DIY Kitchen Before & After

*Edited for a 2016 final update.  This kitchen came a long way!

More kitchen updates & more projects completed… It’s definitely transformed!

Here is where we’re at today, and I love it!
The light fixture is also new.. The old one was oranges & reds, that didn’t match a thing!..  The new one is brushed oil, which is what we’ll be updating the other hardware throughout the house to.  **Remember to switch off your circuit breaker before attempting any electrical work!**… As my dad always says, “Daddy didn’t raise no dummy”… haha  Thankfully this was something I had learned growing up, so the task was safely completed.  Although not w/out a few eye rolls & sighs from my husband that I played electrician once again 😛

• painted  the cabinets (used Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformation kit)
• glaze crevices of cabinet doors (used Valspar Antiquing Glaze)
• painted the knobs from nickel to brushed oil (Rust-Oleum oil rubbed bronze)
• painted main kitchen wall black w/ chalkboard paint (Valspar)
• painted island & added bead-board (casing will soon be added)
• painted kitchen walls (wall color is Rainwashed by Benjamin Moore)

Here is a before & after…  I’d say the transformation is quite different!  When searching for looks that appeal to me, I’ve found that I seem to be a fan of  coastal, light & airy colors.

And this is a before BEFORE picture… This was the image that was listed on the from the homeowners real estate listing… Hellllllo mis-matched appliances! lol

Painting the cabinets was a huge project to tackle, however it made all the difference in our kitchen.  W/ the DIY counter-tops done, this was a missing piece of the puzzle to update the look & feel of the kitchen.  This time I went the route of using the Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformation kit.  Not having to sand all of the cabinets, was a great plus to using the kit.  It comes w/ a de-glosser that you scrub over the wood.  This helps the paint to adhere to the wood.

I removed all the knobs and used scrap pieces of 2x4s to spray them w/ a brushed oil paint.  It has a tiny bit of sparkle, which I love.. If you can’t have subtle sparkle throughout your house, then I figure why paint? 😉

I then removed all of the cabinet doors, yes, all 26 of them.. I did however, leave the drawer fronts on.  I just painted those while the kids were in bed at night, so that i could leave them all open to dry.  After scrubbing everything down w/ the de-glosser, I applied two coats of paint.  I used “Linen” in color (the store tints the gallon of paint for you).  I went in thinking I would use “Quilter’s White”, but the paint guy said it had more yellow to it, and I wanted a more neutral.  I left the coats between paint layers dry for a day or two, then once they were hung back up.

Hoping to add some depth to the off-white, I bought a glaze to apply in the crevices of the doors.  I first tried the glaze that came w/ the Rust-Oleum kit, but it looked more light tan, and looks a little dingy on the light paint color.  After looking around at samples online I found the antiquing glaze by Valspar, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

The final step was applying the top coat.  All in all it wasn’t a difficult project, just time consuming.

A couple of other details.. See the back-splash from before?  Eeek!  Not our style, for sure.  That is the final task left to conquer in the kitchen is a new back-splash.. So far, we’ve been leaning towards glass tile, but we shall see.  Temporarily, I painted over it, just to keep the mauve floral from sticking out like a sore thumb.  It will do for now.

Another fun project that I had done for the main kitchen wall was a framed chalkboard w/ our “family rules” on it.  This was an assignment from one of our small group studies.  Coming up w/ a list of 10 family rules that everyone has to follow, and Biblical scripture that ties into the rule.  We worked as a family to make our ten.  For example, “Be active in faith” -1 Peter 1:21  Other rules ours include are respect one another, always be honest, always serve & help, control our tongue, always give your best, contribute to family chores, obey your parents & God, report to parents your location, and accept punishment.  It  has been a great tool for disciplining the kids, as well as praising them for the rules they followed w/out being asked to.  We want our kids to grow up understanding that rules aren’t just mean ways in which parents try to make life miserable, but that they are based on Biblical teachings, as well as the fact that we as parents are held accountable to follow the same rules.

The other framed piece is a diy painted frame w/ chicken wire stapled behind.  We use this for displaying cards, announcements, school artwork, etc.  I painted mini clothespins to hold the pieces in place.

The chalkboard wall has been a HUGE hit!  I love drawing & writing on it just as much as the kids do 🙂  I’m sure my husband will as well.. give him time.. lol  Just a tip, the paint looks navy blue in the can and while it’s wet.  I kept checking & rechecking the label to make sure that I had in fact bought black.  It dries completely black though.  I bought dustless chalk, so it hasn’t been a dusty mess at all.  Countless hours of fun to be had on this wall…  I’m not quite sure yet what the future holds for the 3 blank white canvases.  Possibly a project for each of the kids.

This wall now features a couple more items that I’ve fallen in love w/ too… This cute glass bottle holder decoration I found at Joann Fabrics.  I used a 50% off coupon, and it brought it to $14.99.. I plan on planting some herbs in the bottles soon.

This rustic piece I knew I had to have when I saw it.. And the price tag??  On clearance for $10!  Yep, I knew it was mine at that point… Found at TJ Maxx.
This canvas artwork w/ 5 birds on a wire tied in well w/ the touch of color in “Family”, and at $12.99, also from TJ Maxx, it was a perfect fit.. That’s it for now… A blog post that has been in progress for quite some time!  I can’t wait to wrap up the kitchen w/ the island casing, and backsplash.  Thanks for stopping by to see my current projects!  What are YOU working on around  your home?