks for posting this because I’ve been really hesitant if this stuff would cover the white cabinets & that is exactly what your example shows it can do! I think I’m going for it – I’m sure dark kitchens will be “in” again soon LOL!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:50 am

      Girl, I have a dark kitchen, too, and I just love it. Buck the “trends” and do what YOU love!

      Reply
  21. Cindy says

    March 2, 2011 at 12:43 am

    Hey Lindsay!
    I saw this product at home depot the other day and wondered if it worked. We are getting new cabinets installed maybe next week, I think my husband said they would be maple, and they will be unfinished so we would have to stain them. Is this something we can use instead of staining? or would it be easier/cheaper just to get a stain?
    I heard staining is pretty hard to get right so we were thinking of hiring someone but if it’s more affordable and easier with this I would much rather save the money for stainless appliances 😉

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:50 am

      Hi Cindy! I think if you are starting with unfinished cabinets, you will want to prime first or just stain. I actually asked one of the Rust-Oleum guys that exact question in New Orleans. I’m afraid that the unfinished wood would just suck up the base coat. That’s so exciting that you are getting all new cabinets installed!

      Reply
  22. Chris says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    After reading this my husband and I decided to use this product on our kitchen. We are going to start out by doing our island black to see if we really like it and if so we will do the rest of the cabinets in white. I am so excited! I have done 2 bathroom cabinets with paint and primer and it took forever and isn’t wearing real well. If this works like I am hoping I plan to redo both the bathroom cabinets and some furniture as well with it! Thanks so much for sharing this. Chris

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:47 am

      I love that idea!

      Reply
  23. Ruth says

    March 3, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I wish I knew about this product a couple of months ago when I painted our kitchen cabinets. I am going to use this when I redo my mom’s cabinets. I can’t wait to try it.

    Ruth

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 6, 2011 at 11:41 am

      It’s an exciting product! My sister has already recruited me to come to Florida and do her cabs.

      Reply
  24. Chris says

    March 9, 2011 at 8:04 am

    Did you happen to see a demo with this stuff on metal? I have a 70’s green desk that I love for storage – but I am so over the color.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 9, 2011 at 8:36 am

      Hey Chris! I didn’t personally see it on metal. However, one of the gals who was there specializes in mid-century metal kitchen cabinets and asked a lot about it. They told her to scuff up the metal first so the bond coat would adhere well. Also, know that it will give you a satin finish and not a high-gloss finish.

      Pam’s comments on painting the metal with Transformations can be found within her post on the product here: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/02/16/repaint-your-kitchen-cabinets-without-sanding-with-hiqh-quality-adhesion-and-great-looksfor-150-or-les/

      Reply
  25. Lindsay says

    March 9, 2011 at 8:36 am

    Hey Chris! I didn’t personally see it on metal. However, one of the gals who was there specializes in mid-century metal kitchen cabinets and asked a lot about it. They told her to scuff up the metal first so the bond coat would adhere well. Also, know that it will give you a satin finish and not a high-gloss finish.

    Pam’s comments on painting the metal with Transformations can be found within her post on the product here: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/02/16/repaint-your-kitchen-cabinets-without-sanding-with-hiqh-quality-adhesion-and-great-looksfor-150-or-les/

    Reply
  26. Robin says

    March 10, 2011 at 2:01 am

    Wish I could use this! We just got done re-finishing our cabinet doors. They don’t look great just better than they did. They were a dark green with creme crackle. Ugh just white and shiny now. Saving this tip for the next house!

    Reply
  27. Dee says

    March 10, 2011 at 8:46 am

    Lindsay,

    What a transformation! I’m impressed.

    Dee

    Reply
  28. Julie says

    March 10, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    Saw this product advertised on diy network. Our kitchen cabinets are SOOO ugly. Wondering if I could use it on them. I’m not even sure they are real wood, and they have a really bad fake wood grain glued to the fronts of the doors and drawers. Not what I usually think of when someone says laminate. Is it? So excited to think I might actually be able to use this product.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 15, 2011 at 9:31 pm

      That definitely sounds like laminate to me!

      Reply
  29. diana says

    March 13, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    I saw this product today and almost bought it but the fact that I don’t have real wood cabinets kept me from getting it. I have plywood with a sort of laminate over it and they are a very deep dark brown. Although this color/trend is starting to come back, I bought new wood flooring in a chestnut color and thought that I should lighten the cabinet color first. Does anyone have pictures of this product being used on “laminate” like cabinetry? Thanks!

    Reply
  30. Lisa says

    March 15, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    I too am interested to see if anyone has used this on laminate faced cabinets. My cabinets have the same laminate glued to them as the countertop. Replacing them… or even refacing them would cost me thousands of dollars. I have purchased the kit but can not decide which color to go with. I currently have white cabinets but am thinking of chocolate or espresso to compliment the new Wilsonart Jeweled Coral countertop. Has anyone used either of these colors? Pictures would be wonderful… and would love if someone would share with me. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Christie says

      September 18, 2013 at 3:21 pm

      Lisa,
      Did you find a good color to go with the Jeweled Coral countertop? I just bought them and want to make sure I get a good pairing.

      Reply
  31. Sascha Lafleur says

    March 20, 2011 at 10:10 am

    Hi Lindsay, I wondered if you knew what finish was chosen for the cabinets shown above?

    Reply
  32. susan says

    June 18, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Are there “paint chips” available so you can look at the colors in your kitchen before deciding on a color? The local Lowes only carries a few colors so we would need to decide based on very small pictures in the brochure.

    Thank you for your wonderful website!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 18, 2011 at 10:52 pm

      Hi Susan! As of the last time I checked, there are not paint chips available. That was actually one of the suggestions we made to Rustoleum when we went to the Transformations event. Hopefully, that is something they are working on.

      Reply
  33. Becky says

    July 5, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    Hey. My husband and I have looked at this product many times in the home improvement store and even did some research online, but was not quite convinced to try it until I came across your site. I am still a little hesitant b/c our kitchen cabinets have been polyurethaned to DEATH by the previous owners. I swear they used 5 coats or more and didn’t bother to remove any of the tacky hardware. Just polyurathaned right over top of it all. I can’t even change out the hardware unless I buy the exact same design because when I remove the hardware, I have uncolored wood underneath. So, first, can I even use this product over top of polyurethane without sanding it? Second, will it matter that there are bare spots where the hardware was? Do you think this will cause the cabinets to be different colors in these spots? Your insight would be greatly appreciated. I have delt with these horrible cabinets for 12 years because the thought of all the work & costs to change them just overwhelms me! This product seems soo much more simpler and cost effective.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      July 6, 2011 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Becky-

      It sounds like you have quite the cabinets on your hands!

      I think you could probably use this product right over the poly, but I’d probably try to give it a light sand just to be safe. I think the color would be consistent because the basecoat is nice and thick.

      There’s always the option to replace the cabinet doors if the boxes are okay. Have y’all considered that option? It definitely wouldn’t be as cheap as the Rustoleum Transformations product, but it’s another option.

      Reply
      • Becky says

        July 7, 2011 at 5:23 pm

        That is an option that I have not thought of, but definitely will consider. I am so glad that I googled “how to paint laminate” and came across your site. You have truly inspired me to paint a couple dressers and redecorate my boys rooms. Reading your posts have taken most of the “scariness” out of it and makes me feel like I can actually accomplish it. =) Thanks for responding! God Bless!

        Reply
  34. Kim says

    July 23, 2011 at 11:32 pm

    Hello,

    I just completed the bonding coats in the Kona color (covering white in my bathroom) Questions, is there a difference if applying the glaze to the Kona color? My cabinets are laminate and melamine. How will the glaze affect the Kona color on this surface? Didn’t want to go through the process of glazing if would not make a difference. I can see the difference in the lighter colors on the samples, but not on the dark color. Any imput would be great! THANKS!

    Reply
  35. Alicia Carroll says

    August 25, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    Hi,
    This product sounds amazing! One question: I have a mid-century china cabinet that is covered in veneer with an oil-based finish. Could I use this product over an oil-based finish?
    Many thanks for your fantastic web site!
    Alicia

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 30, 2011 at 1:52 pm

      Hi Alicia- I definitely think you could!

      Reply
  36. Regay says

    September 22, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    I have white vainer cabinets in my bathroom that are peeling off (actually it looks like a white plastic coating) on all the edges. Would this be a good idea to use on the ply wood underneath? Also, is it easy to remove the vainer?

    Reply
    • Bob Shacklett says

      April 23, 2012 at 3:57 pm

      My wife and I redid the white cabinets in our bathroom. We pulled off the plastic coating very easily and then used the Rustoleum kit to stain it with a Kona finish. It looks great!

      Reply
  37. Christine Miller says

    October 1, 2011 at 1:01 pm

    Hi,

    I have researched this product and would love to paint my kitchen cabinets, they are painted white. Can you paint Transformations over an oil based paint? Does it need any other prep work? Thanks

    Reply
  38. Patti says

    October 5, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Hi,

    I have an old solid maple kitchen table that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. The finish on top is totally gone and the matching chairs have really lost their luster. Can the cabinet transformation be used on furniture like this? Right now I can’t afford to have them professionally refinished but would like to give them a new updated look. Thanks.

    Reply
  39. Tracey says

    October 10, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    Hello,
    I am in the early phases of “thinking” about redoing my cabinets. Trouble here is the laminate has worn in places and the pressed board underneath is exposed in places. How do you prep these areas? Is there any sort of bond to cover over the are with? I have quite large cabinets that I would love to update replacing is not an option
    Thanks,
    Tracey.

    Reply
  40. Becca says

    November 21, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    I’d love to see the countertop version! I think I’ve decided I’m definitely using the cabinet product on my dark, 70’s beadboard kitchen.

    Reply
  41. Clarisse says

    December 27, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    Hi , could you let me know if this product is available in South AFrica? and who I can contact in SA if it is available. If not could I buy it from yourselves and would it be able to get delivered to me. Obviously cost of transport would be added.

    thanking you
    clarisse

    Reply
  42. nina says

    December 29, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    I’ve been googling the best way to paint my old laminate/cheap armoire. Thank you for this post!

    Reply
  43. Andrew says

    January 2, 2012 at 11:04 am

    Great post, anyone here ever use this on actual indoor stairs? I’m thinking this could be perfect but not sure how it would hold up to the foot traffic. Any thoughts are much appreciated!

    Reply
  44. Gina says

    January 8, 2012 at 10:14 am

    Laminate? Has anyone yet used this on laminate? Would love to hear the good, bad and ugly. Speaking of ugly, have you seen my cabinets??? : )

    Reply
  45. Hannah says

    January 31, 2012 at 3:00 pm

    I DESPERATELY need a cabinet makeover. However, my cabinets are already dark… and I want to go lighter… like a cream. Is that possible with this product?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 1, 2012 at 7:09 pm

      Hi Hannah- Yes, you can go from dark to light. I even saw it demonstrated at Lowe’s just the other day. Their cabinets started cherry and they painted them one of the lighter cream colors. Good luck!

      Reply
  46. Kristi says

    February 3, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    I have this product in my kitchen. The difference in the look is night and day. My cabinets were cheap apartment pressed board circa. 1980’s. Yuck. The new color is off white with antique stain over the top… on the pic in the article, top row middle. The antique step is labor intensive and you can see mistakes. WORK QUICKLY! Two sets of hands are REQUIRED! Patience! It will take time for all the steps to dry. It is more than a weekend project in a small kitchen. Use new brushes or clean all your brushes well. The end result is very worth the work!! New hardware and the whole kitchen looks like brand new custom cabinets. They are beautiful, don’t scratch easy and easy to clean. LOVE! Also like that there was extra product… can do more than just cabinets or do a practice piece. I used it on the bathroom vanity. Have an ugly piece of furniture? (my bathroom vanity ) Use this product!

    Reply
  47. otter says

    February 4, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    love it me and my wife did our kitchen and love it. Espresso is a great color and the glaze does wonder’s even on the dark color. I did have a few dings in my doors after glazing so I touched up the spot’s with bond coat and now i can’t get the glaze to stick…any suggestions from anyone. If not i contacted rustoleum by e-mail……great product night and day difference.

    Reply
  48. Maria says

    February 8, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    Hey Lindsay, my kitchen cabinet doors are real wood, and the rest is laminat. STINKS! Well they are like a light wood color I was wondering if I wanted to go like a cherry red type of color would it matter if just the doors are real wood and the rest is laminat. Would it look obvious one is lamenat and the doors are would?Would you reccomend me buying the doors in lamenat to be on the safe side?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 8, 2012 at 5:08 pm

      Hi Maria- I honestly think they would be absolutely fine. However, why don’t you give Rustoleum a call? They could definitely give you the right answer. The number is 1-888-577-8459. Good luck!

      Reply
  49. Pat says

    February 10, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    My cabinets are circa 1989 and dark blue laminate. Biggest problem is that pieces of the laminate have come off the particleboard structure. I recognize that I need to re-glue the laminate but can no longer match the colour. My plan was to take any laminate colour I can find, re-model my cupboards and repaint them. This product sounds like it might work for me but wanted to be sure. My cupboards are not wood cupboards, they are blue laminate that is pretty smooth but with a slightly porous texture so it doesnt show fingerprints and smudges. So wondering if this is the right product for my cupboards. Thanks

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 16, 2012 at 5:02 pm

      Pat, I think it would work great for you!

      Reply
  50. Melinda says

    February 10, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Thanks for posting this! So excited! This is just what I’ve been looking for to refinish my cabinets. Do you know what color was used on the cabinets in your before and after picture? Thanks : )

    Reply
  51. Misty says

    February 26, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    I was wondering if this could be used and still give the rustic distressed look to a piece of furniture?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 27, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      Hi Misty- I don’t think this product would distress well.

      Reply
  52. Carrie says

    February 29, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    I already have painted cabinets… They are the wood like stuff where you buy the cabinets already built. Not really sure what the material is, but would this work on mine? Thanks!!!!

    Reply
  53. Carol says

    March 2, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    How do you know what colour, I was hoping for something like a dark cherry wood. the expresso may be to dark. Has anyone tried coco, or almond. Colour carernet looks like a chery wood in the flier, but looks red on the internet. Thanks for helping….

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 5, 2012 at 9:34 pm

      Carol, I’d go with what you see printed in the flier. There are so many problems with computer monitors not being adjusted for proper color. That’s why I never choose a paint color or anything like that just by what I see online.

      Reply
  54. dee says

    March 2, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    oH THANK YOU GOD FOR BRINGING THIS PERSON ONLINE i HAVE WANTED TO REDO CABINETS FOR YEARS BUT TO DAM MUCH TROUBLE AND i DID SEE THIS IN HOME DEPOT JUST THIS WEEK AND HAVE NOT GOTTON IT OUT OF MY HEAD SO OFF i GO AND NEXT WEEK MY CABINETS ANEW, YEAAAAAAA thank you.

    Reply
  55. Stephanie says

    March 7, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Just did my bathroom cabinets and they look great! The products were easy to use and I have tons left over for my laundry room and another bathroom. I would highly recommend this product!

    Reply
  56. Michelle says

    March 10, 2012 at 8:10 am

    Used it on a laminate bathroom vanity..works great..looks like real wood now..super easy.Also did a few wood pieces amazing!! Wood grain shows through Will be doing my 30 year old kitchen cabinets next..This product is the best thing since sliced bread..Don,t think it will make the cabinet makers too happy though LOL…Follow instructions and have patience…Will use over and over………….

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 11, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad that it worked so well for you!

      Reply
  57. Dave Hart says

    March 10, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    Have you by any change worked with the counter top kit yet? My wife and I were wondering about it. We have a green counter she is not to fond of.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 11, 2012 at 10:20 pm

      Hi Dave- I have worked with it, and it’s very easy to apply. I used to have a green counter, so I feel her pain!

      Reply
  58. mary says

    March 10, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    we were just in Home Depot looking at this product and the sales person said that the wood grain wouldn’t show through. I didn’t want to give up or destroy my actual wood cabinets with something that would eventually look worse once the paint started to go. My question is, is this more of a paint or a stain? And does it work with the natural wood grain?

    Thanks,

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 11, 2012 at 10:15 pm

      There are two products now. One is called Cabinet Transformations Cabinet Coating, and it is like a paint and the wood grain will not show through as much. The new one, called Cabinet Transformations Wood Refinishing, is more like a stain and the wood grain will show through. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  59. Jennifer says

    March 13, 2012 at 7:53 am

    Hey!
    I was curious, do you think you could use this on base boards? We have these ugly white baseboards all through our house and I was hoping to stain them a better color, but didn’t want to go through all of the trouble! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 19, 2012 at 3:27 pm

      Hey Jennifer- I don’t see why you couldn’t!

      Reply
  60. Melissa says

    March 15, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Hello, what a pleasure to stumble upon your fabulous site, thank you for doing it yourself and then sharing it with others, I for one am grateful. I want to paint over my charcoal laminated kitchen and give it a more french country look and I want to paint my mahogany furniture in antique light colours and transform my whole house to look like a french provincial country style home. Boy am I going to need your help!!! I am based in Perth Western Australia so I’m not sure if I can get the products you use but I am sure there is something similar here. I feel really inspired so I will be visiting your site regularly as I can afford it of course!! Thank you again and I love your work! cheers Melissa 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 19, 2012 at 3:27 pm

      Wonderful, Melissa! What a fun transformation!

      Reply
  61. kathleen says

    May 3, 2012 at 1:08 am

    I was wondering if you could use this product to redo an older light oak kitchen table and chairs? The light oak color is outdated now and it seems like so much work to try and sand the spindle legs etc. Would the paint tend to easily come off with everyday cleaning & kids?

    Reply
  62. Lynne Hackett says

    July 12, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    Lindsay,

    How did you get into my kitchen??? I have those same cabinets! I’m amazed I didn’t run into you at some point. I hate my cabinets. You just gave me hope.

    Your work is beautiful. Be very proud of yourself. It’s an amazing house!

    Thanks for your ideas.

    Lynne

    Reply
  63. Julie says

    July 18, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    Hello!
    I stumbled upon you on Pinterest; how lucky I am!! I think this may be exactly what I need to do with my light 1960’s style cabinets in my kitchen!!!! I look forward to taking on this challenge, thanks to you!!!

    Reply
  64. Marion Pollak says

    July 22, 2012 at 9:30 am

    My husband and I just bought our new OLD house (1968) last week. The first thing I said was we were re-purposing the cabinets. They are going to be painted and we can buy new hardware. It will save us a lot of money. A few days later I spotted this product in Walmart and thought this would be great and looks very easy. I am so glad I saw your Pin and read your blog. I dreaded the thought of repainting but, this sounds so easy that I am going to buy it. I am so excited and can’t wait to make my 1968 cabinets look new again.

    Reply
  65. Emily says

    September 8, 2012 at 10:49 am

    Hi Lindsay,

    This looks like a great product.

    I have oak color kitchen cabinets that I want to make a darker color. But I also want to put on new doors. Do you know if I would get the same color from the product on the oak cabinets as I would on unfinished new wood doors?

    Thanks,
    Emily

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      September 11, 2012 at 2:14 pm

      Hi Emily – You would have the exact same color on the unfinished wood doors and the new doors. The “base coat” is quite thick.

      Reply
  66. Brenda says

    September 15, 2012 at 2:57 am

    I still have my bedroom set from my teens that is a terrible faux wood laminate. It has a chest of drawers (4 drawers), a 6 drawer dresser, and a nightstand. I was wondering what size kit would suit this project? Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      September 15, 2012 at 8:56 am

      Hi Brenda!

      I would probably go for the large kit, but I don’t really know. I think you should measure them and figure out how many square feet you have to transform. They have the coverage area listed on the box. That would be the best way to make sure you weren’t buying too much or too little.

      Good luck!

      Reply
  67. Louis says

    October 3, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    I have kitchen cabinets i was planning on using this on, my only question is the cabinets with an outside edge have the woodgrain “sticker”/laminate if you will. How do i go about this with these pieces ?

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      October 4, 2012 at 8:42 pm

      Hi Louis-

      I’m fairly certain you would just paint it the same way as the rest of the cabinets. However, I’d advise you giving Rustoleum a call, as they have probably tested on that type of surface before. You can reach them at 888-577-8459.

      Reply
  68. nate says

    October 26, 2013 at 11:32 pm

    hi I think this stuff sounds great but im wondering how the finish will turn out because my cabinets are white melamine but are trimmed out with a redwood colored hardwood real 80’s style..so I wasnt sure if it would all flow together once its painted..what do you think?

    Reply
  69. Melissa says

    March 16, 2014 at 11:34 am

    Do you have to apply this with a paint brush or could you use a roller or a sprayer also?

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      March 17, 2014 at 9:39 pm

      Hi Melissa – You can do it either way. If you want to glaze the whole piece, you’ll want to use a paint brush because the glaze settles into the brush strokes. If you only want the one color, you can use a roller or a sprayer.

      Reply
  70. mary williams says

    April 27, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    has anyone tried this on metal cabinets, I have metal and cannot afford to replace but they so need to be painted. let me know. Thanks

    Reply
  71. Molly says

    May 31, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    I saw this product today and would love to use it. My concern is that my cabinets have already been painted once. Do people think it would still work effectively?

    Reply
  72. Roxy Venegas says

    December 27, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    I have a question, the home we purchased has the cheap cabinets(partical wood) with the plastic on top, I think. Would this work on my cabinets? Would I have to remove the top layer then start the project? Ive seen many transformations and I love the results, just not sure if I could benefit from using this product as well.

    Thank you,
    Roxy

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      December 28, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Roxy – You’d be able to use it as is – no need to remove anything! 🙂

      Reply
  73. Ronda says

    January 1, 2015 at 11:45 am

    Hi Lindsay, Just came across your site and I love it! I am getting ready to buy this for my kitchen and reading your post has inspired me. Is the deglosser used to remove ANY gloss or shine on the cabinets? If they have polyurethane on them, will this deglosser work to remove it all?

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 2, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      Hi Ronda- Yes, you will be able to remove the polyurethane with the deglosser! It basically just dulls the shiny finish so that the bonding coat will stick better. Good luck with your kitchen!

      Reply
      • Ronda says

        January 4, 2015 at 6:12 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
  74. Dawn says

    January 25, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    i love this look! My cabinets are exactly like this….which color did you use?

    Reply
  75. Diana says

    April 4, 2015 at 3:48 pm

    i have an older home with painted cupboards. Will this product still work?

    Reply
  76. Mona says

    July 1, 2015 at 3:25 am

    Hi Lindsay, I am replacing my corner diagonal kitchen cabinet with a new one which has beveled glass in it. The outside color of this cabinet is dark brown and I want to also paint the inside of the cabinet area which looks like white melamine to be the same dark brown color. It is the same material as the white shelves inside the cabinets. Since I cannot remove this out to paint, please advise if I can paint this area without any streaks and do I have to use a deglosser to remove any gloss or shine on the surface. Would love to try this product.

    Reply
  77. Ann Salvino says

    March 13, 2016 at 7:01 am

    I used this in my kitchen. While it looked great when I got done, the top coat is not good enough. I did it not even 2 years ago and must touch up and find a better top coat. Yes, I followed the directions (to the T). I will not recommend this product to friends.

    Reply
    • Linda Kremer says

      April 14, 2016 at 12:43 am

      I use this product to update oak vanities in rentals. Even as rough as tenants can be, I’ve yet to need to do a touch up on any of them. The oldest redo is three years and two tenants ago. I do apply two coats of top coat. I’m sorry you had such poor luck with yours.

      Reply
  78. Suzanne says

    May 26, 2016 at 8:33 am

    I can’t wait to give this a try.

    Reply
  79. Pmd says

    June 10, 2016 at 8:38 am

    Has anyone used this on laminent cabinents

    Reply
  80. Jennifer says

    August 11, 2016 at 12:00 am

    Is there a “curing” time for this product? I have little ones and don’t want to wait weeks fort to dry.

    Reply
  81. Sandra Flores says

    August 11, 2016 at 11:26 am

    We painted everything in the house with really good paint with primer, but all the cabinets and doors the paint peeling off like it was plastic,you can peel whole strips! we have never seen anything like this. Even the closet doors in the bedrooms. Will this stuff work on these?

    Reply
  82. John C says

    September 21, 2016 at 2:36 am

    We are buying a house that was built in 1972 so the cabinets are definitely dated. They are a blondish color now and have ugly very dated doors. If I were to change the doors over to new ones, would the new doors look like a different color of shade than the existing cabinets with this product?

    Thanks so much!

    Reply
  83. agendasbobet.com says

    October 17, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    Highly desriptive article, І loved that a lot.
    Will ther ƅe ɑ paгt 2?

    Reply
  84. Shannon says

    October 11, 2017 at 9:11 am

    Is this kit low odor? I dont want to use something too stinky.

    Reply
  85. Carin says

    April 21, 2018 at 8:24 am

    Does this work on paint grade cabinets that really do not have a grain pattern?

    Reply
  86. Cassy says

    November 12, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    Did you paint the inside of the cabinets as well?

    Reply
  87. Zachary Rodriguez says

    May 24, 2020 at 9:10 pm

    The further I read, the more the better that your material is.
    I have covered plenty of their other sources,
    like https://www.facebook.com/essayprocom/reviews/nonetheless, only here,
    I have found advice with such facts to bear at heart.
    I suggest you’ll publish articles with different topics to upgrade mine in particular, our comprehension. The vocabulary
    is just another thing-just brilliant! I really believe I have found my perfect source
    of the very most up to date information!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


Archives

Categories

PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2009-2019 Makely School for Girls | All Rights Reserved | Posts may contain advertising content or affiliate links