DIY Kitchen Cabinet Makeover ~ Under 40.00!

Do you have cabinets in need of a face lift? I did! We had very little storage space in our kitchen until this summer when we had a "Habitat" find of some Industrial sized cabinetry at a really good price. But they were well.... Ummmm.... Industrial looking and 2 different shades of green laminate. Painting did not seem like an option that would work or last, to re-laminate seemed expensive and time consuming After spending much time in thought and researching how to solve this dilemma I found myself wondering if there was a wallpaper that looked like wood.

I went to my go to place, AKA amazon.com and I was pleasantly surprised to find out there is! Every color, every wood variation and even ones that mimic granite! Who would have thought? After comparing prices online with several different vendors, I came back to amazon where I get free 2 day shipping and placed my order. I opted for the "Cherry Wood" Contact brand paper in the 75' roll like pictured below - Isn't that beautiful :)

 
and a 24' roll Black plain contact paper to use as a border on my drawers and for the visible sides that were once white (as a side note, if the colors I chose do not work with your color scheme, I have placed more color choices at the end of this post for you to check out)

It ties in with the black that is marbled into my laminate counter tops and my black range! I used a little over 1/2 of the Cherry wood in my Kitchen but it cost less than getting several of the smaller rolls - so now I have plenty left over for more projects Yeaaa!! In 2 days my Kitchen cabinets have been transformed into really pretty Cherry wood  and if I had not told you, in person you would never know! I still need to do the 2 visible sides with the black but needed to take my Sunday off for Church and rest ~

See what I mean, these are the cabinets on the other side of my kitchen (not pictured above) completed. I just love it when I come up with a DIY project that my husband is less than convinced about - you know the look I am talking about ladies! He just keeps looking at them when he enters the kitchen and states he cannot believe it :)

Here is the cabinets by my sink with the last 2 drawers needing completed - quite a transformation! 

And the top cabinets.

Yes I did this project for less than 40.00! The contact paper was quite easy to work with and after doing the first door and finding a rhythm with what works and what does not. The rest of the doors / drawers went quite easy.

Here is how I did it. I was amazed that there are quite a few videos out there with people who have done this even on their counter tops. Watch their techniques but keep an open mind and what will work for your layout.

Clean the cabinet surfaces real good. You want to remove all dirt.

The day before I started my project I cleaned the outside of my cabinets with my steam cleaner to remove all the dirt, dust and finger prints to make sure I had a clean surface. This also allowed for a day to make sure everything was completely dry so I would have good adhesion.

Prepare  a workspace. My roll around island was the perfect height.

Take Measurements of your doors, include the sides, tops and bottom and allow at least an inch to wrap to the inside so you get a good grip around the corner. 

Cut your paper with the dimensions you need - the first doors I did I used as a test to make sure I had everything correct. The second set of doors went much smoother.

Now that you have the measurements correct, go ahead and measure out and cut several doors coverings

Remove the doors and Hardware.

I removed the doors and hardware, first taking the measurements including an extra inch on each side to cover the sides of the doors then added 1 1/2" so I would have enough material to wrap to the inside and get a good grip. After the first few doors, I found that once I had the measurements I cut all of the pieces I would need for the next several doors. Then I removed those doors and hardware and lined them up in my work area. This allowed me to have a constant work time on applying the paper. As I finished each one, I carefully sat them on my couch. When I finished that batch of doors I would re-install on the cabinets and put the hardware back on. I preferred this method as I did not feel like I was constantly having to change gears.

Start applying the vinyl paper to the doors - Take your time - do not rush this step.

The contact paper was very forgiving and will allow for you to re-position it when need be to get it straight. The most important part was just take your time. I laid the doors flat on my work surface then would remove only the top couple of inches to get it positioned and centered. Then with one hand I slowly grabbed the paper backing pulling it back with a little pressure from my free hand pushing it down on top. Once the top was covered I flipped the doors over and made cuts in the paper at the corners - a little off center so the seams would not be seen. Before pulling up the paper to cover the sides and wrap onto the interior of the doors I lightly sprayed with Elmers Multipurpose spray adhesive. Worked like a charm! It is tacky, dries slow enough to allow you to reposition and remove air bubbles / creases and it kept the corners and backside tight. I did not have to do that on the fronts. 

Stay tuned! My next project is going to be the back splash and wall finish :)

Wood Grain contact paper choices - Clicking on pictures will take you to the link:

     
 

Or How about putting a fresh look on your Counter "TOPS"

     

#diyprojects #cabinetmakeover #kitchenmakeover  #resurfacingcabinets #frugalkitchens #sustainableliving  #contactpaper #woodgraincontactpaper