That's really rough...we're only on day 2 of no kitchen, I can't imagine 4 months and more!!! If you could you post a layout of the new configuration, it would really help us! You may not need to put the rangetop or sink in the peninsula...I don't know though, since I don't really know the dimensions of the walls, where the windows and doors are, etc. If/when you post, please include all dimensions, not just overall, but also sizes of windows & doors/doorways, distance b/w windows and/or doors and the walls, where you would like to eat, how rooms connect to the area, etc. Ask yourself... * Where are you flexible? .....Can windows or doorways change size? .....Can they be moved? .....Can windows be raised/lowered? .....Does the sink have to be centered under a window? .....Does it have to be under a window at all? * Do you bake? Do you want a coffee/tea/beverage center? * What appliances do you plan on having (helps to figure out work flow, work zones, and types of cabinets...upper/lower vs full height, etc.) .....Range or Cooktop? .....Single or Double or no Wall Oven? .....Warming Drawer? .....MW? (Advantium, drawer, OTR, countertop, built-in, shelf?) .....DW? Standard or drawers? If drawers, 1 or 2? .....Refrigerator CD or standard depth? .....Vent Hood? .....Other? Sizes of desired appliances (e.g., 30" or 36" or 48" cooktop; 36" or 42" or 48" wide or other Refrigerator? etc.) * Pantry: Walk-in or cabinets? ***** Very Important ***** Is there anything you: * Can't live without? * Definitely don't want? * Would like if we can find a way? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We will have a peninsula b/w the DR and Kitchen, but we're in the middle of construction right now so I don't know how it will be to live with it. We will have a prep sink in the corner where the peninsula meets the back wall. As to raised countertops, I'm not a big fan of them since you need to make sure you have enough room in the raised portion to put a dinner place setting...12" plate + drinking glass + silverware, etc. with enough room around them so they don't fall off the edge. Also, I find bar stools less comfortable overall than counter stools. YMMV for any of these!

Kitchens DO need an oil based sealing primer because even if you do all the right steps and clean the cabinets with TSP, scuff sand, and then prime with just a regular water based stain blocking primer, microscopic kitchen grease that is still left can bleed through. Especially in older kitchens that don't have proper ventilation. Grease gets into the pores of the wood where the finish has failed. Just like the pitch in knotty pine, water based primers just don't cut it here. Bleedthrough may not happen right away, but it WILL happen, and it will ruin your paint job. Painting is all about prep work, and there are no shortcuts to doing that right, despite what all the marketers would have you believe. And, I'd never recommend doing chalk paint anywhere in a kitchen, even if you are going to seal it with acrylic. That's still two coats of painting, and you might as well make that a coat of primer and a topcoat. The only thing you're skipping is the scuff sanding, and that's not at all onerous to do. You'll just end up with a better quality job if you use the right products for the right job and don't skimp on the labor portion either. If you want to minimize the labor, a HVLP sprayer as was suggested above will help you with that, but it does have a learning curve and requires a significant investment in equipment. However, I'm of the opinion that every single home needs to own a decent air compressor, because there are SO many things that you can do with it. Filling the kids float toys, blowing leaves off of the driveway, using a brad nailer to apply crown molding, using an air wrench to remove the lugs to change a tire, and the list could go on and on....

Be aware that if you're painting it white, oil based paint will yellow over time. Just curious - why you are using oil base paint?

I've been in retail paint for 20 years!! >>>> DO NOT do any painting!!! Leave that to the NEW owners! Knowing what I know now......I wouldn't want to UNDO someone else's quick spruce-up work. It's rarely done very well anyway!!! I'm way the hell too fussy. I'd be pissed as all get-out if they were painted "just to sell". Then, I'd have the immense headache of getting that paint off...... Besides.....they may LIKE the wood! Please.... DON'T follow the Realtors advice here!! YOU won't get a DIME out it. It's just a possibly quicker commission for the Realtor. Faron