The first step of renovating our basement wet bar was to update the paint and hardware on the cabinets.

We put tape on the back of each cabinet door and numbered them, so we’d remember where they go.

Like we have done in past painting projects, we once again used bonding primer.  This stuff works fantastic, because it sticks to stained-wood surfaces without any sanding.

I’ve found the easiest way to apply this stuff is with a small roller.  It fits everywhere I need to paint, and makes it easier to avoid streaks.

The color we chose was Behr Ultra Graphic Charcoal in a satin finish.

The color required two coats, and we did our best to watch edges because covering dark colors is always tricky in touch ups.

The hardware we picked required 2 holes in the drawers.  As you can see below, the old hardware had just 1 hole for the drawer handles.

A little wood putty and a second coat of paint took care of the problem.

The original hinges are brass and while we didn’t love the brass color the hinge itself is a really sturdy design and we wanted to reuse them with the painted cabinets. We saved a little money by just spray-painting the hinges.  This photo was taken before the update, which was a color we found that was close enough to the hardware.

Now that the cabinets are painted and the hardware is updated, the next step was replacing the  pink formica with butcher block countertop, adding an under-mounted sink and updating the faucet.

Click here to see this whole renovation.