Chatfield Court

Painting a Kitchen Island

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Painting a kitchen island gray is such an easy way to change the look of your kitchen.

I couldn’t wait to give the kitchen island a bit of a makeover.  It’s not earth-shattering or even life-changing but I think it’s a definite improvement and I’m loving it.

Green butcher block kitchen island in the center of white kitchen

 

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I have always loved green but it just didn’t go with the my decor.

painted kitchen island with a woven tray on top and metal and wood stools

Lots of changes here since you saw it last. For one there’s decor, but we also have a new faucet and a new stainless stove and dishwasher.

kitchen island painted gray with candle and woven tray on top of butcher block

This was a super easy project to do but it took some time, as do most painting projects. I removed the towel bar and gave it a good cleaning before I painted it. There was no sanding involved, I kept this easy, so just 2 coats of paint and I was done. I thought about distressing it but I like it the way it is right now.

front view of gray painted kitchen island

I love this paint color! It’s from Benjamin Moore, Wrought Iron, Regal Select, Pearl finish, and it’s a rich, deep gray. I used this same color on my front and back doors in our Illinois house (check out the front door here and the back door redo here).

I used leftover paint so this project didn’t cost me anything, except time and a sore back from sitting so low to the floor. But hey…you know what they say…”beauty is pain” (or something like that). 😉

side view of kitchen island with butcher block top

Cleaning the butcher block countertop

After I painted the island I gave the butcher block countertop a good clean ing with salt and lemon.

I just poured some table salt on the butcher block and squeezed a couple of lemons on the salt. Next, I rubbed the lemon and salt over the surface of the butcher block. Then I left it to dry.

Once dry, I wiped it down, cleaning all of the salt off.

Now it looks all shiny and new.

side view of gray kitchen island with cutting boards on side shelf

All that was left to do was to add a couple of bar stools and a couple of cutting boards, both from HomeGoods. I’ll probably change the decor on top daily, unless my tools are cluttering it up. Yeah, it’s become a catchall but I do try to keep it clear. 

Now we can cross painting the kitchen island off the list and, as you can see, the kitchen and dining areas are coming together. Still no big projects done, except for the gas line for the stove, but it’s looking like a home…our home. 

 

 


I’ve also completed a little redo in the hallway. You can check it out here…

Hallway redo for under $50.Small Hallway Redo for Under $50 

About Kristi

Kristi here…lover and doer of all things DIY, home improvement, home decor, and quick and easy recipes. I’m the voice behind Chatfield Court where I share the budget-friendly DIY projects, crafts and decorating tips in the hopes of inspiring others that they can do it too.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Kristi

    Thanks Jessica! I love the change. 🙂

    I hear you about the strange colors people paint their rooms. Our last house had orange and pea green walls in almost every room. Not soft, hint of orange but bright pumpkin orange. I’m not sure what people are thinking but to each his own, right?

  4. Kristi

    Awwww, thanks so much, Kim! I love the color too and my new light fixture. It surely beats the one that was there, hands down. Plus it was literally hanging on by a thread so it was a good thing that we changed it for the new one. I told my husband that if I hadn’t bought the new light, the old one would have fallen or caused a fire (the wiring was really bad). 😉

  5. Kristi

    Thanks Debbie, I’m really happy with the change. I thought it might be too dark but I think that it’s just right (for now anyway). 😉

    We are really excited about our trip, a dream trip for sure. Hope you have a great week!

  6. Kristi

    Thank you!

    Oh my goodness Rose, you had to go through a lot to get your stove. We did all of the work ourselves, so it saved us a lot of money. We had some trouble putting it into the space, because the counters were too high, but with a couple of adjustments, and some ingenuity, we worked it all out.

    Hope you have a wonderful week!

  7. Kristi

    Thanks Nancie, I love the change!

    The salt and lemon did a great job on the butcher block and it will absolutely work on cutting boards, that’s how we clean ours.

    Thanks so much for visiting, Nancie, and I hope you have an awesome week!

  9. Brenda, Florida

    Wow! What a difference and coat of paint makes. The island looks great. The kitchen is coming together nicely. Have a great time in Europe.

  15. Susan Scimeca

    always enjoy your clean, uncluttered style with its neutral colors. Refreshing to my eyes and cluttered filled mind. What type of rug do you have under your kitchen table? I am looking for a replacement for my old beige braided rug for my kitchen. I love it because it takes a lot of wear easily and cleans up nicely.

  16. Jessica [Havok]

    That green is a great color, but based on all your previous house decorations, it doesn’t really match, no. This grey does, though, and it’s fantastic! Very deep and dark, but without being, well, *dark* xD
    I’ve got the itch to paint…except we wanna do the whole house. For some reason, someone at some point, decided interior walls in the whole house needed to be a dark beige color? I dunno who this person is or why they did it, but I know they are a tad “off” because they also painted the popcorn ceiling the same color. Is a bit dreary, and I want it brighter before Winter hits and it becomes dark inside *and* out! xD

  17. Kim

    Absolutely gorgeous, I love the color and the elegant, rich feel it adds to your kitchen. I also spotted a fabulous light fixture hanging over your dining table. Um…wow!

  18. Debbie H

    The Island turned out great. Amazing how a little paint can change the look and style of a room. Before the kitchen looked early American, now it looks more modern. Love that paint color. Have a great week.

    P.S. Europe!! How exciting!

  19. Rose

    It looks so fresh and new. I had a gas stove when I bought my house . It was setup for an electric stove. So I had to hire the gas company to install a gas line to it. The gas line they had to hook into wasn’t up to code. Getting it changed a stove hook up cost me $400 16 years ago. Ii could have bought a new stove!! Guess what?!! The stove was too big to fit. I had to have the cupboard moved 1/2 inch.

  20. Nancie

    Love your kitchen island makeover, Kristi! The paint color is awesome! Thanks for the tip on how to clean a butcher block. Does that same technique work on cutting boards? Had to chuckle about “beauty is pain”! When I was little, my mom always said “Beauty Hurts”, when she brushed my long hair! Have a great week!

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