DIY Kitchen Renovation

$11000.00
Medium
When we first bought our 1963 ranch home in 2005 it had gold appliances that we replaced with stainless steel ones, so our budget was able to get stretched pretty far.
Now I admit my kitchen is pretty good size and it had good bones to start with.


We had cabinets that were solid wood and a pantry. No dishwasher, but thanks to hubby...4 hours later, I finally had the latest and greatest thing I could ever have.
Before
The cabinets had yellowed over time and with no molding they were just boring wood boxes. So I knew I would be adding some kind of detail to them.
Before
Before
After
We used black ebony stain and polyurethane to refinish the cabinets. Added simple brush nickle hardware and new hinges. New molding on both the top and bottom really helped too update the cabinets. New linoleum flooring that looks like oakwood was then added. New lighting over the kitchen table and sink and pot lights.
After
After
Opposite my dish cabinets there are two large windows. So to brighten and open up my kitchen, the doors came off. Also, I added 1/4" mirror to the backs of these two cabinets and thick glass shelves. The light that bounces around the room now is unbelieveable. It literally is like I put in a sky light...which I didn't. :-)
The small island is my workhorse. I do all my food prep here. Cutting knives are all stored right in the drawer and the bottom shelf is used for pan lids and paper towels.
A wine crate box found at a local dept. store holds all my utensils. The 6 separate sections make it amazing to keep them sorted and categorized...Love this little gem!
The countertops are called Bianca/Glacier White. Which I got for a steal! I went to a local family owned Granite supplier and on my 3rd visit (so they recognised me) I explained how my budget went out the window and I had to nix my first choice. So I needed to start over and see what other choices they had.


What I didn't know...was I was talking to the Owner. Who knocked down the price for me, so I could stick to what I loved instead of what I could afford....that was like winning the lottery!
The electrical unfortunately came out of the wall and not from the attic, so I found a small 3 light chandelier and hubby and I just swagged it using a hook so it was placed where it was needed. Instead of paying an electrician to move wires.
The chandelier over the sink and the breakfast table were both bought at Home Depot. The only thing we paid a professional to do was install the countertops. Everything else in our renovation we did ourselves. Which if we had been forced to pay people to do this; I am positive it would have cost 3 times as much.
Rustic & Refined
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Maggie Seligman Maggie Seligman on Aug 18, 2015
    I love what you've done. I have the same exact cabinet doors and those curved drawers (all two of them) in my honey stained kitchen. I'm trying to decide whether or not to work with the stain color, my cream colored speckled laminate, AND the beige 4" square bathroom tile disguised as a backsplash with a paint color that will make me love what I already have (which would be so much easier and cost effective) or stain and poly like you have done. I can't go dark like yours because the kitchen doesn't get any sun until late afternoon, so I need to keep it light. Thanks for sharing. It's nice to see something so similar to my ordinary life that isn't so picture-perfect-ready-for-the-magazine-photo-shoot. :)
  • Dmholt4391 Dmholt4391 on Jun 29, 2019

    It is lovely.

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