Nettoyage de printemps

That's French for Spring Cleaning.

 I wish there was something romantic about this project but the ugly truth is that my kitchen has been sorely neglected. It needs more than just Spring cleaning.  It needs a total renovation.  I'm going for a French farmhouse look when my dream kitchen emerges from the depths of this abyss.  But there are more than a few steps between neglected farmhouse and French farmhouse  I can't afford the counter top I want or the appliances that I want.  The old pine floors are looking well.... old.  The cupboards are icky and the walls need a fresh coat of pain.  And I can't afford to let things go any longer.  

I CAN however afford elbow grease.

 

 So this week we worked on counters and appliances.  I've heard of people painting their counter tops with great success so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I mean, the thing couldn't get any worse, right?!  The key to making the paint stick is the primer. I used an oil based primer and let it dry over night.  Then I applied two coats of satin finish latex paint.  Again, let it dry very well between coats.

 I was hoping to get the color of cement (yeah, I know, I could just pour a cement counter but we've been a little busy round these parts lately and this was the finish that I could do without Mr. Blessings help.  Maybe later this summer we can tackle the real deal).   I did dry brush some brown and cream and silver to give it some depth.  Somehow that cement gray was more bland than I thought it would be.

 Ok, here's an important thing to know about painting counter tops...  Use lots of layers of clear coat and let them dry completely between coats.  I used a semi-gloss polyacryllic.  If you are someone who chops food directly on the counter, you're supposed to use a food-safe sealer.  However, I can't think of ANY painted surface that's going to hold up to chopping!  Just use a cutting board.

(As you can see the cabinets got primed once upon a time but I had to put the doors back on after weeks of not getting the project done.  So that's what we hope to tackle next week) 

 Have you ever painted appliances?  It was surpisingly easy. 

When.... Ok, IF we ever get the kitchen done, I'll share the finished photos with you.

Hope your weekend projects are less work and more romantic!