Sunday, July 21, 2013

Update in the kitchen

Twelve months ago we bought an old home in the city with our son. This was his first step into the world of real estate. He had us travel to the city on many occasions to look at houses, most of which were too expensive, too ugly or just not right for him. Finally we found this cute (he hates me calling it that!!) little house in our price range. We leased it out for 6 months so he was able to get used to mortgage repayments etc then he and his fiance moved in in March. You may have read my post on our first afternoon in the house here.  Well, finally I had a few days spare so we painted the kitchen cupboards. My son had already painted the walls in three rooms. We would love a new kitchen but at the moment that is out of the question so paint was the next best thing.We scrubbed, primed and painted like our life depended on it!! After two days we were finished and we were exhausted.  The difference is amazing. We had plans to cover the old cream tiles with bead boarding but we have just found out that it is not available in Australia! EEk! That has really upset our plans. As this makeover is just for a couple of years until we can put in a new kitchen we didn’t want to spend too much money but it now looks as though we will have to replace the tiles. Not what we had planned but I guess you have to do what you have to do!!
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As you can see, the cupboards were in very good condition but very dated. 
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Layers and layers of crisp white paint!
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We are all so in love with this new look but now need to decide whether to paint the existing tiles along the sink side and add some to the opposite side or rip off those on the sink side and replace the whole lot. We haven’t done any tiling before but this might be the time to start!! Next on the list is to replace the tile floor with flating floorboards. What a difference that will make!
                               Suzy

FOOTNOTE: I have been asked if I removed the doors to the cupboards.....we cheated and left them on. We had three days to complete them and the first was a right off because my son came down with gastro (he is a paramedic and this is sometimes part of the job!!!) so we did nothing the first day as I was not game to go near. For two days we painted flat out - two coats of primer and one coat of low sheen but this wasn't 'finished' enough so we gave them all a coat of semi-gloss! We started off painting over the hinges but after the primer decided they looked tacky so we chipped them all off - time consuming but really worth it as it looks so much better. We sent my son's fiancé to buy the handles on her way home from work the first day. At 5.30 on the second day my son fitted the new hardware while I had a major cleanup...job done!!


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27 comments:

Nancy said...

The white paint made a huge difference. The cabinets are now beautiful. It's so nice when parents are able to help their children get a start out on their own.

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Your cabinets look Brand new and so very updated! Great job! Enjoy them.
FABBY

Anonymous said...

I love your pretty cabinets painted white! I'm sure you're loving it.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Christine @ Rustic-Refined said...

Love that you painted the cabinets white....the before was looking good too but it's a lot brighter now...Looks good!

thepaintedapron.com said...

wow, looks great! what a lucky couple to have such supportive parents!
Jenna

Dani said...

Love the white cabinets! They look great. Have a great week.

Lizzy said...

wow!! looks amazing! well done :)

Jamie Koenig said...

I love white kitchen cabinets. And the hardware you chose for it works great.

Jamie @http://thekoenigscreate.blogspot.com/

birdie said...

did you take off the doors before you painted?

Stacey Mowery said...

The cabinets look awesome!! Here in the States we have beadboard wallpaper, is that available where you are at and/or would it stick to the tile? It is white and paintable. This is a blog post by a lady who used it in her mudroom over drywall, but will give you an idea of what I am talking about: http://decoratedchaos.blogspot.com/2013/07/mudroom-makeover-reveal.html
Maybe you would have to fill in the grout to make a smooth surface, but still might be less work than removing the tile. Just a thought I had. Stacey

SewSweetVIntage said...

Hello, love your cabinets! I have white cabinets and wood counters in my kitchen too! I still have an IKEA hutch I'd like to white wash. Your refinish is awesome pinning! You can see my kitchen under my title links Red & White Christmas:) New follower for your page too:) Hope you follow back.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Wow, what a transformation painted white. They look amazing. I love it. Thanks tons for joining Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

An Oasis in the Desert said...

The white cabinets look amazing -- such a huge difference. Good luck on removing the tile on the floor. We've done that before (or rather we hired it done) and it was very hard and very messy, even for the professionals. Just be prepared!

Kim said...

What a huge difference. You must love it!! Great job!
xoxo,
Kim

Unknown said...

I was going to suggest the bead board wall paper too. I just got some for the ceiling in one of the bedrooms of my new house.

Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon Designs said...

It is beautiful! I just love how it turned out! Thanks for sharing with us this week at Monday Funday!

Take care,

Trish

Cindy @ Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home said...

They look amazing painted...great job! Thanks so much for sharing at Amaze Me Monday!
Blessings,
Cindy

Diann said...

Amazing what just painting them did! They look wonderful and completely fresh! thank you for sharing at TTF this week!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Spectacular transformation! It's nice that you kept those cabinets, one couldn't buy them with that quality these days except for quite a bit.

Unknown said...

Stunning transformation!

PJH Designs said...

What a difference. You did a beautiful job. Thank you so much for entering your post for consideration at Transformed Tuesday,

Have a wonderful week.
Hugs,
Peggy~PJH Designs

Kitt Keefe said...

The cabinets look wonderful and so fresh! Great job.

td said...

Beautiful..I wouldn't bother remodeling now as what could you get that would be better? Tiling is easy, btw, but you should check into the beadboard wallpaper. It's made in England so might be available in your neck of the woods. It's paintable, looks fabulous and is easy to apply. Check it out! CTD

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

What a difference paint can make! A lot of work, but well worth the effort! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Kathy said...

The transformation looks amazing - the beadboard look is perfect for the white paint - the cabinets are perfect! I am so delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy

The Charm of Home said...

Looks great!
Sherry

Deezy said...

YOu can get a beadboard type product from places like Bunnings.
I hope this link works:
http://www.gunnersens.com.au/products/building-products/speciality-panels/easycraft.html