White Kitchen Makeover with Rocky Mountain Painters

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Last December we bought our first house.

One thing we didn’t know about purchasing a town house in a new community development is that once construction has started you may not be able to customize everything. We jumped on this townhouse because it was one of four units with a bigger backyard (which townhouses are not known for), an east-facing backyard (hello, summer BBQs in the shade) and there are no neighbors on the other end of our backyard (again, not what townhouses are known for). The compromise to getting a great lot was that design choices had already been made and solidified with our unit. In other words, the cabinets, which require the longest lead time of any part of the home, had already been ordered in grey and olive green.

It may seem ridiculous to repaint brand-new kitchen cabinets (believe me I said these same words to myself). But the kitchen is the heart of the home, and if you’re going to invest in anything, the kitchen sure seems like a worthy candidate to create the mood and feeling you want to have while you spend all your time there.

So I explained it to Matt this way:

Say someone gave you a pink shirt to wear. It’s really nice quality, it’s not a bad looking shirt, but the color is something you’d NEVER wear or pick out for yourself because it just isn’t you.

I felt the same about our kitchen. The colors all went well together and it was nice and new, but it just wasn’t me. Plus, we’d been living in a basement for the past 3 years so I was desperate for a bright white kitchen that would reflect all the natural light we’d been missing.

Enter Rocky Mountain Painters.

After a few Google searches and pouring over reviews, I called Rocky Mountain Painters and was so impressed with the very first conversation I had. Ashlee was friendly and accommodating, and I felt like I was talking to someone like me. She helped provide an initial estimate over the phone based on the photos I had sent of our kitchen. I had reached out to two other local painters and here’s what went into my decision…

  1. Cost: The second painters I called estimated almost $1,000 more in cost. They had a million reasons why their process was the best, but it just felt like they were exaggerating the labor on their end to make you think the cost was fair. It was convincing, but I also had to weigh the fact that we had a budget and I didn’t want to compromise that based on someone’s “promise” that they’d work harder than anyone else.
  2. First Impressions: When the third painting company I reached out to had returned my call, I never even called them back for an estimate because the lady sounded so annoyed in her voicemail. Umm, aren’t I bringing YOU business? I just could tell she’d be difficult to work with (or so she sounded) and we were already approaching our moving deadline so I needed to feel encouraged that we could make this happen and have it all go smoothly. In my first interactions with Rocky Mountain Painters, they treated me like their only customer. They were personable and professional with a small-business feel. I could tell they took their work seriously (they’ve been doing this for more than 40 years), but they never made me feel like I owed them anything.
  3. Experience: Experience in my mind is two-fold: It’s the experience I have with a business as a customer (how they treat me, how they communicate with me and how they deliver on their promise to do good work); and the experience they bring to the table that shows me they’ve done this long enough that they’ve worked out all the kinks, learned from any past mistakes and are ready to take on my project with quality and efficiency. When you’re a perfectionist like me, the expectations are high.

It can be scary to open up your home to someone you don’t know, but the experience I had with Rocky Mountain Painters was positive all around. Renee was our project manager (so pleasant to work with!) and Scott, the owner, was an expert on the entire process. When we met for an in-person estimate, he explained exactly what they do, how long it takes, some additional options (like changing the hardware) and had no problems matching the exact paint color I wanted with their industrial grade paint (we went with Sherwin Williams Hi-Hide White). They were even willing to squeeze us in their busy schedule right after Thanksgiving. Our move date was December 3 so we were trying to fit this in beforehand to avoid living in a kitchen “under construction.”

The whole process was very hands-off for us. They set up shop in our garage and sealed off all surrounding surfaces in the kitchen (our counters, floors and newly painted walls). They sanded the cabinets as well so there was some dust and I appreciated their cleanup afterward so our house would still have that brand-new feel on moving day.

I was blown away by how different our kitchen felt when the job was done. That is the kind of experience I love most. When something makes you feel genuinely excited and happy about the future. I felt like a new person and could see myself living in this beautiful, bright kitchen, learning new healthy recipes, making memories with Matty and Benjamin and finally having a kitchen to call our own. I knew immediately that white was the right choice and also made our kitchen feel bigger and more lively. And it felt very me.

A couple more things you should know about Rocky Mountain Painters if you’re in Utah looking to update or remodel your home:

  • All of their work is covered by an all-inclusive, 5-year warranty. Meaning, if any problem areas arise in the first 5 years, they’ll fix it up for free.
  • They do more than just cabinets. Check out their other services and some before/after photos on their website: RockyMountainPainters.com.

I’m so glad we chose to repaint our kitchen cabinets and that we found great partners like Scott, Renee and Ashlee at Rocky Mountain Painters to help make our first home our favorite home yet.

Have you been considering some new home projects or updates that require painting? What concerns or questions do you have?

Leave a comment or send me an email if you want to know more about my experience.

Special thanks to Rocky Mountain Painters for partnering on this post. All opinions are my own.

Amanda

Comments

  1. I love your kitchen, it’s so gorgeous!

    http://ariadibari.com

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • Thank you!! Now I just need to hold up my end of the bargain and learn how to cook amazing meals in there. 😉

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  2. Oh my gosh! What a difference a little paint makes!! I’m so glad you chose to do this. I think it was so worth it!

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • Thank you so much! I’m so glad we did, too! I didn’t realize just how much it would brighten up the room and make it feel bigger.

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  3. Omg, I am in LOVE with this kitchen!! Totally obsessed.

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
  4. Emma Sears says:

    The green island is just bizarre! All of it looks so much better white! When we moved into our house all of the baseboards and ceilings were tan, and all the walls were not our favorite color choices. We spent almost a whole year painting all the ceilings and baseboards white, and a lot of the walls neutrals light grays. We just got more cabinets, put in granite and then a tile backsplash. Our last step is painting our cabinets white! I think making something you own into something you love makes a huge difference!!

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • Right?? I new right away that it wasn’t my style (before we even saw it) and when we closed on our house I remember one of the builder guys saying, “So who chose the army colors in the kitchen?” And I hadn’t thought of the gray and green that way, but that really sealed the deal. I said, “Matt! We have to repaint these.”

      Way to go doing all of that work yourselves! It is not for the faint of heart, but so worth it to have something that makes you feel happy living there. XO

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  5. I love love LOVE the after look so much. Your new kitchen is like my dream kitchen. The colour palette is perfect!

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • You are the sweetest! Thanks for making me feel so good. Now if I could just keep it clean… 😉

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  6. Heidi says:

    Can you share the cost?

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • We put about $700 down at the start of the project and I think total it was about $2200. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have other questions! 😉

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  7. Natali says:

    Love how minimalistic and bright your kitchen is! Beautiful work!

    https://lartoffashion.com/yumetastic-dinner/

    Posted March 2, 2017 | Reply
    • Thank you so much! Minimalism is really growing on me in more ways than one! 😉

      Posted March 9, 2017 | Reply
  8. Amanda,
    WOW! I had to tell you how impressed I am about how you have promoted Rocky Mountain Painters with your blog thru the pics and notes of the kitchen cabinets we painted in you home. Apologies for waiting so long to notice and review. My associate and in house web designer, SAN EDVALSEN, has been working on inserting back links and such for more access to our company. WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT for us! The pictures are so professional it has inspired us to put the phone camera down and get real with a pro photographer, which just happens San is one of those also. Carry on guys and keep spreading the word! I hope all is well.
    Thanks again
    Scott
    RMP

    Posted February 12, 2018 | Reply
  9. San Edvalson says:

    I work for Rocky Mountain Painters, and though I came on board after you had your kitchen makeover, it warms me too see such a lovely experience so beautifully related. It matches perfectly my own experiences working with Scott. Your blog is beautiful and so well written. I think its pure class that you write about your experiences in life in such an engaging and positive way that your readers can grab hold of and either relate to (or hold hope for) their own positive experiences!

    Posted February 12, 2018 | Reply