Finish: The Kitchen and Dining Room

This room got the most work. We wanted a wall out to open up the flow from the living room. I also painted the walls and cabinets. The lighting had to be changed and something had to be done about the chandelier.

Once the new counter tops (and free integrated sink) were installed the kitchen became a great place to be and feels like we got a total upgraded kitchen!

Before

After

Finish: Bathrooms

Luckily for us, most of the fixtures in the bathroom were in decent condition and functional. The color was off, but I took care of that with a little painting. I also used the same technique for the vanities in the bathrooms as the cabinets in the kitchen.

I had some inspiration from Houzz, once again. We liked this, with its simple clean lines and easy colors. Plus, the layout was very similar to our own.

Contemporary Bathroom by Saskatoon Interior Designers & Decorators Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

Once the color change was done, I also upgraded some of the accessories to give a modern feel.

Before

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After

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Painting the cabinets

This is the most daunting process ever. Seriously EVER!

But ewwww

And I had read a little bit about what to do and luckily our kitchen stuff isn't here yet so I didn't have to worry about taking things out of the cabinets.


First I read this blog. http://designertrapped.com/2014/06/paint-your-kitchen-cabinets.html

Ultimately I followed her process. I took everything down

and prepped the everything by cleaning and this stuff.

Then I did the most worthless thing ever. Tape...don't tape. Get this brush

I can't tell you how awesome it is. I have 3 now...saved my life. After I used a dense roller (made for cabinets) I wasn't impressed by the texture. I read another blog.

http://www.livelovediy.com/2013/04/10-easy-steps-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets.html

This chick is trying to win a cabinet painting contest I think...but she is right about a couple things. First the brush...I'm telling you, buy one! Next sanding between coats. And last new hardware. More on that later.

So to sand. Which is why all the stuff (if I had any) would need to come out. I used 220 between the 2 coats of paint.

Next is the top coat. Same from the first blog. I also did the reccomended 3 coats but I sanded between them. Long process but worth it. I sanded with 400 between the coats. It is a very light sanding just to get the coat nice and smooth.

I did all the backs of the doors first. All 5 coats and then started the process on the fronts. That way if I scratched any backs it wouldn't be that noticeable.

On the hardware. Buy new stuff. If you attempt to paint it WILL chip. At least get new hinges. I bought mine at home depot in a value pack. But as the second blog I read mentions this hardware, its super afford a me and really nice looking.

So after painting fronts and reattaching the hardware and rehanging the doors, the kitchen looks new to me!

Now I just need new countertops!