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Modernize Your Kitchen and Dining Room with Paint
Are you looking to update your kitchen and dining room without a complete remodel? You can take your "traditional" kitchen and give it a more modern look just by using some elements of modern design. Adding a modern color palette to your home is a do-it-yourself project that will give your kitchen a more contemporary look.
Visit your local True Value hardware store for all the expert advice and products you need to update the heart of your home, then follow the steps below.
Choose Your Colors
Add Some Color to Your Cabinets
Add Some Color to Your Walls
Choose Your Colors
Your color choice will really create the modern look for your kitchen and dining area. Because this style can be "futuristic" or "high-tech," you may want to use a simple, solid color palette to match the appliances and "less-is-more" design.
Or choose a neutral accent color like white, brown, black or metallic and combine it with one or two bright colors like red or electric blue. Light blues, bright reds and other brilliant hues are common in modern design. Take the size of your kitchen and dining area into consideration when selecting colors. Using light colors will make rooms appear bigger than they really are, while dark colors can make a space feel more compact.
Your palette could also consider the reflective surfaces, no-frills cabinets and minimalist design. Often, a slightly "retro" color scheme from the '50s or '60s is used for this look.
Helpful Tip:
- Modern vs. Minimalist - Don't confuse modern style with minimalism. Small touches like green plants, hanging art, contemporary furniture or a unique lighting fixture to match your color scheme can add a personal style to your modern kitchen.
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Add Some Color to Your Cabinets
Step 1. Prep and Prime
Start by removing the door handles, knobs and closures with a screwdriver. Remember to put newspaper on the countertops and on the floor for protection. Clean your cabinets with a sponge and trisodium phosphate (TSP)—a heavy-duty cleaner that will make sure you're painting a clean surface.
Safety Alert!
- Use TSP as directed by the manufacturer. TSP can corrode metal and damage finished wood. Be sure to wear protective eyewear, clothing and rubber gloves.
After thoroughly cleaning the cabinets, sand with coarse grit sandpaper until the shiny surfaces are dull. This will give the surface a rough texture for the primer to bond to.
Apply True Value EasyCare® brand primer with a roller and brush to the cabinet surfaces. Leave the cabinet doors open and let dry overnight.
Step 2. Apply the First Coat of Paint
Paint the cabinet with the first coat of True Value EasyCare® brand paint. Follow the same pattern that you used for priming. Again, make sure you leave the cabinet doors open and let the paint dry for 24 hours. You don't want to paint your cabinets shut.
Step 3. Apply Final Coat
Using fine-grit sandpaper, lightly sand any bubbles that formed in the first coat of paint. Apply final coat, using a paint brush to reach the areas you know the roller can't reach. Finish the final coat using the roller. When done, let the cabinets dry for 24 hours before reattaching all the cabinet hardware.
Step 4. Cleanup
Good brushes will last for many years if you treat them well. Use a brush comb to separate bristles that stick together near the heel of the brush. Rinse the brush out in either water or paint thinner. When the water runs clear, put the brush in a spinner if you have one or thoroughly shake out excess liquid. Put the brush back in its protective sleeve or hang it on a nail or hook.
Safety Alert!
- Don't throw used paint thinner down the drain. Some states don't even allow it. Find out where and how you can dispose of it.
Add Some Color to Your Walls
Step 1. Prep and Prime
If you can't move your furniture to another room, cover it with tarps and protect the floor with drop cloths. Using a damp cloth, wash the wall surface with mild detergent and water. Patch any holes and wall damage with spackling compound. Scrape off flaky areas of old paint using a putty knife. Remove outlets and switch covers and cover edges with painter's tape.
Even though it's not necessary to apply a coat of primer before you paint, it's a good idea. Doing so will give you better coverage and help the paint wear better. If your walls are stained or you're using a light color over existing dark walls, you will have to prime them first.
Priming doesn't require as much care as painting, but you'll use the same technique. Moving in 6'-square sections, use a series of overlapping "W" strokes from right to left, then back from left to right. Spread the primer evenly using horizontal strokes. Continue in 6'-square sections until the entire surface is primed.
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Step 2. Apply Ceiling Brushwork
Mask the perimeter of the ceiling with painter's tape. Next, "cut in," or outline, the entire room with a brush to reach the areas a roller can't. An angled sash brush or edging pad works well for cutting into corners. Get as close to the area as you can and apply the paint about a 1/4" away from the edge of the surface. On the second pass, apply more pressure to carefully push the paint into place.
Helpful Tips:
- To roll closer to edges without making a smeary mess, put your hand inside a plastic bag and slide the paint-soaked roller so it extends about one inch past the end of the roller handle cage. This allows you to roll right up to edges and cover any brush stroke messes.
- When doing ceiling brushwork, it's easier to pour paint into a smaller can, like a coffee can. That way you don't have to lug a heavy paint can up the ladder with you.
Step 3. Paint the Ceiling and Walls
Start with the ceiling before painting your walls. Always use a quality latex paint like True Value EasyCare® brand paint. Use the same technique as priming your ceiling and walls, moving in 6'-square sections across the ceiling and walls. Be sure to feather the edges of the squares, using less pressure when applying paint at the edges of the square. This will keep the finish even and prevent any lines where the paint overlaps from another section. Keep working with the squares until the surface is completely painted. Without adding paint to the roller, use light strokes to re-roll from the bottom of the wall to the top (or across the ceiling) to ensure everything is even.
If your paint is any finish other than flat, you should go over the entire surface (for very large areas, do two square sections at a time) once again with one-directional, overlapping, non-diagonal strokes to blend the paint.
Helpful Tip:
- Be sure to choose a roller cover that suits the surface texture. If you have a "popcorn" or textured ceiling, use a roller with thicker pile. Your True Value associate can help you find the right roller for your paint project.
Step 4. Apply Wall Brushwork
Use the brush to do wall brushwork wherever your roller couldn't reach. Dip the bristles no more than an inch into the paint and go over areas in the corners, next to the doors, windows and molding.
Step 5. Paint a Second Coat
The first coat doesn't have to be totally dry, but the longer you let the paint dry, the better the coverage will be. Paint the second coat the same way you painted the first.
Step 6. Clean Up
Good brushes will last for many years if you treat them well. Use a brush comb to separate bristles that stick together near the heel of the brush. Rinse the brush out in either water or paint thinner. When it clears, put the brush in a spinner if you have one or thoroughly shake out excess liquid. Put the brush back in its protective sleeve or hang it on a nail or hook.
Safety Alert!
- Don't throw used paint thinner down the drain. Some states don't even allow it. Find out where and how you can dispose of it.
Pick up the drop cloths and replace the furniture. Replace the switch and outlet plates, the ceiling fixtures cover plate and the door hardware.
Helpful Tip:
- Save any remaining paint for touch-ups. For bigger touch-ups, you'll want to remember your paint color. Before you replace the cover plates, put a piece of masking tape on the back. Write the name of the paint you used in that room and you'll have the name of the paint handy whenever you have to do touch-ups.
Congratulations! Take a moment to take in your new kitchen. You've added a bit of modern style and moxie to the busiest room in the house. Head to your local True Value hardware store for all of expert advice and products you need to start all of your painting projects right.
For more projects, go to TrueValuePaint.com. >
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