Kitchen Makeover Part 3

Here we are talking kitchen again.
You think I’m obsessed with my kitchen,
don’t you?

That’s okay…
my family feels the same way.

Welcome to our “DIY Kitchen Makeover Part 3”.

Here’s a little reminder of the before…
this was 4 years ago:

UPDATE>>>>>>>>>2016 Updated Photo of our DIY Brick Backsplash:

And the rest of our kitchen still looks the same:

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Here’s a gentle reminder of what we had to do.  That’s my husband sanding the coating that the previous owners used to cover up the beautiful Oak island top with.  We couldn’t believe they covered it up.

It was like finding gold.

After the coating was removed in it’s entirety, we stained the Oak by hand with a brush and Minwax Mahogany Stain, then wiped it off with a rag with .  Then we put about 3 coats of Minwax Polyurethane in semi-gloss on top with a very high quality brush.  Each coat had to dry completely before the next.  You can not rush this.

*Secret: before we stained the wood, we added our own personal touch by beating up the wood a little with hammers.  We had a blast making the wood look used, and you could actually put your initials or name if you want.

Between you and I,
when I first gained the energy to dive back into this,
I painted the island white.   
My poor hubby came home and was in semi-shock, but held his composure.
I knew it was a huge mistake.
So, then it went back to black.

(I used Behr Ultra (satin) in Black from Home Depot)

(All the white you see in the kitchen (walls/cabinets) is Behr Ultra in Swiss Coffee)

How many coats of paint can my cabinets hold?
I guess I’ll have to let you know.
By the way, all of the cabinets were painted while they were on the hinges, and I did not sand them before because the wood was very dry.

I kept it very simple.
I used a 2 1/2 inch angled Purdy brush.
We also opted not to distress this time around.
The armoire is the only item distressed in our kitchen now.
Then there’s the tin backsplash.
I loved the original (tin) copper we installed,
but it said “flashy” to me.
I wanted more of a distressed, white washed look.

I originally painted it white and didn’t like it.
Once again, huge mistake.
Then I started thinking…

I took a rag, dipped it in some brown paint I had left over from moldings,
and rubbed it over the white painted tin lightly, and wiped off the excess.
Reminds me of when you put a penny under a piece of paper and you scribble pencil over it to bring out the lines of the penny.
Same effect here.

You can find the “swirly iron decor” HERE.

SEE UPDATED DIY BRICK BACKSPLASH HERE.

Here’s another before, after…after.
This one is a shocker.

You will note how the cabinets disappear here and that’s why I didn’t keep them black:

Here they are saying,
“Well, hello there.  Welcome to our kitchen.”
You can actually see the fine workmanship that went into the cabinets.
Much brighter, and feels cleaner to me.

I kept the X ‘s in the window black, although I did try white first.
They really stand out in the day light.
To make the “X” moldings, I measured from corner to corner and had the man at Home Depot cut the moldings for me specifically to those measurements.  Then I wedged them in.  Very easy.

The pendants I found online and on sale at Pottery Barn for under $100 ea.

Here are some pretty mini chandeliers I found on line… MINI CHANDELIERS.

FYI-I used “Beacon Tube” bulbs.
and they really brought out the true beauty of the glass.
I strongly recommend trying these bulbs.

We decided the green bottle chandelier had to go as well.
It was fun for a while, but I grew tired of it.
I found this baby at Home Depot for $159.
She is a dream.

I removed the valance and can’t believe the difference it made in the windows.
I am a firm believer in “less is more” with window treatments.
Of course we need privacy, but the only guys in our back yard are
the ones with feathers, gills, or antlers.
They could care less about us.

There is a much better balance between white & black now.
You didn’t think I would go all white did you?

Can’t forget to mention the knobs/pulls.

My husband and I realized that if you sand oil rubbed bronze down to the copper, it’s gorgeous.

After sanding the knobs and pulls down (it was super easy), I put a coat of poly over them so they won’t fade back to dark.
More info on that here: “where I found my antique hardware“.

I sure wish my kitchen was clean like this all the time…

I hope you enjoyed the ride.