Country Kitchen Paint Ideas

• A kitchen makeover is a time-consuming project that requires plenty of planning, but deciding on a theme means you are already well on your way to realizing your new kitchen. Plan out your entire country kitchen design before you begin painting to avoid the need to repaint surfaces to match a new color scheme if you change your mind during the design process.
  
  

Walls

• Paint colors for a country kitchen vary dramatically depending on your idea of what a country kitchen looks like. One option is to use a bold color combination such as red and white or blue and white to create the feel of a farmhouse kitchen. A French country kitchen may have walls in a warm cream or butter yellow color while earthy tones of brown and green work well in a rustic country kitchen. Whichever color you decide on, use latex interior paints with a semi- or high-gloss finish. The gloss finish will make your walls easier to clean in the event of grease splatters or food spills.
  
  

Floors

• Consider painting a checkered pattern on the floor of your kitchen if you have a hardwood floor that could use a face-lift or even a smooth plywood subfloor. Rent a professional sanding machine to sand the floor if necessary, and clean the floor before you begin painting. Apply two coats of latex paint in the lighter color of your design as a base coat. Use a chalk line to create a grid on the dry painted floor and apply tape to the inside edges of alternating squares on the floor. Paint the tape-free squares with a different shade of latex paint. When you peel the tape away from the dry floor, the checkered pattern will emerge. Apply two or three layers of clear polyurethane to the floor to protect your design.
  
  

Cabinets

• Add a distressed wood grain finish to your cabinets to give them an antique, country look. This paint technique is much cheaper than purchasing new cabinets and will tie your existing cabinets into your country kitchen design. Wash and sand the cabinets before you begin painting to remove any grease or dirt. Paint a coat of pale yellow or tan shellac primer onto the cabinets. Once the primer is dry, mix a wood-tone glaze by combining 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp. sugar, 3 drops India ink and 1 tbsp. universal tint in burnt umber or a similar shade. Paint this glaze onto the cabinets with vertical strokes to simulate natural wood grain. Drag a large, dry paintbrush gently through the glaze while it is still wet to create additional graining.