You can check out some of my other kitchen posts to see what this wall looked like before. First, I began by painting the walls Valspar Mark Twain Gray Brick. I’ve used this color a few times in our home when I updated our front door and painted our master bedroom, and I like it very much. I knew that I was going to display white dishes on my shelves, so the dark gray is a nice contrast.
Luckily, my friends over at HANDy Paint Products had just sent me a HANDy Paint Pail and Tray and I had some paint left over. I got to work painting and these products make it so much easier. Cutting in around trim, wall outlets, and light switches is so easy with a paint pail in hand. The tray is also great and has a fun feature that won’t let your roller get dipped in too much paint.
While the paint dried, I went out to our scrap wood pile in the backyard and found a couple pieces of 1×4 lumber. I cut them to the depth of my counter top, distressed them a little bit with a hammer and screwdriver, stained them using a mix of Minwax Jacobean, Ebony and Special Walnut and distressed them some more with my mouse sander. I used my favorite five dollar brackets from Lowe’s and hung them in place. I have a few tutorials already on how to install these shelves and they can be seen in my laundry room and office area too. These are the easiest DIY shelves ever!
