Complete Kitchen Makeover With Concrete Countertops

4 Materials
$800
2 Weeks
Medium
My husband and I helped a friend remodel her kitchen. She loved how our concrete countertops had turned out and wanted them in her new kitchen. The before and after pics are proof that you can do a lot with a small budget!
Here is the before picture. Very dark and dated. We began by painting the kitchen a light grey color. We removed all the formica counters and poured concrete countertops, for those details please visit my website.
Then we removed all the cabinet doors, labeling each door as to which went where...trust me on this step, it will save you a lot of time when you go to re-attach.
The cabinets were stripped, then sanded, then painted with two coats off white paint, and finished with a clear coat protectant layer.
We reused the hardware by coating each handle with rustoleum primer, then sprayed them twice with the pewter color rustoleum paint, then clear coated a top layer - the primer and clear coat make them hold up way better than just the paint.
This was my second try at installing subway tile backsplash. I feel like I really have the hang of it now. A few tips:
1.) Use spacers that only have one size "arms"...the first spacers I used had a small arm and large arm and it took me longer to make sure I had the small end on each tile.
2.) Don't use too much adhesive glue, if it pops out inbetween the tiles it will show after grouting.
3.) Always use a trowel with teeth to apply the tile adhesive, you want to space the glue with the "teeth" to make sure the tiles are secure.
4.) As long as you get the first row level and use spacers, there's not a lot you can mess up - anyone can tile!


We did purchase a wet saw for this tile - what a great $100 investmenticon !
The finished product! I think the light birghtness of the cabinets and repainted kitchen go well with the concrete countertops. For the full tutorials and more projects like this, please check out my website.
Suggested materials:
  • Paint   (Home depot)
  • Concrete   (Home depot)
  • Tile/Grout   (Home depot)
See all materials
Flawless C Designed
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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  1 question
  • Lisa Walsh Lisa Walsh on Nov 17, 2017

    What kind of paint did you use for the cabinet's ??????


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