WOW! Look what a little paint can do!

Assalm alykom:

This was my last big project of the summer. It was the biggest project by far. We live in a house that is well over 30 years old. I have the kitchen cabinets to prove it. They were in really poor shape. They were packed with dirt that I had tried many things hoping to remove it. I looked into having the cabinets refaced. This is the existing cabinets with a laminate put on the outside. Well, the price tag for this was $7000. This was way above my price range. I then proceeded to check Home Depot and they told me the price would be 30-40% higher than the refacing. Well my next idea was painting them. My husband told me no last year, and that it was to much work. He said the cabinets just needed replacing. This year, I decided to present him with more information to make it more convincing. I searched the internet for all the different ways to go about repainting them, and changing the hardware. I researched all the different kinds of paints, cleaners and hardware for the cabinets. I went to home depot and priced everything and then I presented my case. This year, that approach seemed to work, and he said yes. Here are some before and after pictures of how it all turned out:

The paint that I used is called Kilz Colors It was a real thick durable paint. We did not have to paint so many coats and we did not have to paint a primer before we painted them. Here are some more before and after shots.



The tiled counters were also in bad shape. I took a small grout saw and cut all the grout out . Then, I just regrouted the counter and the wall. I found a product that was called a grout sealer. This is suppose to prevent it from staining when food spills happen. I am still skeptical if it really works. Here is a before and after of this job.

This part of the counter was completely missing all of the tile. I did a little mosaic work on this part. This way I could fit the tiles without having to cut them. Here is the before and after on this.
I have a bar that divides the kitchen from the living room. The wood had started to peel off in sheets. Therefore, I could not paint it because the surface would not be even. I researched it at Home Depot and came up with a few options. One was a laminate that could be glued on to the bar. This was a little pricey and looked complicated. My husband thought we could use vinyl tiles that we use on the floor. So that is what we did. We also painted some molding the same color as the cabinets and placed it along the bottom and the sides. See what you think about the before and after on this one?
After the very expensive estimates I had got for new cabinets, how much do you think this little remodeling job cost me? Well it cost 2 weeks of my time, a little sweat and around $200. I am very pleased with the results and the price! Therefore, if you decide to replace your cabinets, try a little paint for a fraction of the price.

Home Decorating: Bar Stools

Assalm alykom:

Last year I spray painted these bar stools white. Well, with four kids the paint did not last long. This year I decided to paint them with latex paint. After painting them a nice tan color, I decided to paint flowers and vines down the side of them. To assure that the paint would not be scratched off, I put a couple coats of polyurathane on it. Now, they look really shiney, and they clean up real easy too. For the covers, I needed something that would be easy to clean. I have tried putting a plastic over the covering with a staple gun. However, my children always complain about the plastic and it usually starts to rip. So, I came up with an easy removable cover that I can just throw in the wash. I choose fabrics that would not show to much stains. I cut a large circle bigger than the stool. I sewed a casing large enough to run a small elastic piece through it. I just tightened the elastic so it would fit snug over the stool. Now, I can remove them and wash them easily. Here is how they turned out:

My counter where the stools are, extend out to the living room area. Therefore, I just made some pillows for the couch from the same material as the stools.