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I'm painting my kitchen and need some help!

7 years ago

We liked the kitchen when we moved in six years ago, but I decided to paint the beams recently (they were black until a couple of weeks ago) and now I'm thinking of paint the units too, to give the room a brighter, fresher look.
The ceiling is low and the beams are currently painted with a couple of coats of primer. The large window faces south-east but we really only get light from the east in the morning. The small window faces north-west. The light seems to bring out any yellow tone in the paint samples I have tried on the beams. The walls and ceiling and currently painted in Timeless by Dulux.
I like the idea of a two tone kitchen, so painting the top cabinets a light colour with a more forgiving colour on the bottom (we have young children!).

At the moment I am thinking Farrow and Ball Ammonite on the beams, Strong White on the top units and something like Purbeck Stone or even a blue (Cook's Blue or Pitch Blue) on the bottom units.

Do you agree that I should paint the units?!
What do you think about my colour ideas?
And what shall I do about the kitchen unit handles? Will I see a mark where the old holes were if I change to a simple knob?
Oh, and should I paint the beams in Estate Emulsion or Eggshell?

Thank you!

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Comments (4)

Flo G
7 years ago
Hello!
Painting your units is a good way to make the kitchen feel fresh and new without spending a bomb on it, and makes the kitchen feel a bit more 'you'. The colours you are suggesting sound great, the pitch blue is a really bold colour that I think could look quite quirky and a little quaint, the one down side is it you have don't have much light it will absorb a lot of it and make the kitchen seem darker but I suppose you are the best to gauge this since it depends on where your windows face and all sorts. If you want the colours to be forgiving on the bottom, use the more forgiving finish on the bottom too and the same on the top to match. Replace the handles without leaving a mark means using some all purpose filler (or wood filler if you have it/feeling fancy enough to buy some especially) to fill in the holes with an old butter knife and scraping off the excess, leaving this to dry then using sand paper to make it flat, don't be afraid to scratch into the wood a little since you will be painting over it before fixing on the new handles. P120 sandpaper will give a much better finish than P60 but will take longer, P values can range but the higher the number the better the finish (P60 would mean that there are 60 bits of grit on average occupying a quare inch so the grit particles are larger than P120 paper) for the work you are doing I'd recommend P120.
Eilidh P thanked Flo G
Jonathan
7 years ago
If the budget will allow it change the worktop to something lighter as this will affect the light in the room.
Eilidh P thanked Jonathan
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Hi. I like your kitchen as it is however after 6 years maybe it is time for a change! Your idea of painting just the wall units would work, I'd keep them in the wall colour, not sure if you're changing that or not? I think the worktop is fine, it's reflecting light (and everything else!)! Another option is to keep the island in wood (also means avoiding painting wine rack). If you went for cup handles for example I think you could have 2 on each island drawer without leaving any holes. I'm not sure on the cooks blue with the black tops but the pitch blue may work although I don't expect it will alter the light situation. Have you also looked at little Greene paint? I rave over the quality and it wipes down very easily whereas I personally find f&b and dulux trade doesn't. In theory I would use satinwood on the beams although I have used emulsion on a couple of things that don't take any knocks to get a chalky feel and they're absolutely fine.
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PRO
AL PAINTING
7 years ago
painting the units it's always an option.
Eilidh P thanked AL PAINTING
PRO
User
7 years ago
I see the floor tiles look mostly grey tones without the yellow of the lights on them is that right? I'd go for a pale grey on the top and a graphite grey on the bottom. Unfortunately, as someone else pointed out, it's the black granite that darkens everything. However, you can change the bulbs to daylight bulbs - G-Lec have a great range, and although expensive to start with they carry a 10 year guarantee! We have them in our kitchen as that's dark too. The white lights won't change the colour of your paint so much.

Paint the walls and top units in the same colour for a more cohesive look, i love your F& B Ammonite. How about 'Downpipe' for the bottom?

Don't paint the beams in Emulsion, that's for walls and Ceilings, not wood. You need Eggshell or Satinwood. Eggshell will be ok on the beams, although, being wood they expand and contract with cold and heat and Eggshell paint is brittle and can crack. You are better off to get a colour matched paint from Dulux for instance in a Satinwood finish. Satinwood is the most hardwearing for such surfaces.

Good luck! x
Eilidh P thanked User

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