Kitchen Refresh for $325

I've been sharing bits and pieces of home stuff over on Instagram and many of you were asking for more details on what we've done and what we've used to refresh our kitchen. First, let's start with a little history.

Here's our kitchen when we moved into our house almost five years ago:

After a little while, I painted the backsplash and then the cabinets.

So, this is essentially how the kitchen looked until recently:

And here's how it looks now -- almost finished:

COUNTERS

We used contact paper. Yes, contact paper -- specifically DC-Fix Grey Marble -- to give our countertops a new look. I was a as skeptical as you might be, but after watching countless YouTube tutorials (search "contact paper countertops") and reading (and hearing from some of you) how they actually do hold up . . . I figured the low cost of the materials might be worth giving it a try.

Basically, you clean your counters very well and make sure there aren't any rogue pieces of dust before starting in one corner and slowly applying the contact paper like a sticker. You push any air bubbles out as you go. The videos I watched made it seem super easy but there's definitely a learning curve and I did waste an entire roll because we messed up.

Corners are especially tricky.

I'm still glad I did it because the end result is gorgeous!

Note: I personally chose the width of 26" because it allowed me to have the fewest seams and install the contact paper horizontally versus vertically. That said, installing it in larger pieces is significantly harder!

I used three rolls total for a cost of around $40. But I did mess up, so the total project ended up costing $53. We also had to use some white caulk to help streamline the edges. Much less expensive and less wasteful than replacing perfectly functioning countertops.

Oh, and if you don't like these -- the company also makes other colors, including this Brown Marble, Black Marble, White + Black Marble, different faux granite finishes, etc.

BACKSPLASH

I had planned to try wrapping the backsplash in the contact paper as well. A friend suggested I try using self-adhesive backsplash panels from Home Depot. The only problem is that for four tiles, it was $26! I put this idea on the back burner . . . and then was happy to see that they were on sale for $16. I ended up spending $200 on this part.

The sale is no longer going on but I have since found a very similar product on Amazon -- Subway STICKTILES -- that I actually think I may have liked better because it has darker "grout" lines and is currently $20 for four but there's also a $2 coupon you can apply at checkout, making it $18/4-pack. There are a variety of colors and shapes of adhesive tiles, too. I personally love this Modern Grey variation, though it wouldn't have matched out kitchen.

As for installation, it went up so quickly. Just cut with normal scissors and stick on like a puzzle. Even the corners and funky areas were very quick to cover over. I would say that I did this project by myself in an hour and a half. It is holding up nicely and as such a nice sheen like real tile. Not bad because it went over the old stuff. Almost zero prep-work was needed!

CABINETS

We still have the same old cabinets as always. I painted them white at one point a few years ago. If you want to read more about that, check out this post. Once we changed the backsplash and the counters, the kitchen was just TOO white for Stephen's taste. I actually thought it was fine, but he wanted to get more depth in there. So, I decided to paint the lower cabinets. Not sure if that's still a style people like . . . but I like it. found some great paint at my local craft store -- Americana Decor Stain Enamel paint in Grey/Taupe.

I considered working with chalk paint, but this stuff is self-sealing, so it didn't require wax or any other coat to finish. This stuff must be quite popular because it was nearly out at my store and I did have to buy more online. The other color I considered was a bit darker, Smoke Grey. I wish they had had a color in the middle. I thought about mixing the two but then got impatient!

I'll do before/after photos when we have completely finished painting. I only need two containers to paint the lower cabinets. I got the first one at Michael's with a half-off coupon for $5 and purchased one online for $10 (they were't getting anymore in the store soon). Total cost was $15.

HARDWARE + LIGHTS

Last, we decided to change out the hardware on part of the cabinets because I've always loved the farmhouse look. Our hardware looks black, but it's actually bronze. So, I picked up 15 of these Amerock Bronze Cup Pulls for a cost of $30. I only needed 14, so I used the last one up in our bathroom. I love them!

We also added six wireless under cabinet lights -- Moston Magnetic Under Cabinet Lights. I got two 3-packs (set me back $40 because they were on sale) and I don't regret getting so many. I'm obsessed with these guys because they charge via USB and can even be motion-activated. I use them daily for several hours and they only need to be juiced up once a week.

Here's the difference.

It's less noticeable in these photos than in person. It makes a huge impact in our really dark kitchen even in the daylight to have these on. Installation was super easy, too. You just install a magnetic plate where you want them with sticky tabs (all provided). Then the actual light sticks up there, again, magnetically.

Anyway, I hope these notes are helpful to you! I think a lot of this stuff is also renter-friendly. For a total cost of $325, I think the changes are quite dramatic and worthwhile. BTW: I did mess up on the contact paper, and that meant I had to rip it up. The formica underneath was completely fine after doing so.

I'll get more beauty shots when the entire kitchen is completely painted and styled! For more of my home improvement-related posts, click here.

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DIY Bathroom Refresh

This is the story of our bathroom renovation.

I don’t have many photos of our upstairs bathroom to serve as a before. Regardless, it’s the main bathroom for all our showering/bathing. We do also have a shower in the basement, but it’s a bit of a dive. We left the old green tiles from the 1960s these last several years because they were in great condition. We also knew we eventually wanted to knock down this little half wall that divided the space, and it would definitely destroy the tile.

Anyway, here’s a before from the day we moved in.


We didn’t have a ton of cash to spend on this project, but I was getting sick of trying to clean all the grout on the floor . . . and I also just get bored without a project. We allotted ourselves $350 to do the work, knowing we also had some materials left over from previous projects.

The first step was knocking down the wall. Then came tearing out the tile. In the process we accidentally knocked the toilet tank, cracking it. We decided to keep our current vanity.

Progress photos:


That last one still gives me the chills. There was plaster and tile . . . EVERYWHERE. Three huge garbage cans full of the stuff. It took a long time to clean up and get a blank slate to start with the new stuff.


We put down the flooring first and then installed the new toilet. Then we got to the walls. We had some vinyl tile leftover from a project I did in the master bedroom, and I knew I wanted to put it to use. We also bought some plastic/vinyl wall coverings for the bottom half of the walls, as well as a few decorative pieces to dress it all up.

From there, I got a couple knobs for the vanity, a piece of artwork, and a cool door with hooks for towels. I also got a nice sturdy bench to stand or sit on. We left the tile behind the vanity and in the tub area (as well as the tub) the original green color. We eventually want to get it reglazed white. I’ve done a lot of research on this DIY reglazing kits, and it looks like a lot of work that doesn’t really hold up. The tile and tub are in good condition, so I’d rather wait and have it done the right way.

I realize I’m skipping lots of details, but I don’t want this post too long. So, I’ll just post the AFTER photos here. If you have questions, let me know. I estimate this project ended up costing around $400 if you don’t count the stuff we already owned (mostly some adhesives, grout, and the vinyl “wood” wall tiles).


My favorite part is how much space we gained by knocking out the wall. And how clean everything is now! It’s all vinyl basically, so you can just wipe it down with some homemade vinegar cleaner and a rag -- done! I also like the grey and wood tones. I am a huge fan of the vinyl floor tiles -- we also have them throughout our main floor . . . and they have help up well to high traffic.

I’m thinking I may do another post with more details on how we did different things, a cost breakdown, and answering any questions you guys have. Leave a note in the comments!

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Dining Room Evolution

Another post! We got a lot of nice birthday wishes for Eloise -- thank you! But I'd also say after posting this photo, I got a ton of requests to talk more about our updates in the dining room. It's definitely been a while since I've written about what we've changed in the house. And we've changed quite a bit. So, let's get to it.

Back up for just a minute. When we moved in, the dining room looked like this:


Then we changed it to this:


And then this:


Then I decided to go full-on Joanna Gaines.

And I think we're finally done with changes.

Changes 

Major changes included added the corner cabinet that I found at an antique shop. I had stalked the piece for years, and it finally went on a super sale. It's just the right height for the room. It looks built in, which I love. The room isn't huge, so it's nice to have a place to stash our nicer pieces and tablecloths.

The next step was doing a faux shiplap on the walls using plywood planks. I am actually going to do a dedicated post on how I did this because I consulted a variety of sources, and it was quite a job! I did it all myself, too. We had a guy cut the plywood into six inch planks, but I did all the measuring, nailing, and shorter cuts at home.

After the planks were up, we painted everything using White Dove from Sherwin Williams. I think it's actually a Benjamin Moore color that I had matched at our local store. I hate painting, and if I'm being totally honest -- I think we need another coat in this room. Maybe Stephen will be generous enough to do that for me this summer.

You may also notice that our dining set changed in these photos. It's the same set, but I used chalk paint to refinish the table in white and the chairs in black. I still need to give the chairs another coat and do the polyurethane. But I am really pleased with how the table turned out. I did some distressing . . . and it is holding up well so far.

My kitchen is a disaster right now, but in my post on how I did the shiplap, I'll try to snap a shot of how this room flows into the kitchen. The two spaces are nicely tied into one another now. Again -- after all these changes in the three years since we've moved into this house -- I think I'm done. I really love this room. It's my favorite in our home right now.

PS: If you want to see what our house looked like back in 2015, be sure to check out the photo tour. It's in dire need of updating, so I hope to do that soon! I cannot believe how crazy the living room looks in these photos! I also stumbled upon the tours I did of our first house. Here and here and here.

PPS: That plank wood art piece came from Home Goods several years ago. We have a similar one in our dining room. They were on the more expensive side for what I spend on art, but I think they were well worth it.

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Past Peak

This morning while Ada and I were waiting for the bus, we saw the most incredible rainbow. Many of the leaves have now fallen, but the colors looked amazing next to what's left of the fall foliage. Have you ever seen a rainbow in autumn? I hadn't. Definitely high up there on the experience list. I didn't snap a photo or anything. Some things just need to be experienced in the moment.

As the title suggests, we are now past the peak with all the leaves. Our backyard looked like this before the rainy, cold weekend. Now? Most of these leaves are waiting on the ground to be raked. But it's soggy outside, so I'll wait a while to even think about doing that sort of work.

In other news, the end of fall means the beginning of some home improvement stuff for us. Hooray! Stephen only has a couple weeks left of coaching until track starts in the spring. The outdoors will be calling us far less often when the cold and snow kick in. (Oh, please let there be snow this year. Please!)

And -- YES -- I know how trite shiplap walls have become. Or have been since like 2014. I know, I know. But guess what! We're installing them in our dining room right now (with the hope of extending to the living room by Christmas or so). I am immensely excited for this project. Our home is great for so many reasons, but it doesn't have much inherited character.

Here's the start:


Stephen went out and got everything at Home Depot, but I'm doing most of this project myself. The plywood "planks" are light enough for me to hold myself while I nail. And I'll have to let you know how it goes. So many tutorials instruct people to sand the planks impossibly smooth and to cover all the nail holes with putty.

When I look at the Gaines abode, I like their rustic look much better. Obviously what they have is original and well-worn. But I like to pretend. Plus, it'll be less work. That's always a plus.

See? Nobody was spacing those intricately with a nickel. Nope.


I'm sure shiplap will be the pine paneling of our time. In 40 years, it will look like the equivalent of this living room to all the younger folk. But I don't mind. I think it's fabulous. I can't wait to share the progress as we make our way through the first level.



Are you as obsessed with Fixer Upper as I am?

I know I've brought it up from time to time on this here blog. But the love is real. I bought the journal. I am buying the book. I am looking forward to my nursing sessions so I can catch up on last season. I even plotted a road trip to Waco, TX. I mean, we'll see on that last one. It's quite literally a day away (24 hour drive -- and I don't feel like flying after watching Sully. LOL!).

Hope you're having a great day. I'm off to finish some freelancing work before Eloise wakes from her first nap. More soon!

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A Room For Living

We’ve tackled the dining room and the kitchen + cabinets, but the living space on our first floor has remained relatively untouched since we moved almost a year ago. It all started when I decided to look for cat-proof blinds for the space and didn’t turn up anything. In our last house, the cats systematically ruined 80% of the blinds we put up, so I didn’t want to go down that road again.

After some research, we chose faux wood plantation shutters from Home Depot.

Since they’re stock versus custom, the price point wasn’t quite as shocking. The best part? The cats don’t have any strings to gnaw on, so I figure they’ll stay in good condition for a long time. Since we knew they’d darken the room (we went with wood versus white to match the wood trim in our house), we painted the room in Revere Pewter to match the kitchen and dining room.

So, once we got all the shutters up, the living room looked . . . too mature. Something about all the wood and made it look quite dated and dark. I went on Pinterest before anything else looking for inspiration for how to mix up a room with an “oriental” rug. (I got our 9x12 lookalike on Overstock.com for less than $300.) I have no idea what I’m doing -- especially with pattern mixing -- so I needed some guidance, that’s for sure.

Here’s what I found:

(Sources: 1, 2, 3)

We haven’t finished painting the walls and haven’t actually put up the curtains. But I’m liking it so far. At least I think. I’ll admit it looks a bit crazy, and there’s still work to getting it all fitting together the “right” way, whatever that means with home decor. For example, the curtains aren’t perfect. I’d prefer some in a true ikat design, but these guys were only $9.99 a panel at the Christmas Tree Shops -- why not? I’m spray painting the old brass curtain rods and hardware a rubbed bronze color, btw.

Hooray for budget makeovers!

Other plans for this room include some fireplace freshening. I’d like to paint part of it white and make the mantel chunkier somehow. Maybe some faux crown molding. Just painting the top several inches of the room white and then adding some inexpensive molding pieces for added impact. And then accessories, etc.


I’m sure the room won’t be officially “done" for quite some time due to budget, etc. -- but it’s coming a long way from its original state. I really hated those 1980s pleated curtains. The shutters are already so amazingly functional, and we’re really happy with them! I can’t wait to update with the finished look.


Happy Friday, friends!

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Kitchen Updates

It’s been a while since I’ve written about our kitchen renovation. We made a few more updates recently that I’m excited to share, and I think the space is coming along nicely. I actually really liked the wooden cabinets when we moved in, but after a while we noticed that the kitchen doesn’t get much light for most of the day. As a result, we were always cooking in the dark unless we flipped on the artificial light.

Here’s the before:

We installed the wooden shelving from our old kitchen (remember the $400 update we did before selling last year? Crazy!) in the new space a few days after we moved into the house. I love having all my bulk ingredient at an arm’s reach, and I think it looks pretty great.  Part of me wants to remove half the wall these shelves are on to open up the kitchen to the dining room, but then I’d lose all the storage.

We also did the floor with vinyl tile + grout.

Oh, and we also made a DIY pot rack using plumbing pipes.


After spray-painting the cabinets white . . .

And hand-painting the backsplash . . .

Here’s where we are today:


Two big improvements:

A new faucet (which I’ll write more about soon) and our new counter-depth, side-by-side refrigerator (this one by Frigidaire Gallery). Our old fridge was an off-white color and the freezer handle snapped off long ago. We also have a water softener, so I hate the way our water tastes out of the faucet, we’re planning to hook up the water component soon -- its filter is awesome. I also really like this style of fridge better than our drawer freezer because I do a lot of freezer cooking. Now I can stack my meals and keep stuff better organized.

Here’s a closer look:


So, we’re at this point when the project is nearly “done” -- but our countertop color does annoy me because the rest of the space is relatively cool and doesn’t jibe with the warm brown. I thought the backsplash might tie it all together, but it still looks a bit jumbled. At the same time, they’re totally functional and in excellent condition, so I don’t see changing them anytime in the near future.

I’m hoping to do another couple updates with budget breakdown and then stick a fork in this project. It’s awesome to have the room where we spend the most time so personalized. Especially since we’re planning to be in this house for a long time.

Happy Thursday!

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Spring Bucket List

It was like a whole new world outdoors yesterday. Yeah, there was still some stubborn snow on the ground. (And, yeah -- we’re getting more over the weekend.) But we don’t take walking outdoors without coats (and shoes -- in my case!) for granted. Even in April. Here are a few things on our spring wish list for 2015.

I think it’s going to be a good one.

#1: Finish projects. We have several projects in our home that we started and never finished. Painting is a big one, and we’ve already spent some time this week checking rooms off the list. I have a few things to complete in the kitchen, but I’ll be writing more about this stuff soon.

#2: Hike in nature. We didn’t do much of the whole hiking thing with Ada when she was a baby. But we’d like to start taking her to more local natural attractions. So, some hikes in the Finger Lakes are in order.

#3: Take a weekend getaway. We don’t have the means to travel much, but I’d like to go on a one or two night trip somewhere -- with Ada -- within close driving distance. Maybe the ADK or down in PA. Not quite sure yet. Suggestions?

#4: Go river rafting down Pine Creek. There’s an all day 17-mile trek that Stephen and I would like to check out before the waters dry up in the summer.

#5: Cook out. Time to bust out the grill for the season and start cooking up some meals al fresco. I’m thinking grilled pizza is on the top of my list. I need to perfect that method/recipe.

#6: Do some landscaping. New year, new house. We want to start looking at landscaping. We won’t be able to do it all this year, but I have pinned some ideas of flowers and plants that I like. Can’t wait to get our yard looking lush.

#7: Visit family. Along with other mini trips, we’d like to get down to visit both families at least a couple times before the summer. Ada doesn’t have cousins, so it’s nice to see her spend time with Stephen’s cousins’ children in particular.

#8: Race here and there. I don’t have a ton of races on the calendar, but I’d like to do a few in the time I have before TTC again. After a few weeks of ramping up mileage from zero to, well, anything -- I’m planning to follow this intermediate 10K plan for the Laurel Festival 10K in June.

#9: Frequent festivals. There are lots of big and small festivals that go on in our area -- and we haven’t been to most of them. I want to get out there and experience the culture (food, music, fun) our area has to offer versus always wishing I was living elsewhere.

#10: Advance the homestead. Along with making the yard look pretty with more plantings, I want to get our composting system going and plant our vegetable garden. I think I might be a bit too late to get my seeds started (I had such good plans!), but I may end up getting some plants from a local nursery this year.

What’s on your spring bucket list?

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Peek Into the Kitchen

We are far from done with our modest kitchen overhaul. I know I said I'd be writing about it on Writing Chapter Three, but today I felt like this was the place to share. Our goal is to have the majority of it done by Christmas. (And Stephen doesn't know this yet, but my goal is to have the majority of it done by Sunday night!)

Home projects sure are different with a toddler in the house. Here's a typical Day in the Life. Working in-between naps or struggling with no naps is tricky, but with my dad's help -- we've made some good progress.

For reference, here's our old kitchen tour.

Much of our mission is to make the kitchen functional. To pare down the things we don't really use. We had a lot of stuff hanging from this bar in the past. Most of it decorative. IT seemed like the perfect place to hang our MVP pots and pans.

But we still want things to look nice, so we got this gorgeous faux-tin backsplash. A bit more expensive than we wanted, but way easier to install than tile.


As you can see, we also tore down the cabinets that were on either side of the window and replaced them with wooden shelves on a track system. We like the look -- it's opened up the small space -- but we also like how it has forced us to get rid of tons of glasses, plates, etc. we weren't actually using.

Should cut down on loads of dishes, too!


Most of our budget has been spent on the two items you see above. The wall cabinet and kitchen "island" that we're using more as a lower cabinet. We don't have the funds to completely redo the kitchen, so having a few functional pieces helps. I'll write more about why these are so much better than the existing cabinets in another post.

What a difference, though! They even have shelves that roll out. I feel like a movie star. Doesn't take much . . .


Then there's the matter of paint. We went with an almost-white cream for the walls with some chalkboard accents because we had paint leftover from Ada's nursery. It's very different and I'm still not sure I like it yet (the white seems unfinished and stark, I actually adore the black! Probably just need time to get used to it.). Oh, and I'd say only 2/3 of the room is painted. I need to get on that. It's my least favorite task.

Yeah. There are many more items that belong on this to-do list. And I'll leave future artwork to Stephen.


We're trying our hardest to stick within our $1,000 budget. I do think we'll go over, but only slightly. So, that's a bit of what's going on around here (and why you haven't seen many recipes lately). Fingers crossed we can get some major stuff done this weekend . . . and the full tour can be posted soon!

What are you up to this weekend? Otherwise, we want to get Ada's picture with Santa, go to our favorite brew-pub, check out the new GoodWill store (& make some donations), and get in some longer runs. I've already done two 6-milers this week! I can't believe it. But more about that in another post.

And check back tomorrow for the winner of the Tiny Food Party cookbook giveaway. You still have time to enter!

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