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Saturday, June 14, 2014

Kitchen Updated!

You can click on any picture for a bigger screen shot of my kitchen makeover - all for under $300.
 Here is a look at my kitchen before I re-painted it and updated it.
Here is the AFTER picture. Don't you love it? It's a new beautiful kitchen!!!
I LOVE IT!
 Sometimes I just hated my mauve countertops and sometimes I was fine with it. But I hated the border that I painted white (it was blue when I moved in) because it chipped all the time and just never looked good. 
 There were some flaws and dings and needed an update, but I knew I'd have to save like mad to afford any type of change, not to mention the mess of replacing your kitchen.
Here is the after picture of the back of my island where I'm missing a panel. It's not nearly as noticeable as before - especially when the bar stools are there. Where the counter had that broken corner, you can't even tell anymore.  (One day I'll replace the purple carpet - ha ha ha!)
 Luckily I saw and pinned a new painted countertop post on Pinterest. I thought I could do it and ordered the countertop kit from Giani. It was $69.95 for the Chocolate Brown kit. Much cheaper, less time and less mess then replacing the whole countertop and cabinets.

I was worried about how the white edge would work out when I painted it. It was a scary thing to just go forward and do it. I purchased the kit in the late fall and when I got it, it said you had to have your house at 70+ degrees overnight to have the countertop warm. I can't sleep when it is that hot so I had to wait until the spring to do it. 
Giani paint kit comes with everything you need except frog/masking tape and SOS pad to clean counters prior to painting.
There are so many different possibilities to come up with in each Giani paint kit. No 2 customers will have the same look. It will always be uniquely your own design and countertop.

While I waited, I kept looking at pictures their customers had uploaded on their site - there are so many examples. I kept trying to be inspired and have the courage to just do it. Memorial day weekend I decided to just do it. 
 I actually loved how it all came together. I was so glad that the edges came out flawless. 
 It made me so happy that it did resemble granite countertops. 
 There is still tape along the edges. I didn't go purchase the blue frog tape because I already had masking tape on hand and it worked good enough. I'm just a frugal cheap girl and hate to purchase things if I already have something on hand that will work. 
 The top coat that seals the countertop was a bit tricky for me. The one thing I can recommend is to make sure that the roller is rolling the whole time and that you over lap the top coat. There are several videos on the Giani website that I watched over and over. I am happy with the results. 

Then as I kept looking at the Giani website and Giani facebook page, I decided to paint my cabinets. The Giani Nuvo cabinet paint kit is $79.95 so I ordered it - Nuvo Cocoa Couture Cabinet Kit.
 It took me a whole night to clean the cabinets thoroughly. It was a lot of work to get in each groove and edge. OK, I'll admit it they were gross and it was a lot of hard work. But I wanted the paint to stick so I put in the work. Then I lightly sanded them. The instructions said to sand the edge of the counters because it is a wood look film/paper. The inside of my cabinets are the film/paper wood (not real wood) so I sanded them, just to make sure the paint would stick. 
 I learned that it is better to do a thin coat of paint a couple of times then have it drip. Yes, mine dripped here and there and I had brush strokes. I ended up re-doing these areas until I was satisfied. It took me 2 weekends to completely get it to where I wanted it.
In the Giani Nuvo video the center of their cabinet isn't recessed, so the roller worked for them. It didn't for me and I had a few issues. I thought I could use the brush instead of the roller, but I had brush strokes and if I didn't go the same direction there was a different paint gloss look with each stroke. That didn't work for me, until I went back to the roller and made sure It went in 1 direction. With my thin cabinets where the roller wouldn't fit, I did the roller sideways. The roller does make it look more professional. 
 I've debated and have searched how to re-paint my white fridge black. I was going to do it, but Jason (my son) told me to order some vinyl and that is what I did. I ordered a flower mural that isn't here yet. But I'm excited to see what it does to my white fridge without painting it. I'll post pictures when I do it.
My white fridge with a flower mural. OK, I was really, really disappointed when this arrived. I ordered it off of Amazon as a VINYL mural. Well, it ISN'T vinyl, it is a STICKER!!!! What a rip off!!

Anyway, I'm keeping it on for now. If it was vinyl, I'd be much happier then I am with a sticker. It's very girlie and I do like that it adds some black to the fridge. Oh well - it is what it is (until I can actually find a vinyl mural to replace this sticker).
I finally painted the light fixture. I love how it looks (compared to the photo above and below).
I also ordered the handles from Amazon. I needed 34 handles for my kitchen and I wanted this type. At Home Depot or Lowes they are around $7 each for a total of $245. Yikes, I didn't want to afford that. But, I looked on Amazon and found a kit of 25 and a kit of 10 for a grand total of $102. I ordered them. Each handle was individually packaged with the screws. 

Then the tricky part came up, to drill holes in the cabinets. I was scared to death. It took me a few days to even figure out how to do it. I watched a You Tube video. I also purchased this kit from Home Depot that you put on the edge of the cabinet and it's a guide to let you know where to drill the holes. Well, it didn't work for the size of handles I purchased (7 3/8 inch over all length).  
After sleeping on it, I figured out how to do it. I used a ruler I found at Walmart that was perfect because it had a hole down the center of the ruler that matched up and was the center of the part of my cabinet that the handle was going. I was able to line up the edge of the ruler to the edge of the cabinet and mark where each screw needed to be drilled from the measurement on the ruler. It worked great!

 For the drawers, I used a tape measure from my sewing kit that bends. Because the drawers are not an even length like "10 inches would have a center of 5 inches" I had to figure out the center of the drawer with my bendable tape measure because I'm not going to sit and figure out the math and exactly where that matched up on a ruler. After figuring out the "half mark of the drawer" I used a level to measure and line up where to drill the holes. It was scary, but I did it!!! OK, I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring it out and actually doing it in a way that made it level and look professional when the handles were put on the cabinets. 
 I just love walking into my new kitchen - because it DOES seem like a completely new kitchen to me.
 I love the countertops, the cabinet paint color and the handles. Yea! It's so exciting.

Here are a couple of pictures of the countertop:
The easiest part in my kitchen update was doing the countertops.
 I love how they came out!
It's such a great update from the mauve / white bordered countertops I had before. 
 Also, the frugal girl in me decided to just spray paint my outdated canisters. 
I painted them red and LOVE the new look! I'm very happy with the results - all for under $300. 

One last note, don't paint the countertop first like I did. They recommend painting the cabinets first and then paint the countertop. I totally agree. It was a lot more work protecting them then doing it the recommended way. 

31 comments:

Rhonda said...

I'm just blown away by all your hard work and the transformation of your kitchen, It is so amazing and I cannot wait to see it in person.

Valerie said...

Great job, it looks fantastic!!!

Jason and Michelle said...

It's beautiful.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Sondra!!!! That transformation is astonishing!!! I totally love it. You have the wheels just churning in my brain now.

I totally love the red canisters. I was thinking how great the red looks and wondered where you bought them, then a picture later you show the update. I laughed.

You are amazing!

Unknown said...

Wow!

Valerie said...

You are so amazing! I really love it!! It looks fabulous and how fun for you to get to enjoy.

Thecreativeme23 said...

I'm considering this for my kitchen...how is the countertop holding up?

Sondra said...

Cheryl, it's been fabulous! I haven't had any problems with it at all. 5 months so far and it's not had 1 problem. I still use a cutting board and don't put hot things on it without a hot plate - just like you would with a regular Formica counter. I totally recommend this product. I LOVE my new kitchen! I'm so happy I did it with Giani's products!

Kirsten said...

Ms. Sondra,
My husband and I are in the process of doing the same revamp as you did. Your kitchen turned out so amazing! We have about the same amout of cabinets and countertops as you and my question is how many kits did you order for each project or did one kit cover each project? Thank you for sharing your awesome turnout!!

Sondra said...

Kirsten, Yes I used only 1 kit of each the counter top paint and the cabinet paint. You will love it as I still do. I still am amazed that "I" have a fabulous kitchen that I am so proud of and that I did it on my own. Not to mention the cost of my updated kitchen!! Great products! Good luck and have fun updating your kitchen!

Fantacy so Sweet-n-Stuff... said...

I was SO excited when I saw your post! I found it through Pinterest. We are trying to update/remodel/something our kitchen at the moment. We have cabinets almost identical to the ones you have (wood look, no handles/pulls) and my husband swears it is impossible to paint them and have it come out right. I am going to show this post to him lol. LOVE the way your "new" kitchen looks and also love the canister makeover! I am frugal through and through, so glad to know it isn't just me!

Lisa Rodda said...

It looks beautiful!

Miss Lady said...

Wow! You did an outstanding job!

Unknown said...

I love the look of your counter tops.
I have the exact same ugly mauve counter tops. I would really love granite but we can't afford it so I am going to purchase this paint, sand and revarnish the counters then paint the tops. I hope they come out as great as yours do. I also have decided to take off the awful mauve that they used as a backsplash and put tile on it.

Sondra said...

Tommie Tran, Good luck with your update, you will love it. A tile backsplash is definitely on my "to do" list. I love that this update is beautiful and inexpensive. I am still loving my new kitchen every day.

Smith Family said...

I used that kit for my counters, loved it at first and now it has started chipping. Becareful! Not happy with product!

Sondra said...

Wow Smith Family ... I have NOT have 1 problem in 10 months and I cook A LOT!. Not sure why yours is chipping. You followed all the directions and cleaned the counter really good and did the SOS pad over the whole counter before you applied the product? This sounds like a fluke or something during the application went wrong.

You have to follow the directions .... plus, you can't pick off dried on food - you put a wet washcloth on the food and let it soften and then get the counter clean. All of this is in the instructions.

Anyway. I still absolutely love my Giani counter top and have had no problems. I am just a regular customer - never been paid for my review or even offered free product. For me this is the best product out there to help this frugal girl get the kitchen of her dreams!

I'm sorry it hasn't worked out well for you. Contact Giani and see if they have an explanation for you. Thanks for your comment though.

Monica said...

That was a lot of work! But it does look totally transformed. :)

Marie said...

We used the Gianni paint as well, about a year and 1/2 ago. It has not worn well for us. Our kitchen gets tons of use and any water or wet item/product that sets at all causes problems. We are weekend warriors and DIYers all the way. We had fun doing the project, but I do not recommend the Gianni paint anymore. It is dull and rough now, wherever there is regular use. My husband is constantly touching them up. :( We are getting ready to replace them.

Sondra said...

Marie, my countertop is 1 year old with NO problems. I have not touched it up or anything - because I haven't had any issues. I had the kit for a while before I put it on my counter as I described in the post.

After I applied my countertop, I had some problems applying the top coat and ended up ordering another can of top coat. What I found was that it was different then the can I originally had. I am pretty sure they changed the product from what I purchased with the kit to the 2nd can I received. Maybe this is the difference between your problems and my experience - is that the product has been updated.

I am still completely sold on Gianni and haven't had any problems with the countertop.

The cabinet paint is what I touch up because my fingernails pull of the paint by the handles. It's nothing serious, but I have touched up my fingernail gashes a few times during the past year.

I still have another 6 months to be where you are, but I don't really think I will have any problems. I do shine up my countertop with furniture polish to keep the shine beautiful - but that is a practise I have always used on all countertops - even granite my customers have. Furniture polish always shines and protects countertops - maybe my cleaning practices have made a difference in the results too - as I'm a professional house cleaner as my job.

I still believe this is a fantastic product when you follow the directions when applying and recommendations after your countertop has been painted with Gianni paint. I still am completely happy with this product 1 year after applying! I have not had any problems and my is still shiny, slick and holding up beautifully. I can't imagine mine will become dull or rough - as it's the same as the day I applied it.

Belinda said...

That looks amazing! I'm all about DIY and low cost and you did a fantastic job! Going to show this post to my hubby :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this! As a broke rookie teacher, I might be able to afford granite countertops in about 35 years or so. Your makeover looks AWESOME and super doable! :)

Darci said...

Thanks for your post. My husband and I are considering doing our worn counters. Are your counters still in great shape?
Side question...wouldn't furniture polish have dangerous chemicals for the place you prepare your food?

Sondra said...

Darci, It's been over a year and I have not had one problem with my countertops. They are still just as beautiful as when I did them. I still love it!!

As far as furniture polish on my counters, I've done this for years (I'm 53) and I do it in my cleaning business. Furniture polish has been on dining room tables for years. It's not like I spray the polish on not buff it up to a shine. I'm not leaving the raw product on the counter. I'm buffing it up to a shine, it's gives a protective element against stains and dried on food. I also use it to protect my cabinets (after cleaning them).

I don't believe in green cleaning. I use real products. The difference between me and another cleaner is that I spray on a product and make sure it is rinsed off. Products keep the germs away and furniture polish has a protective element that I use in the kitchen, bathroom as well as dusting. I feel dust and mold is much more harmful then furniture polish anyway- *grin. Furniture polish protects against it all.

I always shake my head when people won't use real products. They are always sicker then my family or my customers are. A clean home is a safe home. You can see my cleaning blogs on my cleaning tab.

Thanks for stopping by. You'll love your giani counters!! Do it!

AnnaK said...

You are so creative and resourceful. The world could use more people like you. I love your new kitchen!!

Anonymous said...

You need to check out Uppercase Living for your vinyl!! http://egirard.uppercaseliving.net :)

Sondra said...

Erica!!! Squeal! I browsed the website and this is what I have been looking for. Thanks for sharing the website link. I'm so excited to figure out what will replace that sticker. I have some great ideas and have to figure out size. Woo Hoo! Thanks again!

Lynn C said...

Hi Sondra! You have done an Amazing job with your kitchen...congrats! I to have the mauve counter tops and so want something else despertly but no money. I have been looking at this for awhile and may give it a try but my issue is finding someone to do it for me. I am disabled and have back issues and not sure O could finish the job once I started it. But I have a very small kitchen and not more than probably 9 ft of counter to do including sink in that. Bit anyway glad yours is still holding up well. Thanks for all your posts and pictures!

Fit Artist said...

Nice job! I'm going though the same thing with my kitchen right now. Also, your fridge looks like mine. I found a great idea for it. It works great so no need to replace. Paint it with chalkboard paint. Makes it look really rustic, then wrap hemp rope around the handles.
You can find a pic of the fridge on pinterest or google.

Laura

Angel said...

Your kitchen looks amazing. I would really like to do this in my kitchen and was just wondering after all these years how the countertops were holding up also just a random question I love the layout of your kitchen as well what size is it? Thanks

Sondra said...

Angel it held up really well. I had some areas where normal wear and tear rubbed some of the paint off, but you really couldn't see it because of the variation of the color. I re-painted it with the white marble paint 2 years ago on top of the other paint to have a change. While I love the lighter color, it stains more then the brown. My kitchen is 12 feet by 12 feet and the dining room connected to the kitchen adds another 7 and half feet to the combined area. I like the layout of my kitchen too. If I ever re-do it, I will keep the layout. Thanks for your comment.

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