From Multi-Colored Greens to Vasplar Steely Gray
Something I noticed while house hunting was how people have so many different tastes in paint color. I guess it just shows how unique we all are. Having to do a kitchen paint makeover seemed like it was inevitable regardless of the house we chose. There is something about adding your own touch to make a house feel like a home by adding color to the walls.
I love looking at Realtor.com, Zillow, and websites like that to see how people decorate their homes. I just love to see all the different ideas and preferences. So, house hunting for me was like real-life searching instead of through pictures!
One thing that amazed me about the whole house-hunting process was the extreme difference in how the pictures portrayed a home vs. what it looked like with my own eyes. I never really thought that catfishing could be attributed to house hunting but through this process, I am absolutely certain it can.
So Many Colors In The Kitchen
At least in my opinion.
Painting the walls in our new house was definitely a priority project for us. There were so many different colors painted throughout the downstairs and kitchen area.
There was yellow in the entry. A light AND dark tan color in the living room. Two different green colors in the kitchen.
On top of those colors, there were patches of colors that someone tried to match but didn’t quite hit the mark.
So after having to get a new fridge and deciding to replace all of the appliances at the same time we decided to start painting the dining/kitchen area.
After getting on Pinterest for some inspiration I decided I wanted a dark gray/blueish color. Kevin was definitely not sold on my idea at first. He definitely likes bold colors as his first kitchen was painted red. But he still didn’t think a dark color in this kitchen would work well.
Related: New Kitchen Appliances
Finding Kitchen Paint Color Options
A multi-step process in itself.
With my inspiration in mind, we went to Lowe’s to look for some color swatches to bring home. After taping the swatches in many places all over the kitchen we narrowed our choices down. I decided to take Grayson to Lowe’s while Kevin was working one day to pick up some paint samples to try the colors out on the wall. Because painting the color was more of a real feel than just the paint swatch.
I decided I would go with the Kevin method and make sure I like the color before I buy a whole can of it. His tactics do rub off on me eventually! Though I’m not too sure he was all that thrilled to come home to multiple strips of different paint scattered throughout the wall of the dining room and kitchen.
Testing Out Our Kitchen Paint Color Choices
Doing It The “Kevin” Way This Time!
I chose two different areas in the dining area and two different areas in the kitchen to paint the sample colors. Since we wanted to paint both areas the same color I wanted to see how they looked in each area. I wanted to get an idea of how the different lighting made the colors look throughout the rooms.
There were two colors that I really liked. One was more gray and the other was the darker grayish/blue. To be honest I was somewhat shocked when Kevin chose the darkest of them all, steely gray.
Let The Prep Work Begin
Kevin doesn’t mind this step. But I feel like it takes eons to complete. I’m somewhat impatient when it comes to projects!
So once we agreed on the color, steely gray, it was off to patching the walls and all that fun stuff for Kevin. There were corner beads that needed to be fixed and some nail pops, as he called them. As he explained them to me, areas where the nails they used in the drywall started popping through. He loves to fix these “nail pops” with screws and complains about the builder-grade laziness as he claims to cause this to occur.
Kevin had a little “helper” throughout the process. Grayson was enthralled with everything Kevin was doing. If he wasn’t watching from his perch on the step ladder he was mimicking Daddy every chance he got.
This was absolutely adorable until he started to sand the newly painted walls! Then Kevin wasn’t too thrilled. There is a fine line between an adorable helper and a destructive mimicker.
Related: Rotted Planks To An Open Escape…Our Deck Project!
My Own Kitchen Paint Makeover Project
My own little contribution to the color makeover.
While Kevin was prepping and patching the walls I decided that I would work on a couple of projects myself. Some of the decorations I had for the kitchen no longer went with the new paint color. So I decided I would be “crafty” and paint them.
Time To Paint
Which seemed like it took forever to get to this point.
Once all of the prep work was done and the painter’s tape was up it was bye-bye green and hello steely gray! We started in the dining area first. Kevin always has a method in his mind whether I agree or not. Since he does the painting I let the painter in him do as he does!
Lastly, the kitchen got its two coats of steely gray. The flow between the two rooms felt seamless after they both were painted the same color. I know they weren’t any bigger than before but just the whole change in color gave the rooms the perception of more room!
One nice thing about this paint job was we didn’t disassemble the kitchen for painting until the dining area was done. So we weren’t living completely in chaos. Because let’s be honest the kitchen is a vital room of the house, it’s the heart of our home.
Kevin knows that the less amount of time he is working in “my area” of the house the better it is for him. The sentiment of too many cooks in the kitchen rings true at our house.
I can’t stand the chaos of a project when it comes to a room I am using most of the day, every day. Since the laundry room is also there it makes for quite a traffic jam at times. So the motivation to get in and get out was definitely a motivator for Kevin.
“Handy” Little Helper
More like a finger painter. But it wasn’t fingerpaint by any stretch of the imagination!
One evening Kevin was touching up some spots in the dining area and I was on the phone with my Dad. All of a sudden I hear Kevin start to scream. I look over to find both of Grayson’s arms elbow-deep in the paint can!
Well, I will say my Dad found it quite comical from the other side of the phone. We did not really share his sentiment. Dark bluish-gray paint is not fun to get out of anything! Especially the cute pudgy hands of a toddler!
Related: The Entryway Remodel Project And Coat Hook Addition
Painting The Last Part Of The Kitchen Paint Makeover
Because there is always one more spot that needs to be done! And then another spot. And another spot. Get my drift!
The last thing that needed painting was the partition wall and ceiling part between the kitchen and dining area. We decided to paint it white. It was a dark hunter green initially which really closed off the two areas.
For being a small area to paint it was somewhat complicated because we had to find a flat paintbrush to get under the cabinet area. It took a couple of coats of white to cover the dark green color that was initially there but it turned out well.
Once everything was painted and dry we removed the tape and put everything back in place.
Happy With The Finished Dining Room & Kitchen Paint Makeover Project
Mark another project off the list.
All in all, I am super happy with how the color of the kitchen turned out. It turned out better than I expected and made the two rooms flow together so much better.
It’s really nice not having a pallet of colors throughout. We really like how the color looks against all the white trim and doors. It really makes the white casing around the windows pop. Next on the list of projects for the kitchen is flooring. Stay tuned for that!
Related: Oh, How I Dream Of White Kitchen Cabinets…I Suppose The Island Will Just Have To Do!
