Kitchen "remodel" on a shoestring

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Koiflowers
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

I joined this site to get decorating ideas for my MH. Mainly redoing the walls. I thought I might post some pics of a kitchen makeover I did for my Daughter-in-Law last November for her Christmas present, because her kitchen looked as bad as anything I had ever seen and she was so ashamed of it.

The whole point of my post is that we didn't remove or replace anything in the kitchen. However, since the 2 before photos they did get a new stove and sink on their own.


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The cabinets doors were old, chipped and outdated and there were two missing doors. The counter tops were scarred and sections of the turquoise laminate had come loose and fallen off, probably back in the 70's. I waited 5 years before I asked my daughter-in-law, Debbie, if I could update her kitchen.

Debbie and I went to Lowes (the only home improvement store in my small lake resort town in Texas) to get supplies. I found ceramic mosaic tile, and because random pieces within each whole tile were broken, I bought 12"x12" tile for the counter tops for $1 each. Then we cut out all chipped tiles and replaced them with unbroken pieces from "donor" tiles. I tiled right over the old laminate countertop. First, I clean with TSP, score and scratch the laminate to give the adhesive more tooth. I have tiled numerous countertops using this method and have never had a single tile come loose. I have a high-end wet tile saw because I do this stuff so often, but you can buy tile cutters for $20 at lowes that will work on most tile.

For the cabinets, we painted the frames and doors. Then I bought two rolls of thick, prepasted wallpaper that looked like bead board and we applied it to the door and drawer fronts and even pasted it onto the interiors of the cabinets so they would also look clean and fresh. Rather than dipping the paper into water, I used a clear wallpaper paste for good adhesion and very sharp razor blades and straightedges for clean cuts. This wallpaper is thick and highly scrubbable. I even tested it by using scouring powder on the surface and it wasn't damaged.

I used white vinyl floor tiles (less than $1 each) to make the shelves of the upper cabinets look clean and new. Upper cabinets are 12" deep, so very little cutting was necessary. You just peel off the paper and stick them down onto the old wood surface. You can use sizzors to cut the tiles around obstacles. A tip is that if you put linoleum or floor tile on the wood under your sinks, your cabinet will not warp and be ruined if you develop a leak.

I found door and drawer pulls on closeout for 43 cents each. For the backsplash I bought inexpensive tile to mix with the mosaic because I didn't have enough of the countertop tiles to do the entire project. Debbie and I had such a good time shopping for all our bargains.


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I bought a 12" wide base cabinet and inserted in between the stove and the wall ($50/60 bucks). The stove had always floated in the space and food and spills would run down the sides of the stove and onto the floor. The stove was no longer centered under the overhead cabinets, so I asked my son to make a spice rack. His only input in the project was the spice rack using wood he had in the garage. Debbie and I did everything using girl power. Because I had run out of the countertop tile, I used a thick piece of pine from an IKEA table for the countertop over the new base cabinet.

I splurged and bought one $10 piece of slate mosaic tile for the backsplash behind the stove. We cut it into strips for an accent border, because I didn't have enough of the countertop tile, and I had bought every tile Lowe's had in stock. So we were improvising at this point.

When my son came home from work, he actually thought we had used real beadboard on the door and drawer fronts. He had to touch them before he would believe it was "just" wallpaper. My daughter-in-law is really happy with the results, and it only took a couple days to paint, paper, tile and grout. The cabinet doors are easy to clean and still look brand new after 2 months and 2 kids. If a door is damaged, she can repaper it (we still have a lot of wallpaper left).

We were trying to get done before a birthday party the next day so a couple of things were left undone in the after pictures, such as painting the ceiling of the open cabinet and the side of the cabinet next to the stove, and we didn't have time to get all the door/draw pulls on.

We faux painted the fireplace to the left of the stove a light cream, and put down laminate floor (left over from a flip on another house).

She's loving her "new" kitchen and it was an experience I will always cherish. And we did it on the skimpiest shoe string ever. I hope someone on a tight budget might see this post and be inspired to "think outside the box."


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My beautiful family at the Houston Zoo.
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Susan
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:24 am
Location: American Canyon, CA
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Koiflowers,

Great job! You are very creative. I love doing this kind of thing and have done some similar things in my '73 DW. I am now helping daughter get her new (to her) house ready to move into. Her kitchen cabinets are in dire need of some help, so just might give your methods a try. I have used the prepasted paintable wall paper that looks like textured drywall on all of the paneling in my house. You would never know that it wasn't the real thing. It has adhered to the wood paneling for over 6 years now and still looks great.

Thank you for sharing your project and congratulations on doing a wonderful job.
Susan

Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue
Adriamarie

Wow, what a Beautiful job You did on the kitchen, Looks so so much different.
You did think out of box and You did save alot of money, Very creative.
So when can you come over and re-do my kitchen, hahaha
Great Job
Koiflowers
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

Thanks Susan and Adriamarie. That's not their dream kitchen, but I told them because the update was so cheap they could tear it out tomorrow with no regrets.

We love IKEA kitchens. So that's where that new kitchen will come from! I can't help but notice that Deserving Design, Color Splash, etc. use IKEA and get great results. I've installed them in houses I've remodeled and they are beautiful.
kmclaughlin
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:54 pm

wow! i love it!!!
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bmerri
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 5:21 pm
Location: Central Illinois

That kitchen looks great!!! I love the colors. Nice job.
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

What is the brick pattern wall made of???

I like it.

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
Koiflowers
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

Harry that's the back side of the brick fireplace in the living room. I painted it cream (because it was red, white, black).

Thought you might enjoy seeing the before picture of that fireplace. Grandson's first date pic.

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They were having a hard time coming up with a "look."

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Faux finish and it looks pretty good now. It wraps around into the kitchen
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

Is the brick fireplace in a MH?

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
Koiflowers
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

Nope. His is a stick house on a slab.
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

Your grandson???

You must have been a child bride!

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
Koiflowers
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

Of course I was a child. We marry them off real, real young in Deep East Texas. I've noticed lately that with every passing year my oldest son and I get closer in age.
Trudi
Posts: 174
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:28 pm
Location: N.C. Foothills

I love makeovers, and this one is very inspiring.....especially done with GIRL Power!!
;- D
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