“Oh! You’re doing your cabinets?!” I can’t tell you how many passersby asked me this in the few hours I sat in my furniture painting class at Aunt Elsie’s Trinkets & Treasures. It’s no wonder. I know I’m not alone in my dream of a kitchen-cabinet refresh without the outrageous costs. But…
CAN ONE REALLY COVER THEIR GREASY, GROSS HONEY OAK KITCHEN CABINETS WITH PAINT AND HAVE THEM LOOK GOOD? AND WITHOUT SANDING, T’ BOOT?!
Admittedly, I went into my Furniture Painting class a skeptic. I’ve taken other furniture-painting classes in the past at other locations, using other brands of paint. The outcome wasn’t what I’d call convincing. But Denise, my wise instructor (and the owner of Aunt Elsie’s), assured me it could be done. In fact, she’s used the Rethunk Junk paint to re-do her own kitchen cabinets. So I decided to give it a go.
BRING YOUR OWN PIECE TO PAINT
I was joined in class by Judy and Galin. We each brought something different to paint, which added to the fun.
Judy brought a shadow box to refinish after her first attempt with different paint didn’t go so well.
Galin brought a bitty table she picked up for her granddaughter at an estate sale.
Cute Denise joined us, with a darling table in tow.
Even if you don’t have something wood to work on, you can make the most of this class. Rethunk Junk paint goes on other surfaces as well, including metal and even glass!
THE REASON IS RESIN
Rethunk Junk isn’t chalk or milk paint. Instead, it’s made using resin. Could this be the secret to its success? Laura Whitlock and her husband, who happens to be a chemical engineer, developed the formula. They seem to have discovered the secret sauce, as none of us in class touched our pieces with sandpaper, but the paint went on with ease. Of course, some prep was in order, but it took seconds with a cleaner vs. hours with a sander.
THE PREP
To begin, we wiped our pieces down with the RETHUNK JUNK cleaner. That’s it. With nothing more than a wipe-down, we were ready to rock our paint brushes.
“I’ve tried other methods of cleaning to see if the Rethunk Junk product was really necessary,” Denise said. “I’ve learned that this cleaner really does make a dramatic difference in the outcome of the paint and how it adheres to the piece.”
If anyone would know, it’s Denise. She refinishes pieces nearly every week! In fact, you’ll find many of her beauties available for purchase in her store, including this gorgeous yarn box.
PAINT PICKIN'
First, we chose our paint colors. I’m attempting a two-tone look with my kitchen cabinets, with black on the bottom and white on the top. (*fingers tightly crossed that it looks good when I'm through.) I went with Midnight (black) and Cloud, which is a bright white.
My classmates both opted for Linen, which is a yummy, warmer white.
NOTE: Aunt Elsie's is proud to be one of few Rethunk Junk dealers in Utah. They carry a full line of products, so even if you aren't taking this fun class, you can stop in and stock up.
LET'S DO THIS!
With our colors identified, it was time to paint. The first coat is a light one. This helps the paint adhere and set. Eep! Not looking too promising yet, but...
Believe it or not, it only took a second coat to have my ick cabinets looking great! Isn’t that amazing?!
GLAZE VS. STAIN
As we sat, literally waiting for paint to dry, Denise filled the time with pro tips and demonstrations using glazes and stains.
Below, the table on the left was coated on top with a stain, while the table on the right was accented with a glaze. It’s neat to know you can get such a different outcome depending on your topping.
Of course, you don’t have to add any topping. I want a cleaner look, so I’m going to go glaze/stain free.
BE GONE, OVERWHELM! BE GONE, HONEY OAK!
Here’s the icing on this colorful cake—I’m no longer afraid to tackle my kitchen nightmare. I can’t believe I’m putting this in writing (where my husband can hold me to my words ;)), but I’m actually EXCITED to take on this painting project. Will I feel this way a week from now? Tough to say, but I really did enjoy my test drive at Aunt Elsie’s. Having someone there to walk me through it made all the difference!
Soooo… to answer the big question, will this paint really cover kitchen cabinets with ease? The answer, I'm delighted to say, is...
YES! (WOOT!) YOU CAN COVER KITCHEN CABINETS WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A COUPLE OF COATS OF THE RIGHT PAINT. NO SANDING REQUIRED. AWESOME!!
UPCOMING CLASSES
If you’re itching to get out of your house and do something fun, Aunt Elsie’s has you covered. From furniture painting to fairy garden fun, there’s always something happy happening. Follow Aunt Elsie’s on Facebook to learn more about upcoming classes.
Back in Class
Thanks for taking another Gardner Village class with me this week. I can’t wait to share my final (for now) experiences with you next week. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this class or refinishing a surface, contact Aunt Elsie’s at 801.561.5557.
Find more info on all available classes at Gardner Village here.
Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner
Wednesday Mar 13 2019
“Oh! You’re doing your cabinets?!” I can’t tell you how many passersby asked me this in the few hours I sat in my furniture painting class at Aunt Elsie’s Trinkets & Treasures. It’s no wonder. I know I’m not alone in my dream of a kitchen-cabinet refresh without the outrageous costs. But…
CAN ONE REALLY COVER THEIR GREASY, GROSS HONEY OAK KITCHEN CABINETS WITH PAINT AND HAVE THEM LOOK GOOD? AND WITHOUT SANDING, T’ BOOT?!
Admittedly, I went into my Furniture Painting class a skeptic. I’ve taken other furniture-painting classes in the past at other locations, using other brands of paint. The outcome wasn’t what I’d call convincing. But Denise, my wise instructor (and the owner of Aunt Elsie’s), assured me it could be done. In fact, she’s used the Rethunk Junk paint to re-do her own kitchen cabinets. So I decided to give it a go.
BRING YOUR OWN PIECE TO PAINT
I was joined in class by Judy and Galin. We each brought something different to paint, which added to the fun.
Judy brought a shadow box to refinish after her first attempt with different paint didn’t go so well.
Galin brought a bitty table she picked up for her granddaughter at an estate sale.
Cute Denise joined us, with a darling table in tow.
Even if you don’t have something wood to work on, you can make the most of this class. Rethunk Junk paint goes on other surfaces as well, including metal and even glass!
THE REASON IS RESIN
Rethunk Junk isn’t chalk or milk paint. Instead, it’s made using resin. Could this be the secret to its success? Laura Whitlock and her husband, who happens to be a chemical engineer, developed the formula. They seem to have discovered the secret sauce, as none of us in class touched our pieces with sandpaper, but the paint went on with ease. Of course, some prep was in order, but it took seconds with a cleaner vs. hours with a sander.
THE PREP
To begin, we wiped our pieces down with the RETHUNK JUNK cleaner. That’s it. With nothing more than a wipe-down, we were ready to rock our paint brushes.
“I’ve tried other methods of cleaning to see if the Rethunk Junk product was really necessary,” Denise said. “I’ve learned that this cleaner really does make a dramatic difference in the outcome of the paint and how it adheres to the piece.”
If anyone would know, it’s Denise. She refinishes pieces nearly every week! In fact, you’ll find many of her beauties available for purchase in her store, including this gorgeous yarn box.
PAINT PICKIN'
First, we chose our paint colors. I’m attempting a two-tone look with my kitchen cabinets, with black on the bottom and white on the top. (*fingers tightly crossed that it looks good when I'm through.) I went with Midnight (black) and Cloud, which is a bright white.
My classmates both opted for Linen, which is a yummy, warmer white.
NOTE: Aunt Elsie's is proud to be one of few Rethunk Junk dealers in Utah. They carry a full line of products, so even if you aren't taking this fun class, you can stop in and stock up.
LET'S DO THIS!
With our colors identified, it was time to paint. The first coat is a light one. This helps the paint adhere and set. Eep! Not looking too promising yet, but...
Believe it or not, it only took a second coat to have my ick cabinets looking great! Isn’t that amazing?!
GLAZE VS. STAIN
As we sat, literally waiting for paint to dry, Denise filled the time with pro tips and demonstrations using glazes and stains.
Below, the table on the left was coated on top with a stain, while the table on the right was accented with a glaze. It’s neat to know you can get such a different outcome depending on your topping.
Of course, you don’t have to add any topping. I want a cleaner look, so I’m going to go glaze/stain free.
BE GONE, OVERWHELM! BE GONE, HONEY OAK!
Here’s the icing on this colorful cake—I’m no longer afraid to tackle my kitchen nightmare. I can’t believe I’m putting this in writing (where my husband can hold me to my words ;)), but I’m actually EXCITED to take on this painting project. Will I feel this way a week from now? Tough to say, but I really did enjoy my test drive at Aunt Elsie’s. Having someone there to walk me through it made all the difference!
Soooo… to answer the big question, will this paint really cover kitchen cabinets with ease? The answer, I'm delighted to say, is...
YES! (WOOT!) YOU CAN COVER KITCHEN CABINETS WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A COUPLE OF COATS OF THE RIGHT PAINT. NO SANDING REQUIRED. AWESOME!!
UPCOMING CLASSES
If you’re itching to get out of your house and do something fun, Aunt Elsie’s has you covered. From furniture painting to fairy garden fun, there’s always something happy happening. Follow Aunt Elsie’s on Facebook to learn more about upcoming classes.
Back in Class
Thanks for taking another Gardner Village class with me this week. I can’t wait to share my final (for now) experiences with you next week. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this class or refinishing a surface, contact Aunt Elsie’s at 801.561.5557.
Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner