My Kitchen Re-do Photos & Money Saving Tips!

Hi Everyone,

We finally finished our kitchen re-do and I'm thrilled with the results!  I've posted some Tips and $$ Saving Ideas at the end.

 Here is a BEFORE photo with the original 17 yr old fridge that needed to be replaced and then our gas stove died so we decided to go for stainless appliances, replace the worn floor, 'peachy' counters, stained sink, add the pendant lights and re-do the cupboards darker.

 We have a long telephone desk and island with counters that wrap around the cooking area so granite was way too expensive for the amount we would have needed.  We went with Formica counters. Wow - our family photo below is over 25 years old as our girls are now 25, 26 and 30!

Part of this photo seems a bit over exposed but I plan on doing the top of my old oak table and chairs darker as you can see the sun has bleached them lighter than the table's pedestal.

 I re-covered my kitchen chairs and bought all the fabric for chairs and new valances at JoAnns in Bellingham, WA at 50% off.  I used 6 yds of Findlay Cliffside fabric on sale for $19.99 yd.  We also re-did the valance in our family room which took the most fabric, but my photo didn't turn out. 

Cindy, our graphics designer, brought over her sewing machine and helped make the new valances. I didn't want ruffles anymore and went for a simple sleeve style. I bought 1" Bronze Braid trim on sale for $1.99 yd and slipped 2 loops over each sleeve and just added Velcro tape (from Dollarama) to stick all the valance's to the old existing bars. Click on the photo to see my piglet print from the 1890's.  It's sentimental as my nickname is PY, short for piglet, which I earned because I can eat so much!

 I'm still not 100% sold on the stools Scott bought.  They look so big for our narrow space.  I had them on Craigslist and planned to buy these stools on Amazon but now I'm on the fence. Which do you like better?  The old Singer sewing machine cabinet also takes up space but I can't part with it and love the little drawers and the treadle holds my big bowls.

Vicki posted a cool bike wheel photo/memo holder she spotted at the Junkstock Show and now I'm on the look out for a small wheel to go over my sewing cabinet (below) as the Grape Nuts print is so faded. I want to mount it so it spins and use wood clothes pins to attach photos and memos, Plus, I bet we can use it for a game at parties.

Re-doing the cabinets was a lot of work! My retired hubby Scott did most of it.  I emptied out, washed and sanded some, he painted and sanded them all and there are 26 cupboards,  16 drawers and trim! We used a product called Saman (see below) a seal, stain and varnish in one. Wash all your wood with TSP first to remove any dirt and grease. Sand wood, apply first coat, lightly sand, add 2nd cost and repeat if 3 coats are needed. Ours have 3 coats of the Medium Oak and Scott said a paintbrush worked great.  Our neighbors used the same product 4 years ago in Walnut and they still look great. They preferred a sponge brush.

I also used Rust-oleum Hammered Paint and Primer in Brown to spray my white metal paper towel holder and a green bird cage to go above the cupboards. 

Below is a list of tips I put together if you plan to re-do your kitchen and you want to save money.  Who doesn't want to save some $$!  Kitchens and family rooms are the hearts of our homes and a warm inviting kitchen is where happy memories are made!

Tips & Tricks for Saving Money on Kitchen and Home Re-do’s

First brainstorm all your options for ways you can save on materials and time. Look for sales on both new items and check for quality used appliances and materials on Craigslist, adpost.com, newspapers, liquidators, auctions, etc. You can also type ‘used appliances’ in Google and you should be able to find local places that specialize in used and often include warranties.  Consider bartering your time & talent with other trades people. Two of the best places to see home dec ideas are  www.houzz.com and DIY Kitchen ideas on www.pintrest.com

Appliances: Shop around and make a list of features you want and your size requirements. Don’t pay full price for new. Wait for a sale or ask for a discount. Consider buying quality used or update yours using some of the new appliance paints available.

Cabinets: New cabinets are often one of the most expensive parts of a kitchen but consider the alternatives.  Could you add a bookshelf to hold dishes and kitchenware, or could you remove some of your cupboards to create open shelving?  Check out these great ideas for turning old dressers into kitchen islands!  If you hate your cupboards, can you replace just the door fronts, or re-paint or stain your existing cabinets?  Often a coat of fresh paint and new handles will transform a kitchen. Here are 2 places I found on Ebay here and here with great prices on cabinet hardware.  Please tell me, do you think we need handles and knobs? We never had any before and have the indents under each cupboard so they open easy.  

Counters: Granite counters are beautiful but very pricey! We have so much counter it would have cost a fortune so we went with Formica counters.  You might also consider wood, tile, corian or some of the other less expensive materials available. Also, check out this postby ApartmentTherapy and how they used a new product from Rust-Oleum to re-do counters with a granite look.

 Flooring: Laminate and Vinyl floors are more cost effective than ceramic tile, marble or wood and many styles closely mimic the same patterns. We found ‘tile looking’ laminate flooring at 60% off.  Be sure to buy some extra. The plumber didn’t hook up our new dishwasher properly and it leaked, damaged the floor and Scott had to drive over 2 hours away but luckily found more.  Another option if you have concrete under your old lino is to paint it.  You will need to prep it, apply at least 2 coats with a roller and seal it with a polyurethane coating for durability. Concrete floors can look stunning and are becoming a popular trend.

Lighting:  One of our favorite changes was the 3 pendant lights we added over our island and it was so easy it took Scott less than 10 minutes to hook up all 3 lights into our existing pot lights with these pendant light kits we found. Dimmer switches are also one of my favorite ‘must haves’ and we have them installed in the kitchen, dinning room and all our bedrooms. They save money and you can adjust your lighting to any level.

Walls:  A fresh coat of paint will give a kitchen a whole new look and feel but consider painting just a feature wall. Also, check your garage for partial cans of paint that can be re-tinted. Ask at your local home hardware stores for miss-tints which are often marked down 75% off.  Consider wallpaper which can transform a wall or the inside of a glass china cupboard. Painted or vinyl stencils are also popular and can make a great visual statement with designs or quotes on a wall.  

You can also add some cool art to your walls or home decor pieces like these canisters DT leader Vicki Chrisman decoupaged and revamped using chicken images from our CD #2, Creating with Vintage Illustrations.

I also want to share this wonderful excerpt I found in an old book from the 1890's I have called Beautiful Homes.  It's written so eloquently and with such passion.

I have a bunch more new samples stamped I want to show you but this post is so long I will do a new post tomorrow.

Do you have any kitchen or home decor tips you can share? 

I'm linking this post to some Linky Parties 

 akadesign

Wishing you joy & creativity

Sandy Redburn

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