Kitchen Renovation

This room took the longest to complete, but probably had the biggest impact. We knew we wanted it 100% completed before we moved in, but still had to be mindful of our budget. There wasn’t anything about it that we wanted to keep, including the roaches, mouse droppings and smell that couldn’t quite be identified. Therefore, we gutted it right down to the sub-flooring. We removed the small peninsula and swapped the refrigerator from one side of the room to the other. My poor husband felt like he was on an archaeological dig when he began trying to remove the white tile flooring. Every layer that was removed revealed another layer. Three total! Oak, ready to finish cabinets went in along with new laminate countertops. A large, granite single basin sink and an industrial faucet were added; along with simple farmhouse style cabinet pulls and knobs. Originally, I didn’t think I wanted two-tone cabinets and had never been a fan of the style. However, after painting the upper cabinets a creamy white, I tried to imagine how the bottom ones would look. In my vision, they looked dirty. Probably from all the drips and sticky fingerprints that inevitably would end up on them.

I had seen a few YouTube videos of the vinegar/steel wool method and wanted to give it a try. After letting my mixture soak for about a month, I bravely set to work and began painting it onto the unfinished oak surface. To my surprise, they turned out great!! After they dried, I did a very minimal dry-brush with chalk paint and sealed them with clear wax. I really love the “old barn wood” finish and everyone that has seen them, loves them. It was so easy and budget friendly, I highly recommend it!!

We added vinyl plank flooring and “brick” paneling sheets painted in a glossy white as a backsplash. The popcorn ceiling was replaced with ceiling planks in a faux wood finish. We did away with the awful fluorescent light and installed more modern, farmhouse-feel lighting. New appliances purchased from the “scratch and dent” section at 50% off retail finished off the room. We completely transformed our kitchen for a fraction of what a contractor wanted!

The breakfast nook that opened up to the large den and a screened in porch. We decided to paint over the walnut paneling in the kitchen just because I felt it was too dark.

We left the doors off the cabinets surrounding the window to display my white dishes and a few antique kitchen tools. Below are some “during” photos.

These are the “ready to finish” oak cabinets we picked up at the big box store. We’d catch them on sale and just buy a few at a time. By the time we were ready to start on the kitchen, we’d already purchased all the cabinets.

We used generic red brick paneling sheets as our backsplash. Much cheaper and easier than tiles. We were making a big push to try and get moved in and this seemed like such an easy solution.