My Kitchen Face Lift: Your Questions and My Answers

MY KITCHEN BEFORE PHOTO

 This post is for a lot of my readers that have been writing me emails, asking me questions about this little kitchen face lift.  I love getting emails with questions like, "where did you get your faucet" and "what kind of paint did you use".  And if someone is asking, I know others are thinking it too, so this post is for all of you~with lots of pictures and the steps I took along the way.

Lots of us would rather have white cabinets instead of wood stained cabinets.  I know, because I was one of those people!  This was my perfectly fine maple kitchen cabinetry, about 6 years old.

  This kitchen had a poor version of a look alike granite in a speckled colorway that was mostly grey.  It had the built in backsplash that comes with most laminates.  I didn't like it either. We added the island and gained a ton of work space. This kitchen is quite small, and although this island is a little oversized for the space it made this kitchen as workable as it could be.

  The idea of painting my cabinets  no longer seemed daunting as the step of priming and prepping was eliminated.  I unscrewed the knobs and just started painting my cabinets.  I did wash them down with  pine-sol first, and after they were dry I grabbed my brush and just got started!  At the same time I decided I would add a shelf above the sink window.  You can see an iron bracket mounted on the window frame.  I ended up turning it parallel to the window and mounted it off of the cabinet instead.

 This picture shows the refrigerator sandwiched between two cabinets.  This cabinet layout was going to change too.  It didn't cost one penny to do it either.  Mr. Maison Decor and I removed each cabinet and just rearranged their order.  It was that easy.  They are just screwed into each other and into the wall.  You will see that later in the post.

 I'll admit I was nervous and excited as I was about to either ruin or enhance the cabinets.  So I carefully painted the first skinny cabinet where we keep our coffee mugs.  Oh my! I loved it and I just started painting with a vengence! I got all of the cabinets done in five hours. One quart of Old White Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan covered two coats on my cabinets.  The first coat goes on so easily! The second coat went on after the first coat was dried, and I used a bit of water on my brush tips every other stroke or so to help the paint glide on top of the first coat. Without using a bit of water on your brush the paint will grab at the chalky matte base coat.  I used a brush. Annie Sloan brushes are ideal for painting cabinets as they have a lot of soft boar bristles which hold a lot of paint and the brush strokes are minimized.  Some people use a foam roller for a factory look, but it gives a bit of a pebbly look.  I have to say I like the vague outlines of brush marks.  These are hand finished cabinets, not sprayed out in some factory somewhere!  The brush strokes are slightly visible if you look for them. You might consider doing a sample board both ways if you are unsure. You can also put Chalk Paint® in a sprayer and thin it out by adding 20% water.  I don't use a sprayer but that is 

the formula for those who would like to do so,

 It is looking fantastic! I am in love with my cabinets in white, and wonder why oh why did I wait so long to paint them??  And it was soooo easy!  After painting the cabinets and they dry, you MUST wax them with the soft wax. I used Annie Sloan's Soft Clear Wax.  I will do two coats when all is said and done.  You brush it on with a wax brush, pushing the wax into the painted surface. Then wipe off any excess wax with a soft cloth. Wait at least 24 hours and then you can rub it with a cloth to create a soft lustre. This is called buffing.  Consider using a buffing brush to do this job! I wish I had one at the time I did these cabinets as a brushing buff gives a superior finished look in a quarter of the time and effort. 

 All was fine and dandy, but then I got the idea of doing a grey washed look on the lower cabinets after being inspired by a Habbersham kitchen!  The washed look came out great, but after two weeks I felt it was too dark and made the kitchen feel broken up with the two colors.  So that meant I now had to paint back over them.  I had waxed them as well, and was nervous as to how the wax finish would affect the coating of Chalk Paint....

 I made this grey wash by mixing 50% Paris Grey with 50% Old White 

and then adding a little bit of water each time I dipped my brush into it. 

 Afterwards I distressed it with a sanding block.

 Chalk Paint® is a matte chalky finish paint that does 

not require priming but it does require a wax finish to give it durability.

 This color wash has that Belgian look that is very popular right now.

 You can see the two tone cabinets.  

It was very pretty however I felt it broke up small space so 

I am happy I went back and repainted it all with Old White.

 I would say that the Old White color is comparable to Linen White by Benjamin Moore. You can see that I lightly distressed the cabinets with a sanding block. I kind of hated to do it because they looked so good without distressing, but my idea was this to be a bit more relaxed with light distressing.

 Here is good view of our refrigerator area.  The corner to the left 

of it was so cramped you could not even open that bottom cabinet all the way.

 We took off the cabinets and left the crown molding intact 

and put the two cabinets to the right over to the left.

See the screw holes? Just unscrew it! We used a pry bar to gently 

separate it from the crown molding which just stayed there.

By the end of that day the fridge had moved over and we had a nicer workable corner!  Now this mini facelift involved changing out the counter tops.  I wanted marble but decided to try the new 180fx Formica product that is a laminate counter top with a pattern repeat of 8-10 feet!

So you can have that long running pattern without it appearing again.  I made an error choosing the edge and insist anyone who goes with this product order a pre-finished edge, not a "custom square edge" like I ended up with.  The reason being is that this is the place that you can instantly tell it is formica!  Other than that, I love this material and am very happy with it's appearance. It has an "etched" finish mimicking real stone.

Unscrew your counter top and yank it off!  I had the new counter top 

made to my measurements and the moment of truth was coming up~

Ok, it fit. But it looked less than swell~I hated the seams!! 

Oh well, my loss will be your gain.  Since then I had two people tell me to 

brush some white paint on the seam and it worked wonderfully.  At this point I could not wait to add real bead board so I used a roll of Martha Stewart Bead Board Wallpaper from Home Depot as my backsplash.  Sizing the walls first for proper prep (its like painting clear gel on the wall) 

it dried quickly and then I applied paste to the paper and applied it to the back splash.

 Then my smile came back, as I was loving the result. 

This kitchen was shaping up to be a space I was going to be very happy with!

 When I work on projects like this, many times I get ideas as I go along in the middle of the process.  One of these ideas was to create a mini hutch in the cabinet above the stove.  I pulled the doors off and added some cup hooks and piece of wood trim for a plate stopper so I could display a china collection.  I added a piece of poly foam architectural molding I found at Lowes to give it a bit of a furniture look.

 This is great stuff and we used the same trim in our bathroom 

above the laundry room cabinets, which you can read about by clicking here.

 This is how the mini hutch looks now, but I planned to add a bead board wallpaper interior.

Here it is with the interior paper finishing it off.  Its a great area for display!

 This shot shows how the window shelf we made with a scallop cut out shape.  

I covered it to look like it was made out of an old tin ceiling.  

You can also see the grey washed cabinets getting repainted back to Old White.

The wood shelf wax covered with a plastic product sold for creating faux tin looks.

 Did you know Chalk Paint® sticks to plastic and metal as well as wood?

You can see how I did that by clicking here. 

  At this point Mr. Maison Decor mentioned to me that if I wanted to change the sink, 

"now was the time".  Hmmm...I hadn't planned on it. I wanted an

 apron sink in a farmhouse fresh white porcelain. 

That would mean more money and changing out the cabinet that houses the sink...

so I came up with an idea that would give me what I wanted and for a lot less money.

I found a porcelain sink with a drain board that would work quite nicely.

  I found it on Craigslist~so hunt one down for yourself if you want 

to change your sink to one that has vintage appeal.

This faucet is the one that I ordered from Lightinthebox.com for the sink.  I also ordered an escutcheon plate that will cover the two extra holes we don't need. This weekend the sink, the countertop, the bead board and the faucet are going to be installed by Mr. Maison and me.  I can hardly wait!

See part two of our kitchen remodel by clicking here.

(P.S. It came out great!)

Fall Hydrangea Arrangements

 These hydrangeas are the Endless Summer variety.  They are blue in the summer and then by the fall they turn  colors to green, purple and burgundy. Hydrangeas are one of the nicest flowering bushes for any garden and there are many varieties.

 The rain came earlier than expected this morning, so I dashed out to the end of the walk to get my cuttings.

 Normally I would do all the trimming of the branches outside, but since it was turning into a steady rain, I brought them inside.

 Two glass containers filled with water will hold the cuttings until I can arrange them.

 I trim off all of the leaves as they do not dry nicely.  I plan to put these in water for bouquets and then dry them afterwards.

 Some future fall garden plans include planting these bulbs.

 Are you familiar with giant Alliums?  I think they are incredible, and have long wanted to add a few to my garden.  They have an Alice in Wonderland quality, and purple is one of the colors I use in my gardens.  Only 3 bulbs came in this container, which I found at Costco.

 Compare that to 50 bulbs of Narcissus~they are like a daffodil and these are going to be pink and melon!

 I found this old hooked chair pad with aqua and purple colors, with pansies on it for $8 at an antique shop.  I think it will make a great centerpiece base.  I could turn it into a pillow someday~isn't it pretty?

 Tiny milk bottles will go in an old cracker box and hold one blossom each.

 This arrangement will fit on the window sill nicely. A snippet of my morning for all to see~the crock pot recipe book is out, the flowers are getting cut, tomatoes on the windowsill and real stuff on the counter tops!

 The really big news around here is that yesterday the faucet came for the vintage sink!  That means the kitchen rehab can continue.  I have been painting and waxing the base cabinets like a good girl.

 Rainy days and crock pots go together, don't you think?  This Sandra Lee has a bunch of easy cook books that make recipes a cinch.  I won't have to think about dinner now until I set the table!  Remember the countertops only LOOK like real marble~they are the new 180fx Formica that I am putting in.

 A pretty floral arrangement from my garden....

And pretty soon I won't have a half done kitchen!! Take one last look at my speckled laminate and half bead board back splash and old stainless sink......I can't wait to share the complete makeover with you!

A Pretty Bedding Makeover

 There is no quicker way to give your bedroom a facelift

 than by switching out the duvet cover. 

 Roaming around Target I always love to check

 on Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic line~

 This pretty cotton duvet cover was the perfect match 

for my aqua blue walls, rugs and silk draperies.  

The pattern is pink hydrangea blossoms 

sprinkled randomly across the aqua blue background.

 Normally I don't have a bedskirt, 

but this look called for a shabby style skirt

 and I found this multi-tier ruffled skirt on Overstock.com.

 The Shabby Chic duvet comes

 with a pair of ruffled shams in prewashed 100% cotton.

A white ruffled lumber pillow from Home Goods 

joins a Shabby Chic "sweet dreams" toss pillow. 

 I love the ruffle on the shams.

 The back side of both the duvet and the shams

 is a vintage looking petite faded floral print.

With pretty dressmaker details~covered buttons!

 I like to wash my bedding before I use it, 

so in the washer and dryer it went and onto the bed. 

 No ironing, so excuse the wrinkled look, but thats how I like it!

 The other thing you might consider is using a King for a Queen size bed.  

I do~I like the extra length and coverage 

and I do it for both the sheets and my duvet covers.  

Who wants to play tug of war when putting on your sheets?  

 This was the ruffled duvet I found online at Overstock at a price too good to resist.

A Shabby Chic makeover on a budget~

This was the last look the bedroom wore.

 The only changes were the duvet and the skirt.  

Somehow the new duvet just fits the room better, and me as well!

Thanks to Rachel for making her pretty designs available to us all!

~Sweet Dreams~

Project: Framed Tin Tile

 

There is a hallway that leads from the kitchen to the front door.  It is the least photographed space on the first floor.  We use it as a message center and I have a few odds and ends hanging on the wall. One of those things was a big wooden sign that said VEGETABLES.  I bought it to use as an outdoor sign for my vegetable garden at our home in New Hampshire, that we no longer have.  So here it has been, with a dark green border and dark green lettering~just being kind of dark and random.  I painted the wooden border with a light coat of white chalk paint.

 I decided to use a piece of faux tin tile that you can get at the big box improvement stores in the kitchen department.  People use it for ceilings and for backsplashes to give vintage appeal.  It is heavy duty plastic.

This material is the same stuff I used to cover the shelf above my kitchen sink window.  You can read about how I did that by clicking here.  You will see I first used a lot of tole to decorate that window shelf.

I cut it into squares to fit inside the framework of the vegetable sign. Here is the message wall~not the prettiest spot~but it is getting a little attention as the kitchen undergoes a face lift.

A special heavy duty double stick tape is sold in the same section as the panels for adhering them to surfaces.  I taped out a grid shape pattern to attach my tin squares.

Tin panel gets cut into three squares~

Tin squares attached to the tape inside the frame.  The finish is not what I want, so I am going to paint it.

 A light coat of chalk paint~

 The result is a vintage looking piece of tin framed up like artwork.  This simple project took less than 15 minutes.  You could do a series of them in smaller sizes  to include on a gallery wall, or mix in with framed white mirrors.  I have pieces of tole along this wall. My pet peeve is that red wall plate for the furnace....ugh.

There will be a few other changes before I show off this ugly duckling hallway.  For now, the tin tile artwork is more cooperative in this setting than the big green vegetable sign~don't you think?

linking to
  Metamorphosis Monday
 Show off Your Cottage Monday
and
 Mod Mix Monday