tips & tricks

Do Not Rush. Sounds simple, but my gosh we know how hard this really is! To avoid drips (and chipping later on) we always do extremely thin layers on the plastic parts of the kitchen. You want to be slightly further away then you think you should be, and be doing multiple thin layers. Remember if you live in a colder climate, wait until a sunny and warm day before spray painting. Lastly, make sure you let these dry for atleast 24hrs and then apply a clear matte top coat, we recommend Rustoleum!

It has to be our most asked question, and for good reason, this one's tricky! We recommend using the cardboard packaging that comes with your kitchen, use a piece that can stand up, then use scissors to puncture two small holes in the cardboard that the tap will slot into. This keeps your tap upright while you spray paint, and keeps it steady while it dries!!

Would you love to add some custom handles to your play kitchen? It's not as hard as you may think! Ideally you'll be able to find handles in the right size, that is handles with a 128mm gap between bolts! If you're like us though, you'll have found the perfect handles that are a bit too small for the pre-drilled holes... Not to worry, a bit of putty, sandpaper, and a drill will be your friend here. Simply putty up the existing holes, sand it down once dry, measure up the new handles and drill some new holes! Now you're ready to paint!

Say hello to the SUN! If you are in a colder climate, you do not want to start spray painting until its a warmer, sunny day because your paint will BUBBLE. No sun? Perhaps a warm garage might do the trick! To make this quick and easy, you will want to tape your perspex pieces, and lay everything out in procession line! Give all the wooden pieces a light sand, and then we always recommend using Rustoleum Chalk Finish spray paint, after 20 kitchen makeovers we have found the chalk finish LASTS, and we're going on 3 years with ours! Aim to be around 30cm away from the piece you are painting, and move the can in measured sweeps over the piece so you are painting 'lines'. You'll be aiming to move in an almost S shape so that the entire piece is covered in the one layer. This avoids touch up spots that will appear 'darker.' Always leave each piece for 12-24hrs between coats (depending on your climate). To finish, top with a clear matte top coat after 24hrs+

It's no secret we are HUGE fans of the undermounted sink. Not only does it elevate your kitchens whole look, but it also stops your little one from pulling it out 1000 times and chipping your meticulous paint job!! This can still be done if you've already set up the kitchen, simply remove the 'top' section of the kitchen and then remove the counter top from the 'bottom' section. Put the countertop face down on a solid surface, place the sink over the sink hole and mark the corners with a pencil. Make sure the sink is centred over the hole and there are no gaps along the edges. It's time to use super glue, or our sink clip pack (hint: this is honestly a lot easier!) You'll need to run glue along the top of all 4 edges of the sink and then line up the corners with your pencil marks and secure it while the glue dries (disclaimer: this can last ages, but sometimes only lasts a day). Otherwise, you will grab 4 of your sink clips, line up the sink, place a clip on each side of the sink making sure it is sitting over the sinks 'lip', then use a hammer to lightly push the nail 3/4 of the way in to the counter top. There you have it, you've undermounted the sink!

Removing the microwave is a super quick and easy way to create way more storage for your little one! It can also be just as easily put back into place when you want to change it up. To do this little hack all you'll need is your allen key. Undo the 4 screws on the very top piece of wood, lift it off and remove the two sides of the microwave (they will just lift up) and remove the door! Store the little wood dowel pegs in a ziplock bag for later. Then simply put the top piece of wood back on and rescrew the 4 screws with your allen key. TA DA!

Did someone say, double sided splashback?? This has to be one of our easiest hacks and is perfect for those of us, like myself, who love to change things up to keep their little ones interested! You'll need corfulte/poster board, two of our wallpaper splashbacks and three pairs of Command picture hanging strips (the velcro style ones). Cut your corflute board to size with scissors (32cm high x 68cm long). This allows for a 1cm overhang on both sides and on top. Apply a wallpaper splashback to each side of the corflute board, making sure you leave the 1cm on each end. Then grab your three pairs of command strips, using scissors, cut each strip vertically down the middle. This should leave you with 6 narrow strip pairs! Seperate the pairs so you have 12 narrow strips, and apply a narrow strip to all four corners on each side of the corflute board. The remaining 4 strips you will apply to the back of your kitchen, making sure they line up with all four of the strips on your corflute board. Now you can simply attach the corflute board to your kitchen, and when you want a change, FLIP IT and reattach!