Kitchen Makeover for Less (aka DIY style)

When we were house hunting and walked into the house that would one day be ours, there were many things that I loved - a huge yard I could picture our soon to be daughter playing in, a huge finished basement where we could spend cozy nice, two fantastic fireplaces with gorgeous stone facades.  However, no where on this list would you find the kitchen.

Maybe you can see why.

No backsplash.  Cabinets that might be pretty somewhere else, but they really didn't fit my style and didn't go with the rest of the house.  Bad cabinet hardware.  Lack of appliances.

I was able to get over these shortcomings of course because I could envision what it COULD look like. a nice black and white kitchen, maybe a pop of grey to tie in stainless appliances.  It would be bright! It would be cheery!  It would just be better.  The problem was....how to pay for my vision.

I started at the top.  I got quotes from Lowe's for a backsplash, from a local painting company for paining the cabinets and from Home Depot for cabinet refacing.  Let me tell you - Home Depot had me SOLD.  I could have cabinets with drawers!  I could have a fold down space next to the sink for sponges.  I could have crown-molding above the cabinets.  YES! YES! YES!  I was beyond excited......Then Kevin came home, looked at the estimate ($10K) and then looked at me like I was crazy.    Hopes dashed.

I told myself it was fine.  I could live with it.  I could start a new savings account just for this.  In a few years we could do it.  Problem was...I didn't want to wait a few years.  Everything bothered me every time I walked in.  So I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I would do it myself!

I ordered backsplash & hardware samples from Lowe's hemmed and hawed over choices.  Here are some closeups of what we chose.

I researched every blog and Pinterest article on painting cabinets.  I peppered my friend Annie from high school with questions on chalk paint.  I planned and prepped and worried.....And then I just started.  

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, which I LOVED working with.  I mixed two colors - 2 Parts Pure White to 1 Part Old White.  I didn't want the kitchen to be blinding and I worried that using all Pure White might make the area feel a little too stark.  To seal the paint (which must be done when using chalk paint, otherwise you can scratch it off with just a fingernail), I didn't go with traditional Annie Sloan wax.  I read that the wax on high use pieces, especially those that are going to be lighter can show dirt very easily.  Given I have a 1 year old that likes to pull herself up and be a big girl standing against the cabinets - and not always having the cleanest of hands - I needed something that would stay clean and be easy to clean.  The main thing is to use a water based polycrylic over the paint.  Since its nice to have cabinets that have a bit of a shine I used semi-gloss finish.  (I've used Matte polycrylic, which provides the more traditional Chalk Paint finish on many other pieces you will see in my projects.)

It took me a month during nap times and after bed time.  But little by little, coat by coat - it started to transform.  

Now I am left with this and I could not be happier every time I walk in!

 The final result :)