Thursday, February 16, 2012

My New White Kitchen





This was a bit more of an experience than I'd hoped.  I love my new white kitchen. I love it a million times more than when it was dark--- I pretty much love everything in my home lighter brighter and whiter right now.  BUT I did learn a few lessons that I thought I'd share.  Please don't mistake this explanation for me being negative or ungrateful!  But I've alluded to my kitchen dilemma and figured I should share.  Clearly I would have wanted to know.

I chose White Dove by Benjamin Moore... My painter had it matched somewhere.  He brought in a cabinet door after he sprayed it to get my ok and it looked lovely.  However, if I'm being honest, I wasn't exactly looking that hard. I trusted my research and it looked great.. I wasn't expecting anything else.  But after he took my cabinets and painted, then put them back on.  My heart sank.  It didn't look like that nice thick soft white kitchen.  It looked almost just primed.  Kinda...... blue.

It took me over a week to get up the nerve to call him back.  I figured it was my fault and I'd chosen the wrong color--- and I was just sick about it.  But then I went and picked up a can of white dove myself, painted a board and compared.  It was So so so so different.  The white I chose had some yellow in it--- in fact, if anything, MORE yellow than I thought I'd want.  It looked more yellow than my swiss coffee mantle.  The white on my cabinets looked blue.  It was a totally different color!

Luckily when I called him, he assured me he'd do what it took to make me happy (!!) --- he came back, agreed that it looked like there weren't enough coats.  That must be the problem .  I really considered changing the color completely, but felt like I was pushing, as it was.  And he seemed confident that all it needed was a few more coats.  That it was the hint of dark wood coming through that dulled the white to a blueish grayish shade.

So now it's done.  And it is an improvement from the first time, and I LOVE it.  But I knew right away that it wasn't perfect.   I still saw the hint of blue.  But this is what he ended up explaining to me when he brought them back.  Had I known this I WOULD have chosen a different color.

He explained that they have to dilute the paint with lacquer to spray it on the cabinets.  Depending on the size of the spray gun, they dilute it more or less, so it comes out nice and smooth and doesn't clog the gun. That completely changes the color.  He said it would never match the color painted on by hand.  He didn't feel like he needed to explain this to me before because he sprayed the sample before hand, but he accidentally used a different gun to spray my sample so I got one version on the sample and a more diluted version in my kitchen.  He was the nicest guy--- totally happy to do the WHOLE job again for free to make me happy.  And I would actually use him again--- now that I know this.

My sister had told me that she chose swiss coffee for her cabinets and feels like they just grabbed a can of pure white because it looks too stark.  Now it all makes sense? Is this what happens to everyone who paints their cabinets?

WHY wouldn't they just explain it all before, so you'd choose the color accordingly.  A more saturated warmer white?  OR why wouldn't they have a formula where they buy your color at a higher opacity to compensate for the diluting process????  Why wouldn't they tell you that while you spent hours researching and sampling to choose your white, you'll just be ending up with watered down elmers-glue white?  I just don't get it. But in case you're in the market for having your cabinets painted... I would ask your painter if this will be an issue... and how you can be sure to get your color.

Hopefully you saw the photos and thought... what is she complaining about? And don't see the blue and just think I'm obnoxious.  Or maybe you're impossible to please and see every flaw like me. :)

So, do you remember the before? Of course this is all I could come up with.  The one I snapped with my phone after they took  the cabinets off.  I realize it's not a fair comparison since it's under construction, and there's junk everywhere... but you get the idea.



19 comments:

Lindsay Griffeth said...

ahhh! this was so helpful! I've ALWAYS wanted a white kitchen and have been saving my pennies to have my medium brown cabinets painted white & this was SO helpful!

How did you find your painter? That's my first item of business and I'm struggling finding someone I trust enough to paint something that would be thousands of dollars to replace if it got totally screwed up. How did you find your painter? And are your cabinets actual wood? Because mine sure aren't!

Mary Kay said...

I love it! Your kitchen was nice before, but the lighter cabinetry is a definite improvement. It is really encouraging to me to see the before and afters because we are going to make some changes to our house pretty soon that involve painting over A LOT of wood, and I feel a little guilty painting over nice, good quality solid wood but you give me courage! This, and the partial painting of your stair rail that you did before. Too much wood can just feel so heavy and oppressive! I can't wait for my house to feel "lighter brighter and whiter" too!

haili hunter said...

Can I just tell you how much I ADORE your blog? Serioiusly, it's the cutest ever! You're a girl I'd really love to meet in real life! By the way, I LOVE your new kitchen! I'm still trying to convince my husband, when we do buy or build a home...to go with a white kitchen. But I will be like you and EXTREMLY OCD AND PICKY. I don't want a 'inyourfacekindofwhite.' I want a soft subtle white like yours. Maybe I'll show him this and maybe he'll rethink it. :)

haili hunter said...

ps. I'm going to pin your kitchen to my pinterest. :)

L-plate mum said...

wow - what a transformation. Your kitchen looks so great - love it a lot! When we move to a new place I'd love to have a kitchen just like yours :-)

Unknown said...

Lillie, What a transformation!! It is Jaw-Dropping, Stunningly Beautiful. I love the color you picked,even though it was somewhat of a headache to get it looking like this. SOO Worth It!
PS. I would of chosen those exact stools too! Love them!!

Vintage Paints said...

Hi! I've been reading your blog for years but have never commented. I don't even know how I found you in the first place!! Love your blog, your cute family..etc.

I am a painter, I paint furniture. :) While I've never painted cabinets in a kitchen, I have painted hundreds of pieces of furniture. I do think your painter is correct about having to water down a paint color when using a spray gun. However, I do feel like the color should be what you CHOSE and it should look like that color. It certainly wouldn't turn the color blue. That just doesn't make a bit of sense to me. I'm glad he re-did it for free, he should have. It wasn't the color you chose and you were unhappy. I've never experienced a color change that drastic--although wood grain/color will show through if the coverage isn't correct..it wouldn't be blue. Just my 2 cents worth.

I think it's lovely! Great color and it's definitely lighter and brighter now.

inge said...

I so love your kitchen. I am trying to convince my husband to allow me paint our kitchen for the last 2years. So at the right moment I will show him the pictures.

I understand what you are saying about the paint colour however you live in a sunny climate and the colour will warm up as the sun shines in the window.

Anyway congrats on a great decision.

Jaime said...

It looks great. I think they should tell you beforehand so you can plan accordingly.

CAW said...

wow! Love love love your white kitchen with a splash of green

silly6 said...

I am considering painting my cabinet and adding an island. Could you please share the dimentions of your kitchen? Do you live in UT? Could you recommend a good painter?

Thanks so much! Just adore your home!!!!

Jill said...

LOVE your blog! I know what you mean with seeing hints of blue or yellow or pink in white. I have white dove all through my house and love it. I do have to say that it does look different with different colors by it. So, maybe you could change the color on the wall and the cabinets would look less blue.. Although, from the pictures, I think it looks great!! Keep up with the house posts - I love them!

Unknown said...

This is why white kitchens are awesome! Plus, the windows created a light and airy atmosphere. Maybe you can put some touches of green to add a bit of joy and good mood to the space, and make it more refreshing.

-Randell Jeffries

Kristopher said...

I think you did great by calling the painter and telling him that you didn’t like the cabinet’s color. You worked on researching the color that you want, so you deserve to get no less. It’s also great to hear that your painter understood your situation, and did the right adjustments. About your kitchen, I think it’s absolutely stunning! It seems that the pictures we’re pulled out from a magazine. This is my vision of an ideal kitchen. Beautiful!

Kristopher Diss

Unknown said...

White can be a very risky color especially for a working kitchen. you can't avoid spills and marks in a kitchen. It might be very hard to clean. However, white has always been a pleasant color. If i may add, those green chairs are good design detail. It breaks the monotony of your room.

Patrick Tan

Unknown said...

Simple, spacious, well-lit and good aesthetics. These are all present in this wonderful new white kitchen you have. The color choice for both the marbles and tiles complements the overall look even more. How did you come up with this idea, and how long did it take you to achieve such look?

Ryann Hoyer @ Yancey Company

Unknown said...

I LOVE your kitchen! You did such a great job!
Kitchen Cabinet Planner
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Unknown said...

I love everything about your kitchen! My counters are almost the same color. Would you share what color you painted your walls and trim?!

Eliza John said...

Hi, your post would be helpful to me because I am planning to get kitchen remodeling companies services to my renovation project. I personally like all white kitchen cabinets, countertops, islands. and designing and decoration ideas. I hope your great tips will make my kitchen stylish.