Kitchen painting

Kitchen painting

 One of the first things I did when moving into this apartment was to paint the baseboards - of the whole apartment. Including the radiators. Took a huge amount of time, especially in the rooms with dark paint, but I think it really made the apartment look clean and finished.

Key tips:

1. Wide and good quality painters tape ($5?) - wedge under baseboards where possible. On the walls, make sure the tape is sticking firmly to the wall, or else paint will leak through and get on the walls in splotches. Don't leave the tape on too long or you risk pealing off the original paint. If the new paint dries in a continuum with the tape, use a tape knife along the edge while pulling off tape or the new paint will peel. 
2. Color - Started off with using ceiling paint, but ended up redoing it in a softer white because ceiling paint was way too bright, and didn't match existing trim.

Before - Yellow Baseboards

After - White baseboards

After - White baseboards & radiator

Decided to also do the under-cabinet baseboards a dark black to match the appliances. It was not very difficult and made a big difference - it really framed the overall kitchen and made the existing cabinets look nicer.

Before & After -  Baseboards painted black.

Before

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After

Before

 While I had the black paint out, I also decided to paint the rod on the stove (was brown, above) and the step where the door is which I didn't take a pre-photo of but it was in similar condition and color to the baseboards below the cabinets.

Black painted door step.