Many molding options available
(photo by Tina Killackey)
By adding molding and paint, transform any standard kitchen island into a custom piece. The original island here was one of those plain paneled built-ins that came with the home. It is now a beautiful piece of custom furniture.
Sanding first
To begin, start by giving your island a good sanding to knock back as much of the glossy surface as you can. Then begin to cut and apply moldings.
Molding is the key
A variety of molding options can be found at your local Home Depot or Lowes store. Here, picture frame molding was mitered and glued on three sides of the island with a glue made just for that purpose (usually sold in the same area of the store as the moldings). On the corners a different type of molding was added which came with a 90 degree corner cut into it to make fitting very easy. It only needed to be cut to the right height. A miter box is all that’s needed for these basic cuts. Across the bottom of the island, the original strip of molding was left and the corners were cut out to fit the new pieces.
Next comes paint
Once moldings area in place, apply a primer made for glossy surfaces to be safe. If the base coat is dark make sure to have the primer tinted to save on topcoats. Lightly sand smooth. Apply two coats of the base color (tan is used here), lightly sanding between coats. Stop here if a solid color is desired. Otherwise, use a white wax candle to rub down all of the edges and raised moldings where the base color is to show through. After that paint two coats of a top color over everything. When dry lightly sand back to the base color only where you applied the wax. Here, a satin paint was chosen for the look and feel. However, glossy will work well also.
Close up of molding (photo by Tina Killackey)
Protect your hard work
Then add a varnish or rubbed furniture wax finish (as seen here) to give it shine and protection. Make sure the paint has dried for a couple of days before rubbing the wax on or the paint may soften too much and rub off also. If this starts to happen just wipe off any excess wax carefully and let harden another day or two. Finish by adding hardware to prevent fingernails from scratching up the paint over time.
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