Kitchen Makeover: The Reveal

Whew! The kitchen is finally done*! I'd hoped to finish some time ago, but I spent February and March flattened by a health issue. Thanks, everyone, for sticking around.

*Well, it's about 90% done. It still needs a few small things -- knobs/pulls, a window treatment, some decor on the walls -- but I think the 90% mark is sufficient for pictures. :D

(By the way, the black cloth on the window is just to cut the glare so I could take photos that don't look like the TV from "Poltergeist"...)

Carol Anne... Do not go into the light!

Without further ado, here's a tour of my made-over kitchen, hosted by photobombing miniature pinscher Bean Sidhe:

"We're in the kitchen. That means food, right?"

painted cabinets, faux granite countertops, open shelves replacing wall cabinets, new sink and faucet

DIY refrigerator cabinet, beadboard wallpaper on peninsula

And now on to the before and after comparisons! What I'm calling "before" is actually a middle stage after I'd replaced all the appliances, installed new flooring, and removed the ceiling-mounted cabinets. The kitchen looked like this when I bought the house...

 

but I've lived with it in the condition that I'm calling "before."

view facing the window

view upon entering from the garage

view from the living area

Total cost of the makeover was about $970. Of this, $760 was for the new sink, disposal and faucet (with installation). The other changes totaled about $210. If I go back and include the new appliances and flooring that I bought three years ago, the entire cost was about $2,300.

(For those wondering about the dining room... I finally found some chairs to put with my new purple table, but they need serious GIYing. Look for the results in a future post!)

Kitchen Makeover: Faux Granite Counter

Lots of people have laminate counters when they'd rather have natural stone. Real stone is expensive, but with the availability of primers that stick to laminate surfaces, painting a faux stone finish is now a feasible low-cost option. I decided to go this route for my kitchen counter and chose to try for a granite look because it seemed to require the least artistic ability to achieve. (My counter was in bad shape and needed repairs prior to painting. I painted on wood surfaces, but the same techniques can be used on laminate.)

Supplies Needed:
Primer: I used Glidden Gripper. Straight from the can, this stuff is as thick as glue and dries in about three seconds. Mixing in some Floetrol paint conditioner makes it much easier to roll on. The Gripper worked very well on my wood surfaces. It is supposed to work on laminates also, but I haven't tried it.

Paint: I suggest using a base coat color plus at least four accent colors for the most realistic granite-like result. A metallic accent color will help replicate the glint seen in real granite. I used Behr latex paint in Pewter Mug (cool grey), Porpoise (warmer grey) and Beluga (black), Ceramcoat acrylic paint in Bamboo (beige), and FolkArt acrylic paint in Metallic Silver. The latex and acrylic paints worked equally well.

Sea Sponge: These are available at craft stores.

Clear Coat: I used EnviroTex Lite, a pour-on gloss finish. I have mixed feelings about the result, which I'll explain later in this post. Polyurethane would be another option.

You'll also need appropriate application tools (rollers, brushes, etc.), paper plates or cardboard for your paint palette, and paper towels. I recommend having a granite sample or photo on hand for reference. I used a free granite sample that I picked up from the home improvement store.

Begin by priming and then painting on the base coat. I used Pewter Mug (the same grey as on my walls) mixed with Beluga (black) to darken it.

Allow the base coat to dry completely, then sponge on the accent colors.

• Wet the sponge to soften it, then squeeze all the water out.
• Squirt or pour out a little of the accent color onto a paper plate or cardboard.
• Dip the sponge into the accent color, then dab it on paper towels to remove any excess paint.
• Sponge the paint onto the counter with light pressure.

Step 1: Sponge on the first accent color. (Mine was a light grey which was not very visible.)

Step 2: Sponge on the next accent color. Think it looks sort of silly.

Step 3: Sponge on another color. Think it looks obvious that it's sponged-on paint. Fear that this faux painting thing might be the worst idea you've ever had. Debate whether to continue.

Step 4: Forge ahead with sponging on another color. Begin to have a tiny glimmer of hope that this project won't be a disaster.

Step 5: Sponge on another color. Feel more confident that the counter might actually resemble stone in the end.

Step 6 and beyond: Continue to sponge on your accent colors until you are satisfied with the result.

My result was more or less what I was trying for -- a slightly darker version of the granite sample:

Allow the paint to dry, then apply the clear coat. Choose one with a gloss finish to better replicate the shine of polished granite. I used EnviroTex, a pour-on coating which produces a thick, glossy finish. If you decide to use EnviroTex, be aware that it drips all over the place, is extremely sticky when wet, and does not clean up easily. Edge the counter with painters tape, cover the cabinets, floor and every other exposed surface with plastic dropcloths, wear gloves, and use a disposable mixing bowl and stirrer.

Masking tape applied to the underside of the counter will form a little ledge to catch drips. Be sure to remove all tape before the EnviroTex dries.

EnviroTex coats a relatively small area, so I needed four boxes to cover my counter. The first two batches went on beautifully, and I was very impressed with the super glossy finish, which looked almost like glass. But inexplicably, the second two batches, which I mixed in exactly the same manner as the first two, were full of bubbles. I tried the remedies recommended in the instructions (except for a propane torch, which I don't have and would be reluctant to use even if I did) to no avail. This was quite disappointing. Having had such mixed results with a fairly expensive product, I can't really say whether I'd recommend EnviroTex or not. When it's bubble-free, it looks fantastic. But it's frustrating to end up with a bubbly surface, even though the bubbles are only visible from certain angles. If I ever do another faux granite project, I'll probably give polyurethane a try.

With the clear coat added, the faux granite counter is complete! The EnviroTex is so glossy, you can see reflections in it.

Because I know the counter is painted wood, it's hard for me to judge if it really looks like granite or not... either way, it's an improvement.

Tips and Lessons Learned:

• When sponging on the accent colors, rotate the sponge and/or change the angle of your wrist to better simulate the random patterns of granite.
• When sponging, use light pressure at a measured pace. Sort of a dab... dab... dab..., not a DABDABDAB. Don't play VNV Nation or Imperative Reaction if you're likely to sponge in time with the music. ;)
• Latex and acrylic paints dry extremely fast, so you can work your way around the counter with one color and then immediately start again with another color. I rinsed my sponge between colors, but I'm not sure that's really necessary.

Total cost of this project was about $82. I paid $18 each for four boxes of EnviroTex, $5 for sea sponges, and about $5 for supplies (roller covers, dropcloth and mixing bowl). I had the primer and paints on hand. (Purchasing new primer and latex paint (one quart each) would add another $25 or so. Acrylic paints for accent colors are $1-2 each. Polyurethane would be a less expensive clear coat choice at about $12-15 for a quart.)

Kitchen Makeover: Counter Repair

When I bought the house, the kitchen counter was covered with white tile. In general, I'm not a fan of tile because of the difficulty of keeping grout clean. I really did not like these particular tiled counters. The grout lines were wide and slightly sunken, and the gritty sanded grout had not been sealed; I didn't feel like I could get it properly clean. Of course, the tan/brown color made the grout look perpetually dirty anyway.

I decided to see what was under the tiles. I removed one and discovered a faux wood laminate. Not terribly attractive, but at least it was a smooth surface that I could keep clean! The tiles popped off with little effort, and the thinset (or whatever they'd used) scraped off easily. In no time, I had cleared one section of counter.

I moved merrily along until I got to the corner. There I discovered that the laminate ended in a diagonal line, and beyond that, the tiles were sitting on particleboard. Ugh! Now I had two areas of exposed thinset-on-particleboard. :(

Unbelievably, my canisters fit perfectly to cover them.

On the other side of the counter, I peeked under a tile and found laminate again. Hooray! I once again began removing tiles, only to discover that a large section of the counter had been water damaged. The laminate had been pulled off in a jagged line and the remaining particleboard slathered with some kind of plaster. There was also a wide line cut into the counter, possibly from a circular saw? So much for the hooray. :(

There wasn't much I could do to fix this problem. I put down some adhesive shelf paper to cover the plaster, which was so rough as to be pointy and sharp.

I was left with a hodgepodge of laminate, tile, particleboard and shelf paper on the counters. 

I lived with these ridiculous counters for quite a while. Putting stuff on them provided only slight camouflage.

Naturally, fixing the counters was a big priority in the kitchen makeover. I began by removing the remaining tile. It did not easily pop off the particleboard like it had the laminate, so I had the pleasure of smashing it into bits. I'm such a dork, I could not resist playing the "The Incredible Hulk" DVD during this process. Bane smash! :D

With the tile gone, the wooden trim now sat above the countertop by about 3/8 inch.

After investigating several options for resurfacing the counter, I decided to fill the voids with plywood and then paint on a faux finish that I hoped would resemble stone. I put down the plywood using my pneumatic nailer plus a few screws where needed. (One piece of the plywood was so warped that I actually had to sit on it to hold it flat while I drove in the screws. I hate warped plywood!) To ensure that everything would look as seamless as possible once painted, I countersunk the screws and filled them with wood filler, used small cove molding to ease the transition between backsplash and countertop, and then caulked all the seams.

The trim had been varnished with the same evil stuff as the cabinets, so I had to sand it before priming it and the plywood with grey primer.

I followed this with grey latex paint (which was nearly the same color as the primer).

Next came the faux finish, which I will detail in tomorrow's post. I'm splitting this project into two posts because I expect some people will find it by Googling "faux granite counter," and they're probably not interested in the counter backstory. (Who can blame them?) Most people wanting to faux finish their counters would just begin at the primer stage.

Kitchen Makeover: Sink and Faucet

My new sink, faucet and disposal have been installed! :D

The old sink was badly scratched and the old faucet was cheap and hard to turn. 

The old disposal was well past its expiration date. I had to use a bucket when I ran the dishwasher.

I ordered the new sink from Amazon. Now I can make the (bad) joke that I buy everything from Amazon, including the kitchen sink. It arrived in some of the best packaging I've ever seen. First, the box passed my materials inspector's sniff test.

Inside the box, the sink was snuggled in its own sleeping bag.

Shiny! I never thought I'd be so excited about a piece of stainless steel.

I ordered the new faucet from Amazon as well. I got a good deal on a "used-like new" model which had been previously bought and returned (but never installed).

I am very happy with the result! The sink and the faucet are major upgrades from what I had. And I finally have a working disposal... no bucket required!

This was by far the most expensive part of the kitchen makeover at a total cost of about $760. I paid $280 for the sink, $130 for the faucet and $100 for the disposal. I could have purchased less expensive items, but I wanted a sturdy sink that would last for years and a faucet that would look really nice. As installation involved both electrical and plumbing (and I knew that there would be issues because there are always issues in my house), I hired a plumber for installation. At a cost of $250, it was money well spent. It took him three hours, a few trips to his truck, and a lot of muttering, so it probably would have taken me at least six hours, two trips to Home Depot, and a lot of cursing.

Now that the sink is in, I can finish my last kitchen project... and then finally, the big reveal. :)

Kitchen Makeover: DIY Trash Bin

One of the problems with the layout of my kitchen is that there is no out-of-sight place for the trash. The only place trash and recycling cans will fit is at the end of the peninsula, where they are clearly visible from the living room.

I wanted to make them less obvious, maybe with a wooden bin of some sort. Rather than making a bin from scratch, I upcycled one of the cabinets that I'd taken off the wall. I began by taking out the interior shelf, removing the doors and hinges, and filling the screw holes on the doors and cabinet face with wood filler. I primed the cabinet face, cabinet interior, and doors.

Next, I covered the center panels of the doors and the entire back and sides of the cabinet with beadboard wallpaper, and painted it all black to match my base cabinets. I also painted the interior and put down adhesive shelf paper to make sure the bin is easy to keep clean. Then I reattached the doors, placing the hinges at the bottom. I attached magnetic catches at the top of the doors to ensure they stay closed.

To make this thing look more intentional and less like a cabinet just sitting on the floor, I added feet. With the cabinet turned upside down, I repurposed the interior shelf to create a base. I then attached the feet which had been cut from the same balusters that created my cabinet toekick feet.

To cover the shelf/base, which is just ugly particleboard, I attached some narrow wood trim and painted it black. To make a top for the bin, I used a piece of MDF cut to size and, of course, painted black. I still plan to add pulls or handles to all the cabinet doors, including those on the bin. Other than that, the bin is complete!

It holds two cans - one for trash and one for recycling.

Total cost of this project was about $8. I spent $3 on the trim, $3 on the MDF and $2 on the magnetic catches. The feet, wallpaper and paint were left over from other kitchen projects.

Kitchen Makeover: Dining Table

Here's a fabulous example of the transformative power of paint. A few years ago, I scored this table at a thrift store for $20. It's made of solid wood, as evidenced by the weight. Picking up the top is like lifting an entire oak tree. :P It also has two leaves (it's a tree, I tell you!) which store under the table and pull out to approximately double the size of the tabletop. I used it in my workroom for several years, where it suffered the indignity of misplaced paint without complaint.

Due to its exemplary service record (and attractive curvy legs), it was promoted to the dining room. To prepare for its new duties, it got a makeover. Sanding the top to remove the old paint was quick and easy, but I was dreading painting because of all the curves and indentations on the legs. Then, a stroke of good luck! I was looking through paint chips at Lowe's and saw that the "Sumptuous Purple" chip had a little note that said "also available in spray paint." Sweet! Spray paint would be MUCH easier for the curvy legs, and I could use matching latex paint for the flat surfaces.

This was my first time trying Valspar paint. The spray paint was satisfactory - the spray pattern produced a lot of fine mist, resulting in less-than-stellar coverage and too much overspray. Not a bad choice, but I still prefer Rust-Oleum Painter's Choice for spray paints. The Valspar latex paint was good; I would use it again.

And the Sumptuous Purple color? Gorgeous! I love it. I think I found my perfect shade of purple. :D (Of course, my camera refuses to capture said perfect shade. I had to heavily adjust the colors in this photo. The floor isn't actually orange and the wall isn't actually pink.)

This is a good representation of the true color (at least on my screen):

The table will enjoy wearing the bat tablecloth I picked up last October. :) Now to add candles, a centerpiece and so forth...

Total cost of this project was about $19. I paid $15 for a quart of latex paint (I used maybe 1/3 of it) and $4 for a can of spray paint. The tablecloth was $8.