Cabinet Paint, Knobs and Countertops

We did the math and the kitchen remodel came in under $6,000 including appliances. We saved a ton of money by doing  the work ourselves.

I really wanted white cabinets and because custom cabinets wouldn’t be in our budget we chose stock unfinished oak cabinets from Lowes and painted them ourselves. The truth is I painted them, I don’t know what it is about painting but it has to be perfect or it will drive me crazy, unless it’s a distressed painted piece then I can have fun and let my perfectionist side go out the window.

 I don’t think I have ever painted so much in my life, 3 coats of primer, lots of sanding and 3 finish coats of  paint. I used a fabulous paint from Decoart, Americana Satin Enamel, it was a dream to paint with and goes on so smooth. I wanted the kitchen to look unique and have some custom touches so we added special features like the range hood, window seat and the columns flanking the stove and sink. The columns are stair balusters cut in half, you can actually buy them that way, and the ball feet are wood curtain rod finials attached to the baluster.           
                 

I’ve always wanted carrara marble countertops, but it was not possible for our budget, so my next choice was dark butcher block. The price range on wood countertops range drastically and I wanted a good price so we purchased ours from IKEA , $169.00 for an 8ft length in oak , a great price ! I custom mixed my stain myself using 3 different colors. I didn’t want it too red, too golden or too black and made sure to test it out on a scrap piece of wood before I started. I applied several coats until I got the depth of color I was looking for. To protect the finish we applied several coats of tung oil. 

For the cabinet hardware, I really wanted something a little different, so I took vintage pulls off of a dresser I had and the small round knobs came from IKEA, they’re only a few dollars a package and at least six come in a package. All I did was sand them a little, prime and paint with an oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

My next project is my bathroom remodel, which I’ve been told won’t be happening anytime soon, because my sweetie needs a break from remodeling. I’m thinking a month break, but he’s probably thinking a year break .

Thanks everyone for all the sweet comments I have received, I really appreciate it.

Click Here to see the Kitchen Reveal