Have you ever seen those beautiful pictures of kitchens with black cabinets? Or rooms filled with eye-catching shiny black furniture? We saw them and when we re-did our kitchen we decided to go ahead with the color black for our brand new island (which I love!) However, if I had to go back I would probably change it now. Oh, it still looks lovely if you don't look at it too closely. But there is a truth about this type of furniture that you won't read in any magazine article--
1. It is forever dusty. You can dust it in the morning and by evening it will look like you never dusted it. It is like a magnet for dust. Actually, it is just showing the dust that naturally settles on any piece of furniture. But black furniture shows all dust rather spectacularly, without any forgiveness whatsoever.
2. It mars very easily. Any chips, dents, and spills show themselves very clearly. We are a busy family with lots of activity going on. Our kitchen is a happening place. And that means that there are already lots of chips in the paint (see above) and areas that are imperfect. And, once they happen, they are very obvious. You cannot hide them.
And so, this is my caution to anyone who wants to buy black furniture or paint their cabinets black. Beware of these two truths. If you are someone who thrives on cleaning and touching up paint, then these will not be big issues for you. But if you like something you dusted to look nice for at least a day or two and you aren't handy with a paintbrush, you may want to re-think it before you go with the color black.
I found this out the hard way! I used black stain on a cabinet for the TV in our family room. Boys and toys have taken their toil, however, a black Sharpie can cover a multitude of sins! I use a paper towel to buff the ink after I cover the chip...works every time!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I use a brown permanent marker for my hardwood floor, but didn't think about it for the black furniture. Thanks so much! Can't wait to try it :)
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