From "It's beautiful!" to "It looks like a magazine spread." you guys offered the sweetest, most thoughtful comments on our shiny, new kitchen... a kitchen that I can hardly believe is mine! Thank you!
A few of you asked if I had a "before" picture of the kitchen. Certainly you'd think that we, being somewhat seasoned home renovators, would be in the habit of documenting every stage of a home renovation, sadly we have a terrible track record of diving into a project without taking any "before" photos.
Here are a few glimpses of the kitchen in its original state, as well as a few photos of it while in process. You may remember, the counters were a salmony orange color, complete with scorch marks. The wallpaper was a pastel Aztec'ish print with paneling under it. The oak cabinets were stained a very honey-orange'ish color and had no hardware on them. The appliances were either old {dishwasher and microwave} or a non-standard size {stove}.
The wall color is Sherwin-Williams' "Useful Gray" {see right side of above photo}.
The counters are a premium laminate with a texture and sheen from Lowe's.
The appliances {stove, dishwasher, microwave} are Whirlpool, which I recommend.
The refrigerator is a Kitchenaid Superba. It came with the house and I do not recommend it!
The cabinets are original, simply painted white semi-gloss. Again, Sherwin-Williams paint.
The cabinet hardware is from Lowe's or Home Depot, can't remember.
The Kohler sink is porcelain coated cast iron.
The faucet is by Moen.
The white subway tile is the cheapest ceramic wall tile you can buy at Home Depot... it looks great!
After I posted about the master bathroom debacle, Val, an architectural historian {what a cool job!}, requested to see photos of the wallpaper. Here you go, Val... iridescent pastel stripes on top with country flowers underneath. I think the professor is going to have to rent or buy a steamer to get it off the walls! Does anyone have any wallpaper stripping tips or techniques?
.jpg)
15 comments:
I couldn't be happier that things are slowing down and I may be able to start blog surfing again. time to catch up.
Christian, IT IS GORGEOUS!!! I'll say, we have stripped a LOT of wall paper. We use a steamer and usually...one of us gently uses a "wall claw" to put little holes in the paper (be gentle or you'll leave little holes in the wall), and then sprays the wall with hot water out of a squirt bottle...while the other applies the steamer to the wall clawed/sprayed paper and pulls/peels/scrapes it off. That's our routine...hope it might help.
Hi! Haven't stopped by in a while...not since you reinstated your comment capabilities...I knew you were renovating...and trying to simplify your life! But wow!!! What a transformation!!! It's beautiful! So fun to see the outcome!!! And as always, your photos are exquisite!! God bless you! ~Janine XO
Did you guys really paint those cabinets yourself? That is one thing I have not attempted! Do you recommend it?
It is perfect. I love it.
I just stripped wallpaper. I bought a steamer years ago. It's worth the money! Also, new to me this time, I purchased for $5.00 a Parana rotary wallpaper scorer. I will never strip wallpaper again without it. So cheap, but works great. I got it at Lowes.
I want to paint my cabinets, too. But...I am oh so scared!
I've used a scorer to get cut through the wall paper, wiped it down with a wet sponge, and peeled it off. I now have arthritis in my hands. I blame the job of peeling wall paper!
I used a mixture of vinegar and hot water to remove my wallpaper-- I'd spray it, then wipe over it with a sponge, and then start peeling. I've used a scorer in one or two rooms and didn't in one or two rooms.
Aha, this I know how to do. You fill a spray bottle with hot tap water mixed with a touch of liquid fabric softener. Spray on,let sit a couple of minutes and scrape or peel off. Voila! (smells good too)
My wallpaper stripping tip is Never Put it Up in the First Place.
most awful job ever : )
deb meyers
Looove that teal pitcher! Beauty!
You both must be so proud of your transformation. I bet you just love walking in to make a cup of tea.
(PS-We have rockin' pastel-aztec in our master bathroom! Tres chic!)
Your kitchen is beautiful! Environment has such an impact on the way we feel and work and relate and I'm glad you have such a beautiful place to cook, wife and mother in.
I enjoy your blog! (susie's friend)
A couple of you asked if I would recommend painting kitchen cabinets and the answer is YES!!! This was the single largest cost-cutter in our DIY kitchen renovation. We spent maybe $200 total on primer, paint, brushes, and hardware, as opposed to thousands of dollars on new cabinetry. Yes, it was labor intensive, very much so, but definitely worth the time invested. Our cabinets look and feel like new!
Our guest bath in our new-to-us home had horrible wallpaper that was installed right over the drywall with no primer/sealer! Needless to say, it destroyed the smooth finish, and to repair it would have involved mudding, sanding and many hours of work. We removed the wallpaper slowly with hot water, a sponge, a bit of soap, and wore our fingernails to the quick. ouch! I read the comments and there are some good ones already, however I'll share with you what we did to make our walls GORGEOUS again!
First, we spackled lightly and sanded quickly (maybe a ten minute ordeal). Then we put one layer of Kilz primer. Then we bought Ralph Lauren paint at Home Depot that was called "Suede Paint". It was thick enough to fill in all the flaws and cover impeccably. We had put wainscot about 4 feet up with a simple trim and painted that white. We put the suede paint above in a saddle brown color. It is fantastic!! It was EASY ~ as long as you do the paint in one day. Once you begin, you must finish it so there are no edges on the paint.
Check it out!
HJ
I want to see the sink!? Love it, girl!
Is it always going to stay that clean? LOL
You should see mine right now! :(
:) Sandy
Thanks for the nod! The wallpaper is rather...late 1980s/early 1990s? Gotta love all of those pastels...the stripes look like someone dripped cotton candy down the walls. :) When my husband moved into our home seven years ago the living and dining rooms were covered in 1970s wallpaper...a dirty cream with huge olive green ferns, birds, and rushes on it. Yuck! It had to go. Now the walls are painted a deep red color that I absolutely love, and that is far more appropriate for the house (it was built in 1906, so it has some craftsman detailing in it). I found some stuff that took the wallpaper off pretty wall, but its name is escaping me right now. I'll ask the hubby tonight if he remembers what it was.
Anyway, I love the blog and your interest in architecture. By the way, the pitcher is great...is it an original (probably 1940s?) or a reproduction? I love that you can buy such great dinnerware sets again.
Post a Comment