Red Kitchen Island for Your Radiant Red Kitchen

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Painted and glazed kitchen island in a farmhouse or Tuscan style red 

Painted Kitchen Island – the Perfect Shade of Red

Would you like a red kitchen island? You can have one! A red kitchen island is a perfect addition to a farmhouse or retro style red kitchen. You can make this bold color work with many decor styles. Often being the center of the room, it may as well shine. 

This kitchen island came to me a while back and has sat in my inventory since.  There have been many inquiries for it to be customized but nothing that ever turned into anything.  I decided that it’s time for a makeover. It is solid wood, very well made, sturdy and a bit too neutral in color.

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How to Paint a Red Kitchen Island

 Before – The Unfinished Kitchen Island

Initially, I had hoped to leave the top in its original condition since the kitchen island itself is in beautiful shape. Unfortunately, it received a few too many scratches while being moved around in storage over the months. Before bringing the piece into my shop the top was sanded down to bare wood with my electric sander. 

By sanding the top I now have a blank slate to work with and can darken it up as I see fit. The island top is stained using a dark wood stain. After the first coat of wood stain, the surface is lightly sanded a second coat is applied. A few coats were applied to ensure optimum protection, assuming a kitchen island will get a bit more traffic than a dresser for example. You can find great quality furniture paint and stain online HERE. An added bonus, when painting furniture, you want to make sure to use a quality non-toxic furniture paint.

New to painting furniture and not sure where to start? Start at the beginning with How to Paint Furniture – a Beginners Guide.

The Paint – the Perfect Shade of Red

The base of the kitchen island has a factory finish of off-white or cream.  It is first painted black as a  solid dark base coat. 

I then questioned myself and what was I thinking tackling a kitchen island with a fixed wine rack and such small areas to get into. I’ve concluded that a fixed wine rack is right up there with spindles in the ‘pain in the arse’ category. 

For the smaller areas, I use my bendable Cling on Brush and my short handle Wooster brush.  There’s nothing worse than painting a short area and the handle of the brush continues to crash into the opposite end because it’s too tall for the space.  The short angled brush is perfect for those short areas. You can get one (here)I continue on..  the second coat applied is a deep, rich cranberry red. 

Followed by a cherry red. 

We are layering paint colors for that perfect red kitchen island.

I don’t want the kitchen island to be black, nor cranberry nor red which is why the colors are layered in this way. The entire island is distressed creating a unique layered look, where bits of each color peek through.

Lastly, the entire base is sealed and glazed creating a finish that would compliment both a farmhouse style or Tuscan style kitchen.

The Result – Red Painted Kitchen Island

Believe it or not, this painted kitchen island had a difficult time selling. Many compliments, but no buyers. I suppose a kitchen island can be difficult due to different size and style kitchens. So, it was donated to the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce (where I am a member) for their Holiday Gala and raffled off. It went to a very sweet and grateful woman here on Staten Island. I always feel that a piece ends up where it is meant to be, and I think it was meant to go to her all along. (insert puffy heart here)

The dark espresso stained top with slightly distressed edges give such a warm feeling. 

Glazed over red paint for extra charm. 

If you prefer not to DIY but still want a red kitchen island, you can find many affordable red kitchen islands for sale (HERE)

Are you redesigning a red kitchen? Here are a few red kitchen accessories that you will love: 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

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