Fridge Extension

16 Days since my last post...took a few days off to enjoy the Christmas Season, and now it's back to project mode! Kitchen is coming along. We keep adding to the renovation ideas so it is taking a little longer than expected, but we love house projects so we are enjoying it.  My last post was the start of the fridge extension, now Im going to show you the progress.  We are almost finished but still need to add pallet boards to the interior of the shelf above the fridge and fill it with decor!  :)

 

Then a few coats of paint and a little distressing

 

Kitchen Crashers..Phase 3

Phase 3 has started!! Phase 3 is going to be the painting of the left side of the kitchen cabinets. Plus, we are extending the fridge enclosure to accomodate the depth of our fridge. We are also adding paneling to the side of the enclosure and the sides of the end lower cabinets.  The cabinets that are above the fridge will be removed and that area will be opened up, panelled with distressed pallet wood, and trim and corbels will be added to the fridge surround.  The fridge surround will also be painted black (same as the island in Phase 1) and distressed.   SOO Excited!!! Here are some progress pics so far..

 

Added paneling to sides of cabinets

 

 

Removed doors and opened up space

Added corbels

 

 

KItchen Crashers..Phase 2 continued

To watch our kitchen come together has been so much fun!  To have an idea and work so hard on bringing it to life and then it turns out better than you invisioned is the best feeling.  Phase 2 is almost complete and Phase 3 is getting started.  It has been a week of extrememly early mornings, long days and late nights but the reward is beyond  worth it. Here is a sneak peek of Phase 2...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Crashers Phase 2

Phase 2 has started....painting of the cabinets! 


Painting kitchen cabinets is not the same as painting furniture...the kitchen is the heart of the home and is the room in the house that we are in the most. In a house full of boys..these cabinets need to be  scratch resistant and easy to clean. We thought about trying the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation kit, but after looking into it, it wasn't the look we really wanted.  Ric and I do a lot of furniture refinishing and we love the antiqued look that you get when you pair chalk paint with a wax polish.   Chalk paint (originally created by Annie Sloan) is very expensive but surprisingly easy to make.  Ric and I did not mix our own chalk paint for our kitchen (cause we already purchased the paint prior to learning how to mix it ourselves)...but we have mixed our own paint and used it on some furniture pieces around the house.  Ric and I have experimented with a few "recipes" but have settled on one that seems to be the best consistancy.


                  Chalk Paint
1 1/2 Cups Paint (we use flat paint in whatever color you are trying to achieve)
1/2 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Cup Plaster of Paris
Tip:
(Dissolve Plaster of paris in hot water and then mix into paint)

The amazing thing about chalk paint is that there is no sanding, & no priming needed....it dries quickly with a matte finish and it distresses easily.

Here is the process we are using:

 1. Prep- wipe down all surfaces to be painted -make sure all dirt and residue is removed.
 2. Paint- chalk paint does not show brush strokes but it does dry fast so make sure you don't leave drips. Start with the back side of the cabinet doors and work from the inside out. Allow to completely dry before applying a second coat. (paint until you no longer see wood, and you achieve the color and coverage you want) We used about 3-4 coats (It sounds like a lot but the chalk paint dries sooo fast so it really wasn't bad)

Tip: when painting the cabinet doors- lay doors on two boards to paint-which allows you to paint the edges much easier.

3. Polish- After you have all your coats of paint on and your cabinets are completely dry you are ready to apply the polish. Apply the polish with a dry soft cloth. We started in the middle and worked out way out. Basically rub it on the wood and wipe off excess until desired color is achieved. For the creases and corners it works better if you use your finger to apply.

 

 

 

 **We use "The Polish" in Walnut by Rethunk Junk (a local women's company  in Woodstock, Ga.)** She also makes and sells her own Chalk paint and it is less expensive than Annie Sloans.  We purchased the paint for our kitchen from her in the color "Linen"** Check out her website!! www.rethunk-junk.com

 

 

4. Protect- when painting kitchen cabinets or bathroom cabinets you need to seal the paint to protect it from wear and tear and make it easy to clean. Ric and I have experimented with a few products to protect the cabinets while keeping the dull finish of the chalk paint and polish.  The best thing is to seal it with a Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear.  If you brush it on it shows brush strokes so we found that the best method is to spray it on.  It is definietly more expensive that way but the result is well worth it. You will want to put a few coats of the Polycrylic so just make sure you let it completely dry between coats.

 

Below are some of our progress pics! Enjoy!

 

 

(we put all the cabinet hardware in the red solo cups)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kitchen Crashers Phase 1 continued...

The Corbels have arrived!!!!

 

 

                                Love Love the distressed look!

 

 

To install: we just pre drilled two holes through the island and as I held them in place Ric screwed them into place. So extrememly easy! About 5 min to install and they make a HUGE difference!

 

Complete!!!!

 

 

Kitchen Crashers Phase 1

When we purchased our house two years ago we knew we wanted to make some changes. Our house was a short sale and even though it wasn't damaged it was in desperate need of a face lift.  In the past two years we have re-painted almost every room in the house, replaced all the knobs, hinges and cabinet pulls to the oil rubbed bronze, added paneling in the media room,added trim to the column,
 built cabinets in the laundry room and built a builtin for the mud room.  
We love DIY projects and Im really excited to finally be working on our biggest one yet...THE KITCHEN!!!  The kitchen is absolutely the heart of our home.  I love our kitchen layout! It was the layout of this kitchen that made us purchase this home even though it did not have the upgrades that the other house we were looking at had. The open concept of the kitchen is my favorite! What is not my favorite is the cabinet color. When we first purchased this house the walls, cabinets and floors were all the same color (orange brown)

Before

 

...well we fixed the wall color first...

now on to the cabinets...and next will be floors! 

It is going to be a HUGE project to say the least but I am so extremely excited to get started! There is certainly a greater appreciation when you personally work hard and put in hours of time improving your home.

We started on the Island this weekend...here are some progress pics

Before

 

 

Added paneling

 

 

Painted and distressed paneling

We used chalk paint (mix yourself and save a ton of money) and distressed it with a low grit sand paper then sealed everything with polyacrylic so it is sealed and won't scratch but still has that dull finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have ordered new corbels but they haven't arrived yet..once those are added the island will be complete....then on to the kitchen cabinets which will be painted in an  ivory color called Linen. We are not distressing the cabinets but we are antiqueing them with a walnut wax.  Sooo excited!!

 

Here are some of our kitchen inspiration pics:

These colors: black island, ivory cabinets

We will be adding a brick backsplash

 

These colors only switched: black on island and ivory on cabinets..we also want to add the barn wood beams from this pic in the living room...but that will be a seperate project :)

We loved the paneling look!

We will be adding a cooper sink and bronze faucet