Kitchen Make Over

Here is a before photo. The backsplash was the same tile that's on the floor and seems to be the kind of tile you would use outside. While it's okay on the floor, I thought it was hideous on the wall. The cabinets were cream colored. The countertop was a butcher block laminate.

Here is the after picture. You can see how nice the tile looks painted white. I started out cleaning it with krud Kutter which took off all the grease. I went over it with a regular cleaner and then rinsed it several times. When dry I applied 2 coats of acrylic Killz primer letting it dry for an hour between coats. I then painted 2 coats of an acrylic white wall paint called Silent White that I bought at Ace Hardware. I finished with 2 coats of poly acrylic letting it dry for an hour between coats. I used white caulking all around the edges to give it a clean crisp line.

For the cabinets I used Nuvo Hearthstone All-in-One Cabinet Makeover Kit in Warm Greige. It contains all you need to makeover your cabinets. I got it on Amazon for $69.00.

I also cleaned and spray painted the hinges with a stainless steal spray paint that I also bought at Ace Hardware.

Since the kitchen was so old, the drawers were rough sliding in and out. I used Vaseline to grease the tracks and small wheels that move the drawer. I'm sure there's another type of grease to use but the Vaseline worked pretty good and the drawers are very smooth now.

For the faux granite countertop, I cleaned it real good with Krud Kutter and gave it a light sanding. One thing I should have done was use wood putty on the section of counter that was pieced in the corner. I didn't think the diagonal seam would show after painting but it does. If I ever repaint the counter I will fill that seam and sand it before painting.

After prepping the counter I painted a coat of black primer over the entire countertop and let it dry over night. The primer was KIllz white that I had Ace tint black for me. I used several colors of acrylic craft paint (the small bottles) for my granite look: white, black, tan, brown, gold and metallic copper. I used sea sponges and dabbed my colors on in a diagonal pattern across the entire countertop. I worked in about 2 foot sections.

When I was finished I let it dry overnight. The next day I gave it a light sanding then painted 3 coats of gloss poly acrylic over the entire counter letting it dry about an hour between coats. I didn't use the counter for 3 days so it could cure properly. I finished by caulking all of the raw edges.

If you decide to try this I suggest watching online tutorials.

Here is a close up of my faux granite countertop.

Another picture of the countertop.

I installed stainless steel handles on all the cabinet doors and drawers.

I even created a tiny coffee bar.

Another view of the coffee bar. I finished the kitchen by repainting the walls and 2 smaller shelves that were in the room. It took me a couple of days to put the kitchen back together and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

Here is a list of my supplies.

Ace Hardware:

1 quart Killz Primer in white

1 quart Killz Primer tinted black.

1 gallon of acrylic white satin paint called Silent white (This was paint I already had from another project.)

1 quart of poly acrylic. This was enough for the backsplash and countertop.

1 can of spray Stainless Steel

2 bottles of Krud Kutter

Assorted sponge brushes, regular brushes, sea sponge, sandpaper

Amazon:

Nuvo Hearthstone All-In-One cabinet paint in Warm Greige

Door Pulls in stainless steal

Walmart:

Small bottles of craft paint in black, white, beige, gold, metallic copper