diy : kitchen makeover
My kitchen has gone from an ugly caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. The ultimate goal is to do a kitchen reno in the future with new countertops, flooring, a range hood, pot filler, and more - but since that is a huge expense let me share all of my #diys that have got us to where we are today.
When we bought the house, it had dark cabinets, dark countertops, dark backsplash, and very weirdly placed hardware. This kitchen was so dark and opposite of my style that we almost didn't buy the house. BUT, I knew I could make it better on a budget :)
The first thing I tackled was painting the cabinets and backsplash white to brighten everything up, and replacing (and relocating) the hardware. I used chalk paint because it requires no sanding or priming (win/win!) and the coverage is unmatched. I did this for both the cabinets and backsplash. I also upgraded the sink and faucet to get the modern farmhouse vibe.
OK, it was getting better, but still had a ways to go. Next I wanted to get rid of the HUGE chunk of brown granite that was the kitchen island. It rounded out and I wanted straight edges so it had to go! Now let me tell you, removing that thing was a piece of WORK. It was glued down and nailed ALL over. We had to use a jack to lift it off, after cutting through nails and scraping all the glue we could with a box cutter.
Now that that huge thing was gone, we could add the beautiful butcher block top that I got from Home Depot. It came in the exact size I needed, but you can also easily cut it to fit whatever size you need. This cost me under $250 - and WHAT a difference it makes. I added 3 coats of Polycrylic clear coat to seal it.
After seeing how bright the butcher block made the kitchen, it was time to do something about the rest of the brown granite countertops. I debated with this for many, many months, but finally decided to go ahead and paint them. I did a ton of research and chose a marble countertop paint kit by Giani that is specifically made to go over existing materials like granite. The super thick food-grade epoxy topcoat was important to me because I want this to last and be really durable.
The kit comes with everything you need, and very detailed instructions. It was relatively 'easy' to do, just follow the directions! And make sure you have plenty of time to let things dry. Luckily we could use the island to prep meals and put our coffee pot on because the countertops take 7 days to fully cure.
You paint the white base coat (2 coats is the minimum recommended), paint the marble 'veins', and then do the epoxy topcoat. The whole process took me 2 days due to the dry times required. I ended up doing 4 coats of the base coat since my countertops were so dark.
Painting the veins ended up being my favorite part. If you mess up, it's easy to fix and start over. After doing the epoxy, it has to dry for 48hrs before you can lightly use the counters, but it will take 7 days to fully cure. Waiting to decorate was the hardest part😋.
Here is the final result!
The kit I used is linked here:
What do you think of the transformation this kitchen has gone through? I am in love with it!
~Katie
