Modern Kitchen Renovation - ORC Week 4

I can’t believe it is the 4th week of the One Room Challenge already!!! Kinda freaking out about not getting everything done on time but I’m sure it will all work out okay. I’m just trying to balance my mom/wife life and my lifestyle blogging. Although I constantly share diy projects and home decor on social media, I have not posted a blog for a couple years so I’m a little rusty. If you get a chance, go spy on the other ORC participants to see how well their room transformations are going at www.theoneroomchallenge.com.

The Creative Orchard’s ORC KITCHEN RENOVATION progress...

ORC Week 1 | ORC Week 2 | ORC Week 3 | ORC Week 4 | ORC Week 5 | ORC Week 6 - REVEAL

This week I was supposed to paint the upper cabinets WHITE, which I did start on them but they are definitely not done yet. The lower cabinet color was much darker and it only took 2-3 coats but this time the Behr WHITE paint I'm using is not cooperating as well and I keep seeing the previous maple cabinet color bleeding from underneath. Maybe I should have used a primer? Or applied thicker coats? I don’t know. I guess I’ll keep layering more and more layers until it appears solid WHITE. I'll show a close-up and give you an update next week about how they turned out.

How to PAINT cabinet doors...

1. Clean cabinet doors thoroughly 
2. Wipe Liquid Sandpaper all over surface 
3. Let dry completely 
4. Remove any leftover residue 
5. Using a small flat paint brush, PAINT the inside perimeter around the inner panel
6. Using a smooth foam roller, paint all existing flat surfaces 
7. Continue painting multiple coats until you achieve a solid even color 
8. Let dry completely, wait 7 days to wash 
9. Replace all hardware and hinges 
10. Add bumper pad stickies if desired 

Another issue I am experiencing is, after living with the “tidal” BLUE color on the bottom cabinets for a few weeks, I’m NOT in love with it. It doesn't really go well with my other home decor. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful BRIGHT BLUE. But I had envisioned more of a denim or navy BLUE with more grayish tones. When you view this particular shade of BLUE in the direct sunlight during the day, it looks very intense. Basically, I made a BIG mistake choosing this color and now I have to repaint ALL the lower cabinets AGAIN! I’m so frustrated and annoyed with myself but I know if I don’t fix my mistake, it will bother me every day. Although, it will cost less than $30 for paint, unfortunately I have to waste more my time which I’m running out of. I recommend purchasing a small paint sample instead of just relying on a tiny paper swatch. Lesson learned!


On a positive note, the DEKTON countertop piece for the island finally got installed a few days later than the rest and it looks great! I really like the imperfections in it, reminds me of concrete.





Guest Participant for:

One Room Challenge | ORC | @oneroomchallenge | #oneroomchallenge

Official Media Partner of ORC:

Better Homes and Gardens | BHG | @betterhomesandgardens | #bhgorc

Let’s hope I can catch up quickly on my painting early this week because I need to plan lots of time for my last big DIY project which will be installing a tile backsplash for the first time ever!!! Watch my insta stories to see how it all goes... @thecreativeorchard  Keep in mind, there is only a couple more weeks left of the One Room Challenge!