Our kitchen cabinets are like lemons. We’ve spent the last five years trying to make lemonade with them… but I’ll get to that.

It all started when I noticed the finish wearing away from the vanity in our master bathroom. We found it through eBay in 2006, and it came with the sink top and faucet. It didn’t match anything, so I decided to sand (by hand) and refinish it.

Before:

After:

The stain is mahogany (Bombay Mahogany by Minwax), and it matches our bedroom furniture. The next thing I knew, I was scrubbing an inconspicuous corner of our kitchen cabinets. To my surprise, the finish came off very easily. I kept going, until I got that sinking “there’s no turning back” feeling I know all too well. I sanded a little at a time, whenever Micah was home and able to watch the kids. I had finished an entire section of cabinets (the area near the pendant lights) before becoming very frustrated. That was when Micah bought me an orbital palm sander for $16.00. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be amazing! We never could have finished without it.

I learned some tricks along the way. I had to strip the first drawer and door after I used a brush to apply the stain. It went on too thick that way and turned out dark. I put on some rubber gloves and covered them in socks. That worked perfectly! I also learned very quickly that I had to do as much work in the garage as possible. The dust would have been overwhelming if I hadn’t!

This went on for about a week, until Micah took over. I never could have gotten everything done without him! I was exhausted.

As I said, our cabinets are like lemons. I don’t know which crazy PO installed these things, but they’re all mismatched. We will never be able to replace them, so we had to get creative. It started when we cut six doors and added glass inserts. Now, they have a beautiful mahogany finish with a glossy coat of poly. It turned out to be a huge project, but we are so happy with the result.

Before:

After:

More kitchen photos are posted here.

I bought a cork and dry erase board, stained the frame, covered the cork in scrapbook paper and added hooks for keys. All of the wall art ties together now.

Cost breakdown for this project:
Stain: $12.00
Sander: $16.00
Sanding pads: $5.00
Board: $10.00
Paper: $1.00
Key hook: $3.00
Total: $47.00.

Click here to see how our kitchen looked when we moved in, along with more before-and-after views.

I would like to get some metallic paint for the light fixture in the master bathroom. It has a few rust spots, but there’s no reason to replace it. I’ve also been searching for a good deal on clear glass knobs for Lily’s dresser and chest of drawers. I think I can find a good deal on eBay if I keep looking. We’ll see!

Kitchen updates (including any labor)

- Cabinet Hardware: $75.00
- Appliances (refrigerator, range hood, range, microwave, dishwasher): $2100.00
- Pendant lighting: $30.00
- Updates (countertops, flooring, sink, faucet, paint): $1200.00
- Backsplash: $60.00
- Under cabinet lighting: $50.00
- Cabinet update (glass inserts, hardware): $55.00
Grand total: $3570.00

That was done over the course of 3 1/2 years. The number shocks me, but it is a fraction of what most people pay for a kitchen update. According to one report, the average cost of a “minor” kitchen remodel is $14,913.00. We didn’t do a full remodel, but it does look like a very different kitchen.

Here is the original photo of the kitchen from the MLS listing in 2006:

Here is the kitchen today:

It has been a lot of work, but I think it has paid off. We finally replaced our dishwasher, and updated our cabinets by cutting 6 of the doors to add glass inserts. You may recall that they were 80s “slab” doors (for lack of a better term):

Here they are $55.00 later:

I would like find a small under cabinet wine rack for the space above the refrigerator. A previous owner cut into the wall to make a refrigerator fit in that space, and our replacement is not as tall. There is a hole in the wall that I cover with fabric and a plant. It was supposed to be a temporary fix, but several years later it’s still there. I’ve seen them online for about $12.00, so I’ll search for one with the right dimensions.

I am so happy with our kitchen!

(The lovely view from the dining room)

I’m sure I’ll get over that soon. I recently read from a blogger who used many samples to pick that perfect shade. She is right. I have painted every room in this house, only to decide after a year or two that it wasn’t “What I was going for”. This drives my husband crazy, but I can finally say that our large “open concept” area upstairs flows together well. It was very difficult. There is only one wall separating the kitchen from the living room, which flows into the dining room.

I ended up painting the kitchen. I liked the pumpkin color, but it was too bold for the rest of the house. I tend to lean toward neutrals, and I have decided to stick with that. I tried using Wheat Bread (Behr) in the kitchen, but it looked terrible. Everything in that room called for something darker, but I didn’t want it to be too dark. I went with Valspar’s Faint Maple, which turned out lighter than the swatch. It is perfect, though. It is the lightest color I could have used that still works (matching with the backsplash was tricky as well).

When all of that was done, I did some work outside. The paint on the shutters had chipped in a few places. It had been annoying me since winter, so I finally dragged out the ladder and re-painted them (same color). After that, I touched up the foundation wherever it was needed, and washed all of the windows. Windex Outdor Multi-Surface is a great product. It attaches to the hose and makes it a lot easier to clean windows from the outside.

I will take a break for a while. I think being home with the kids all the time has made me kind of stir crazy!

By the way, photos of the aforementioned rooms are here.

My parents were married in 1964, at which time my mother received an old cookbook from her aunt. It was a copy of the Boston Cooking School cookbook, and she used it all the time when I was young. I always hoped she would give it to me, but knew it was sentimental. I was lucky enough to find a copy on eBay a few weeks ago. It is a 1938 edition. My sister mailed a pretty cookbook holder to me shortly thereafter, so now I can keep it on display. This makes me cautiously optimistic that I will finally learn to cook. We’ll see.

Summer is dragging along. Our tomatoes did not grow as much as I hoped, but the dozen or so we managed to save were delicious.

I was trying to find a product to make the kitchen counters appear more glossy, to no avail. However, I do like Countertop Magic spray. That is probably the best thing I’ll find without begging people to tell me where to find Jubilee Kitchen Wax. I read about paste wax (SC Johnson) and decided to try that… until I smelled it. No thanks.

I went to Home Depot today and walked out with an under-cabinet 6 light set. Micah took over with the installation, and I finished up the wiring. I love it. This was a spur-of-the-moment project, but another affordable one. It really accentuates the backsplash.

Here are the photos:

All kitchen photos updated here.

This started as a simple project. We found some glass mosaic tiles we liked and wanted to put them behind the oven. It turned out so well that we decided to do a backsplash. It was very affordable ($4.99 per set, and we needed 10 altogether). We still need to grout it tomorrow, but here’s a preview.

The entryway:

There’s no polite way to say this. Our cat urinated on the carpet runner. I don’t know what he was thinking, but seriously… on stairs?

I pulled off the runner, which had been stapled down. The treads were in pretty good shape, with the exception of some scratches and what appeared to be carpet adhesive. Micah took over the next morning and sanded them down. The risers were white and dingy, but they stuck out too much for me. I wanted to tone them down without doing anything too drastic. I read about some creative things people did with wallpaper and stencils, but none of that would look right in this house. In the end, I used leftover paint from the living room and upstairs hallway (nutmeg). I also had to add a strip of baseboard at the bottom step and touch up the trim with white paint. The whole thing didn’t cost a penny.

I took some better photos of the kitchen and updated the “room-by-room” section of the site. I updated the photos of some other rooms as well. I also realized that I forgot to do one of those before-and-after views I love so much.

Before (move-in day, 2006):

After:

Here’s a better look at the floor:

Lastly, I wanted to give some background information on my grandfather and this painting:

My paternal grandfather, Anatole Grant, was born in 1893. He fought as a colonel in the White Russian Army during the Russian Revolution. When the war was over, he fled to Shanghai, where he became a language professor (he was fluent in 7 languages). He met my grandmother, who had fled there with her mother and sister on the Trans-Siberian railroad (her brothers and father were killed during the war). When communism took over China, the IRO helped my father and his family, along with many others, escape. They became refugees on a tiny island called Tubabao, which is located in the Philippine Islands, near Samar. My father, grandmother, and aunt were allowed to come to the US after about two years. My grandfather, however, could not. He went to Paraguay, which was the site of the painting that is now on our wall. My parents have several of his other paintings in their house. This one was folded up in storage for many years until I recently asked for it. I am so happy to have it here!

It’s done!

We had to make some changes to the original plans, but we’re happy with the results. I added a solar mesh shade to the kitchen window and a rod with amber colored glass finials. I ordered a grommet valance to cover the shade roller, and that is on its way. I was unable to find a replacement for the floor register, so I painted it with a pewter-like finish.

A review of products we used:

- Valspar Kitchen & Bath Paint, Greek Amber – Lowes
- WilsonArt Premium Laminate Countertops, Milano Amber – Lowes
- Domco Vinyl Flooring, Domco Elite Merletto Jackson Beige 56K31 – Lowes (Special Order)
- Almond cove base – Lowes
- Kohler Staccato Large/Medium Self-Rimming Kitchen Sink – Lowes
- Moen Double Handle Caldwell Kitchen Faucet – Lowes
- Made-to-Measure Solar Mesh Roller Shade, Ivory – JC Penney
- Addison Grommet-top Insert Valance, Chocolate Chip – JC Penney
- Better Homes and Gardens Drapery Rod Set – Wal-Mart

We also have made some other changes. I got a good deal on a 26-inch LCD TV for the family room when the existing tube TV broke. We framed one of my grandfather’s paintings (which is very special to me) in the living room above our “fireplace”, and my parents bought us a new coffee table for Christmas. I will update all of the photos from the other rooms soon!