$150 Kitchen Renew With Fresh Paint & Flooring

2 Materials
$153
4 Days
Easy
This post is titled with the word “renew” and not “renovation” because for this rental unit project not much was done to the kitchen, just a quick kitchen flip including a fresh coat of paint and flooring. But from the state that this place was in, those two small tasks made a world of difference aesthetically.
So my boyfriend (of over 2 yrs) bought a house. He had been looking for a multi-unit home for months and months, and then suddenly he had bought one. I had given up on accompanying him to countless showings months before. It was frustrating as it always seemed what he was looking for was changing. First he wanted a single family home so he could have roommates, then it ended up that he was looking for a multi-unit building.


So no, I did not know he had put in an offer, and no I hadn’t had the privilege of hearing or seeing the place. This told me all I needed to know about it. In other words, it couldn’t be good.
It was too late to share my opinion or change his mind, so when he finally took me to see it I decided I had to be positive, supportive, grin and bear it. That took restraint. Here are some pics of the place from the first time I saw it. This is one of the three apartments in the multi-unit home in a neighborhood North of Pittsburgh.
The feeling I had walking through here for the first time may have been disappointment, and my outlook may have been dismal, but looking back this is the moment I first seriously thought of starting a blog. I felt the challenge ahead of us and saw the potential to share the process. This isn’t a family home it’s an investment project. Stay tuned for more as we take on the renovation & at http://moscatoismymantra.com/
For the kitchen flooring we used a solid vinyl stick tile in a simple, neutral pattern from The Home Depot. Cheap and easy to install, does the job quite well. Probably about $60 total in tile was all it took to make a difference!
For the walls I choose a paint color inspired by what else other than an episode of Fixer Upper of course! I picked a PPG Voice of Color paint color called Silent Storm, a pale green gray 6 months before I realized it actually truly is the PPG crossover for Joanna’s color Americana Egg in the Magnolia Homes paint line! A crossover means that Silent Storm is the closest tint formula in the PPG color palette, to the other brand’s color Americana Egg. This is discovered based on tint and formula data. I had PPG Paint color Silent Storm tinted into Olympic One at Lowe’s. The paint is of great quality, after a coat of primer Olympic One for less than $25, went on the wall easily and covered well. We used a satin sheen to brighten up the space with a slight bit of reflectance and for easy clean-up in the kitchen.
Here is the after, with a fresh coat of paint and new flooring, we haven’t even changed the lighting yet. The goal was just quick, simple, easy and CHEAP refresh. Yes we are having to store all my wine on top of the cabinets classy college style. We simply don’t have a ton of storage space in this tiny apartment. I’ve had to cleanse a lot of my kitchen items, flatware and etc..
We thought about painting the cabinets, but decided not to as they are not real wood and in bad condition. Just not worth the effort or cost of painting the damaged veneer. My BF’s aka the owner’s plan is to actually renovate the kitchen before it is rented out. As in do all the real work after we move out, so that someone else can benefit. Not my idea, but hey this isn’t my investment project. I'm just helping to make the space livable in the time being.
Yes that’s my Keurig, espresso machine and fancy Kitchen Aid Architect all stacked on top of the fridge… again there’s no counter space here to sacrifice. We created a much needed over the stove shelf with a random piece of wood we had and brackets for about $10.
Anyways, I am very happy with the paint color and the flooring choice. They really do serve the purpose of updating and freshening the space. On the positive side this kitchen does have a gas stove, which I have never worked with before. I know now why house hunters on HGTV insist on a gas stove, the difference in heat time is amazing.
In the area above the kitchen sink I've hung a sweet reminder for us to know that no matter how frustrating standing at that sink and attempting to clean dishes without causing a flood throughout the kitchen is, this is the kitchen we share together. No matter the functionally of this kitchen, its our home for the time being, our first space together.


Oh and that flower is sitting in a random inch wide hole in the wall, covering the eyesore :)
Suggested materials:
  • OLYMPIC ONE Interior Paint   (Lowe's Home Improvement)
  • Trafficmaster Ceramica   (The Home Depot)
Moscatoismymantra
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 18 questions
  • Amanda Amanda on May 17, 2017

    Have you thought about a kitchen bench island on wheels to increase your bench space? Ikea have great ones. If you add wheels you can move it from the middle of the room when not in use. And you could access your coffee machine - very important!!!!


  • Chrisparron Chrisparron on May 17, 2017

    Why not prime and paint the cabinets? It won't hurt them and would greatly improve the looks. Add some new knobs and patch holes where old ones were with wood dough.

  • Michelle Michelle on May 18, 2017

    Did you remove the wallpaper or paint over it?

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  • Marcella McClain Deriso Marcella McClain Deriso on Jan 08, 2018

    Looks really good. I have one suggestion that will not cost anything But would make kitchen more convent for working. Change the frig so it swings open other direction. Pretty easy to do.

  • Paulette Woods Paulette Woods on Jan 25, 2018

    So really it was just the floor & walls that were spruced up,not really a kitchen makeover xxxxx

    • Moscatoismymantra Moscatoismymantra on Feb 12, 2018
      Yes... This post is titled with the word “renew” and not “renovation” because for this rental unit project not much was done to the kitchen, just a quick kitchen flip including a fresh coat of paint and flooring.
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