Refinishing, and Relief Stencilling Your Kitchen Cabinet Doors...

This is a republishing of an Older Blog post from a few years ago.. I think it bears repeating as the resurgence of refinishing and up cycling  has continued and this technique is easily updated with a change of colour. Or even using Chalk Paint!!

So this is it.. the post about How to refinish and Relief Stencil your kitchen cabinets. Enjoy...!


If you ever wondered how to update your cabinetry , within a budget and end up with something that you can live with for a long time to come.... I have the answer.it takes a few steps , but in the end it will have been worth it. This is the beginning of our Kitchen makeover, we'll post more as we go...for now this is just the first step.

step 1: Convincing your husband that Painting those tired 80's oak cabinets is the best idea to refresh your Kitchens appearance .... it's easy to accomplish, call in three of the most expensive cabinet makers in town to quote you on your "Refreshment Project"... Hubby's reluctance to "Paint Good Wood" will rapidly disappear.

Step 2: DO NOT allow hubby to select the paint colour, but you must drag him to Home Depot, and ask for his opinion and reject each one until he reaches the colour you prefer.

Step 3:Once you have hubby select the sample that you have clearly indicated as your choice. Come to a mutual understanding that your choice is quite obviously the best one, and congratulate him on his excellent taste.

Step4:Pack Suitcase.

Step:5 Before leaving for your SPA weekend with the girls,:make a list to remind hubby to remove all the hardware, clean, sand and prime the doors and boxes of all the cabinetry, and apply three coats of your colour choice to the lower cabinets, while you are away.

Step 6: Enjoy facial, Massage, manicure and pedicure, then dinner with the girls. Drink wine. Email hubby for update on his progress.Ask for pictures.

Step 7: Show pictures to the girls, Respond to email with compliments from Girlfriends, thank girlfriends with more wine.

Step 8: Enjoy final day at the Spa and celebrate the progress in your kitchen with more wine with Girlfriends. Return home.

Step 9: Now That the hard work is done ...it is time to do the pretty stuff.We have chosen to do a stencil relief on the center panels of the Upper cabinets.So we tested the Finish on an old door, but a piece of MDF will work too.

Pictured above are the materials that I used for our Kitchen cabinet redo.... A little texture Stucco.... my favorite stencil... and "Hubby" Primed Cabinet doors. I used one of my favorite palette knives but , if your more comfortable with a taping knife than by all means use it!

Step 10:Start by taping your stencil in place on the primed surface,( a small piece just to hold it steady) then using the knife, apply a thin coat of the Stucco over the image of the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil and let the stucco dry before repositioning the stencil. Repeat this for each door and allow it to dry well.

Step 11:Lightly Sand the stencil relief to remove any sharp or loose bits, and to smooth out any rough edges. The Stucco is very hard when dry so you can be fairly aggressive with the sanding.

Step 12:Have Hubby Apply two to three coats of Your colour of choice over the relief letting ech coat dry thoroughly before applying the next.

Step 13: Have hubby Spray the existing hardware with a metal paint, the colour of your choice. Encourage hubby by reminding him that this team effort will be worth it!!

Fortunately for me , My husband has a sense of humour and enjoys DIY as much as I do...We'll post more as the cabinets are completed but thought you might enjoy this quick tutorial.
Thanks for playin in our sandbox!!

Tracy and Chuck