Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover

 Whew, Lawd!

This was a doozy. 

Before

After

This was the hardest project I have ever done, and I do a lot of projects. The first couple of days there were lots of tears, lot's of questioning why I did this, lot's of brush washing (because primer by itself is the absolute worst thing ever), lot's of cursing (sorry dad), and lot's of Tylenol because I was so sore. This project caused me to leave my house at 6:30p just to go walk around HomeGoods with an Iced Caramel Macchiato, just for some relief. 

But then, that last coat of alkyd enamel went across the door and it was all worth it. 

Rookie mistakes I made:

1. Underestimating how long this would take.

Every single youtube video out there says "Weekend Kitchen Makeover". IT IS A LIE. As of today the kitchen is finally done, and I have officially been working on it for 9 days. 9 DAYS. 4 Full days from sun up to sun down and the rest after work. I also didnt sand them, that would have for sure added another day, at least. 

2. Order all of your hardware from the same company, at the same time, and don't buy the cheap one. 

Currently I'm 99% sure Amazon is trying to black list me. I have returned 3 different hardwares either due to color not being what I want, the hardware being crappy or just not fitting what I wanted. After receiving the 4th last night and it still not being right, I went to Lowes and spent TRIPPLE on hardware (still not over it, but it's done and the hardware is great quality) 

3. Cover Your Counter Tops

This is probably something all of you will do because you are smart people, I did not do this. I don't have any damage so don't think I have ruined my counters, there are just micro white dots in lots of places that I I will be spending the rest of winter removing. 

Seasoned Pro Recommendations 

1. BUY A PAINT SPRAYER

I painted the doors for all the cabinets in less than an hour and the dry time is significantly less so you can get to your next coat quickly. This thing is a life changer. They are also relatively inexpensive ( I won't be returning that one Amazon, you're welcome) Plus, if you're like me and have any decorative legs or trim that is hard to paint around, then the sprayer is a must because a brush will leave you with a streaky mess. 

2. Alkyd Enamel

 This is the runniest thing I have ever painted with, I chose this paint type because it is what professionals use to do cabinets. I found that even with the sprayer it wasn't getting as perfect as I wanted it so,  I would just go over the last coat with a clean cabinet roller and boom, perfection. 

3. Good brushes

If you live near a Harbor Freight I highly suggest their line of paint brushes. I bought the Avanti brush set in "Best" and they are fantastic. They wash well, they paint well and they are 1/3 of the price of Lowes or Home Depot for a similar quality brush. I've actually used these brushes for 2 rooms and they are still in perfect condition. 

Let's get down to the question at the front of everyone's brain.... YoU DiDn'T SaNd?????? NO. 

We had "natural" cabinets that had almost no sheen. I used Krud Kutter to clean all of the cabinets and a "bonding primer" specific to Kitchen/Bathroom cabinets. I read lots of reviews that if you use a good primer sanding is unnecessary. Now this could come back to bite me, but for now the cabinets feel hard as a rock. If we had previously painted cabinets or even cabinets with a high sheen I might have felt different about sanding, so take this advice with a grain of salt. 

Another little thing that I did (that is probably going to receive backlash) I painted our glass tile back splash. I actually love how it turned out. It was a spur of the moment decision but I thought anything was better than what it looked like in that moment. It took 3 coats, I used a semigloss and I love it! 

The final thing I did was stain our butcher block. We do not cut directly on our butcher block so I just sanded it and did one coat of stain, my husband wants to do a coat of polyurethane, but TBD. I love the color we chose and I think it is a prefect neutral, it's not red at all, and it's not too dark. The color is Provincial by Minwax. 

Obviously the best part of any project is decorating! Most of the items either came from HomeGoods/TJ Maxx or a thrift store! 

Ralph Lauren Lamp - TJ Maxx

Faux Rattan Stools - TJ Maxx

Blue and White Vase - Ross

Palm Fronds - Target

Coffee Station Tray - HomeGoods

Island Tray - Thrifted

Clear Canisters - Ikea

If you have any questions please message me, Im happy to answer any and all questions. All of the items I used for redoing the kitchen will be linked in my LinkTree.  

XO, 

Shelby C.