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Ok, are you hooked on HGTV remodel shows like I am? I just wish I could have someone walk in and tell me how for $2,000 they're going to make my kitchen (ok, my whole house) look awesome!! Well, since that's not happening and I'm no designer, please take a moment to look at these pics and tell me what you might do. I'm open to anything, but affordable is key. Also, we are not diy'ers, (unfortunately), but I'm willing to try.
I am bothered by the cabinets. They are busted up in a lot of places and even the "nice" sections look overglazed from years of trying to spiff them up. Also, there are no windows in this kitchen, so it seems dark to me. I am contemplating painting the cabinets to lighten up the look. Our open floor plan means you see the cabinets when you first walk in the door.
We are definitely replacing the floor. I would love laminate, but we found some affordable self-stick vinyl tile and are putting it in our entryway tonight. Dh thinks it should match that and it actually does look good, so I think we'll go with that. It is a fake stone look. If we were to replace the countertops (which I would LOVE to do) would it need to be a really subtle design, since there is one on the flooring?
Also, we added cabinets and shelving to the dining room to create a computer space. I will attach pics. It has a green/taupe/black speckled laminate countertop. The walls are painted a yellow beige. (the computer area came AFTER I had painted the yellowy color on the wall.)
I think we could swing a new stainless and black microwave. That seems like an affordable upgrade that would be very visible. Other appliances will likely have to stay. (Maybe something could "accidentally" break down soon?? hmm...) I also want to get rid of the 1980's shiny brass light fixture, but not sure what I would want in its place.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ANY INPUT!! Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings. I thought this would be a lot of fun to get some input from others.
That pic above looks darker than it actually is - but see how bunged up the woodwork is? Whenever I've used something to try and blend out scratches it soaks into those really really worn spots and they show up even more.
Here is the dining area that the kitchen overlooks. We added a computer counter and some shelving above (which is REALLY junky looking right now - time to sort some paper piles! Please excuse!!)
This pic is taken from the hall so I could show the color of the cabinets.
You could paint your cabinets and then glaze them
[HYPERLINK@www.diynetwork.com]
I would use black. I'd also add some nickle knobs or pulls onto the cabinets. You don't have any turns or corners in the counter tops that I can see, so HD or Lowe's has counter tops in stock, for not much money. If that's where you got the one in the DR, I'd use them again in the kitchen. They appear to have black in them? For the light fixture which I can't see, if you like the stainless steel look, go for something in nickel or black or a combo of the 2. Either spray paint the one you have, or go to HD or Lowe's and find a cheap one. I'm not big into yellow and the paint color will depend on what you want to paint the cabinets. If the counters do have black in them, I'd go white with a black glaze. I'd probably lean towards a more mustard color on the walls.
All in all, I think it's a cute kitchen with many many possibilities. You just need to figure out what you want.
Oh, I wanted to say that I have a black and stainless microwave. I know wish I just had just gone with black. In your kitchen, I think I'd go for the white ones. White cabinets with a black glaze, nickel knobs or pulls and white appliances...since your sink is white and looks like it's in good condition.
Hmmm...that's an interesting idea about using the same counter as in the DR. I hadn't even thought of that and it would certainly be about the most affordable way to go as well as add cohesion to the two rooms.
Here's a close-up of the counter next to the flooring we'll likely use. Do they go together??
In my opinion Robin, yes, they go together. It would add cohesion, otherwise it'll just look all jumbled. Rooms don't have to be the same color to me, but they should flow together. Plus, I like that counter top!
My head is just swimming with ideas now. I am a "silver" person and would love to add some silver hardware, but there is so MUCH brass in this house and some of the replacements we've done over the last few years has been the brushed bronze type hardware, I may stay with that. (Especially if we end up not replacing any appliances and there is no stainless to capitalize upon.)
I'm glad the sink LOOKS nice, we did replace the faucet and sprayer. I think the sink is porcelain and is pretty scratched up. I can use Clorox CleanUp on it and it looks nice, but gets dingy again in no time. Also, the rubber thing in the drain by the disposal is ratty and torn up and the "catch" on the right side of the sink is completely gone, so I keep a strainer in there all the time for fear of losing silverware or something worse down it. I actually looked at some sinks online last night. I was sort of entertaining the idea of a stainless sink, but now that I think about the green and black countertop, maybe a recessed (underfitted??) black sink with silver hardware would look cool?! Sounds expensive, but might really make the kitchen a "wow" factor. I originally did not want to buy this house because the kitchen was so small. I said no immediately and didn't even consider the house until we continued to look and couldn't find anything in our price range.
One thing I neglected to mention is this. I am motivated to make this house nice WHILE we are living in it and at the same time know that we may not be here much longer. (1-4 years at most) So WHEN we move, I really hope to have the luxury of selling quickly and for a nice price. (I think we got a good deal when we bought it and the area is really expanding with a new high school nearby and lots of new shopping, etc.) I mentioned those HGTV shows like Designed to Sell and it kills me that people get granite countertops and all these updates right before they move! I wouldn't want to leave!! ;-)
Thanks a bunch for your input, Terry, and I would LOVE to hear from anyone else, no matter what your ideas may be!!
Here's a pic that lets you see the light fixture and more of the "bar" area. A neighbor extended the upper counter top and installed shelves & drawers underneath. If we were to do that, it could match the opposing wall, but would make the dining area MUCH smaller. For me personally, I would rather have a place to sit at the computer and extra storage space than a spacious dining area. If we were to do something like that, we could even do flooring to match what we do in the kitchen to get rid of the carpet, (which I hate underneath the eating area anyway. Maybe we could accentuate it as a bar area? Probably trying to squeeze too much in a small space. Just thinking though...
Your kitchen is small and dark, so I would NOT paint the cabs black. I think you'd find that with an open plan, the eye is going to be drawn to a "Black Hole" when walking in the door.
I agree your floor tiles and countertop look good together. Take a clue from the photo you posted under "here's the new tile we are most likely using" - your white appliance looks great with the tile, and would be fine with the countertop as well. Be aware that there are a zillion shades of white, so take your time and pick a shade to paint your cabs that will work with all three elements: appliances (usually a cool white), tiles and counters (which might respond better to a warmer tone).
Find a new light fixture on sale. Try craigslist, eBay, or even amazon.com's 70% lighting sale. You need something stronger; I'd be using at least three 75 watt bulbs and would prefer three 100-watt bulbs. If you prefer silver, use silver. It'll match your faucet, and nobody will care that you have a different metal in the kitchen fixture than in other places. I've found very handsome fixtures that use both chrome and brass trim, so you could use something like that to 'bridge' the two.
Do you plan to use the new countertop pattern to replace the counter between the kitchen and DR as well? If not, I noticed you have nice sharp edges on that laminate. You could tile it VERY easily, and that would add a beautiful design element to your kitchen. Take a class in tiling at HDepot or Lowe's, and you'll find that with a little care and very minimal expense, you can do it just as well as any pro. Rent a tile saw, or even borrow one from a handy friend.
I would also not buy a black sink, unless it's the charcoal granite-patterned type like Silgranit or Swanstone. Black glossy sinks are like stainless steel - unless you wipe them down after every use, they will water spot and look horrible. If you don't like that kind of constant maintenance, get something more sensible that needs less upkeep. There are some stainless sinks with the new brushed surface that spot much less (or actually, you could just "brush" an inexpensive stainless sink yourself with a scrubbie and Comet cleanser, to produce instant "patina").
Painting cabs takes a lot of time. Prep work is everything, and will take you far longer than you think. If you don't do the job properly, however, it won't last. You can't take the "I'm not going to be here very long" mentality, because actually if you ARE going to sell, you really do not want to have to go through the whole painting thing twice (e.g., doing it again before you sell because it looks like crap again).
Go to a good paint store and talk to the salesmen - preferably during the weekdays when they have more time. Tell them what you are doing and that you intend to prime, paint, and seal your cabs properly. Latex will work fine, but you want good brushes, not el cheapo ones. Pick your paint color. Get several sample jars, if you need to, and paint a few 8x10" foamcore boards, or anything with a base white coat, to hold up under various lights to make sure the shade will blend next to your appliances yet work with the tiles/counters.
You want satin or semi-gloss paint. I'd prefer satin because it's more forgiving. Semi-gloss will show up every imperfection when the light casts shadows downwards.
Take the doors off. Remove all the drawers. Wash everything down with TSP, twice if you have to. Sand everything properly - doors, drawers, and framework. This is why your "touchups" don't work. You need to take ALL the finish off and then refinish them properly.
Prime them; let dry, then paint. Two thin coats are better than one thick one. Finish with a polyurethane; make sure the poly is the same finish (satin or semi) as the paint. Allow ADEQUATE drying time between all coats. Do not take the suggested times on the paintcan as gospel truth. Drying time varies enormously, depending upon temp and humidity. Longer is always better.
Remember that all paint, bar none, does not fully cure for 30 days! Treat everything very gently for the first month and after that, fairly minimal care should suffice for at least 5-10 years, depending upon wear & tear. Keep your kids out of the kitchen with their toy bikes and stuff (which wouldn't be safe anyway in such a small kitchen) to avoid the dents and dings that will mar your paint surface since painted surfaces cannot be repaired easily.
Done properly, you'll find it easy to clean the painted surfaces. Never use ammonia; it will strip the paint away. A light hand with the sponge and soapy water should suffice.
BTW, make sure you check out this thread in the home decorating forum: the OP is painting their cabs (three coats with sealer!) and you can see how it looks. The white cabs and tile floor are very similar in colors to what I envision your kitchen to be.
[HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
In my head, the amount of brass in the rest of the house doesn't matter. I redid this kitchen when we bought this old house. We bought in Dec of 05, kitchen was done in something like May of 05. We didn't live here, too much to do! Anyway, my light fixture is the burnished bronze, but my hardware on the cabinets is nickel. I went with a porcelain sink, because it just seems to go with an 111 yr old house. You can change out those strainers in there and keep the sink. Being that you're not going to really be there long, I wouldn't put in a whole lot of money, but rather do things to make it more up to date.
I guess I haven't seen Design To Sell, because I've never seen any of the fix up before we move shows, do any granite. Granite works if you're in a area where granite is expected. I don't live in such an area, and I like laminate anyway...lol. I'm not really understanding what you mean when you say that there's a lot of brass. Light fixtures and door knobs? Fixtures are pretty cheap at HD, I'd change them out when I had a few extra dollars. I wouldn't worry about the door knobs.
I'm going to toss in a couple pictures of my kitchen so you can see the light fixture and then the nickel knobs and pulls that I picked. This room is really hard to take a photo of because it always seems I'm trying in the afternoon and the room faces west.
I see some one else has posted since I first started this, this AM...lol. I'm not talking about painting your cabinets black, I'm saying to use a black glaze over the white paint. It can be as dark or as light as you like. Personally, with kids and my own preference, white cabinets would never work for me. I looked at homes that had white cabinets when we were moving to TN and I passed them over because I didn't want to deal with grubby hand prints all over the white.
Here's the other side. This is an old house and the kitchen is laid out weird. I have 2 windows, a door that goes outside, the opening to the DR, the basement door, the opening to the servant stairs, and the door to the 1/2 bath. All in one room!
I am simply wowed by all the helpful comments and suggestions! Thank you SO MUCH! Keep 'em coming! ;-D Terry, your kitchen is REALLY beautiful! Love the light fixture! ;-)
I've noticed when I look through magazines and I see a kitchen I love, it often has beautiful wood cabinetry, sometimes with dark hardware and sometimes silver. (Terry, if my cabinets were as beautiful as yours, I would be thrilled!) So a part of me thinks it might be a mistake to paint, but the purpose is to lighten the room. So tonight I thought, why not start with the extra bathroom? I *know* I would like that to be painted white and it 's a very small job. I could see how I like it and how difficult it is. It just seems somehow like the wood in the kitchen "spreads" so far. There's the pantry in the hall and all this trim, I feel like I would be unsure where to stop exactly.
You guys are probably right, I shouldn't worry about all the gold stuff throughout the house and what I think really sticks out, I should just replace. The dining room has the silver accents and the sink faucet, but I really like the brushed copper look!
I'm pretty unsure on what type of light fixture would work well, but here's something I was considering (have no idea what size would work best - I would not be buying these online, just window shopping):
[HYPERLINK@www.amazon.com]
Oh and here's a black sink. I would for sure want a "matte" finish:
[HYPERLINK@www.lowes.com]
(Not thinking too seriously about replacing the sink - I think dh would think I'm nuts, but it would look GREAT if I did the green/black counter top in there!!!)
and the other single cabinet. This shouldn't be *too* difficult and as you can see, it NEEDS it! A nice creamy white, maybe some light sage green walls and I'd either be a painting pro or sick of painting! It would give my husband a chance to see the cabinets painted. When I subtlely mentioned the kitchen project to him tonight, I think he said, "no way." lol I'm going to have to do this slowly and sneakily. ;-D
Oh, and by the way, I'm not discounting the tile idea either. I think it might be more work (depending on if my husband will help me install laminate counters,) but potentially a really cool look! I feel it might better address the issue of the laminate that creeps up the wall so high. I might have to use some tile anyhow. ??
Well, if you want to keep the woodgrain you could always whitewash it, but the problem with that is two-fold: your oak cabs have a very strong grain and whitewashing frankly comes out better when the oak is less strongly grained (I have a whitewashed oak bath cab). More importantly, whitewashing is really "out" as a look and I don't think it would be a great selling point. In your situation you will need to consider resale if you are serious about selling soon (anything within 5 yrs in RE is considered 'soon').
I would also strongly suggest you urge your DH to consider changing out the sink when the cabs are done. It is much easier and less work to change both at once, and a good-looking sink is a real pleaser when buyers are looking at your house.
If you paint the cabs white, rethink your microwave. I'd get one to match the cabs instead. I started in 1990 with a black stove in a bisque cabinet kitchen. When I replaced the stove with a bisque colored range in 2001, I was pleased by how much better it looked. When I look at the photos now of my black range amidst light-colored cabs, it really does look like a 'black hole', LOL!
BTW, I can't tell - is your backsplash area painted white or is that laminate? Anyway, if you go with white cabs, I'd pick a nice medium-tone paint to spark up the kitchen. It's such a small area, you could give it that "wow" factor without spending too much $$$.
Also, the wood that faces the DR, underneath your dividing counter? I'd leave that section alone and not paint or stain it, just refinish it. A little wood is nice, it's just that too much is overwhelming in your small space.
All the knobs you picked are nice, although very expensive. The lighting fixture is beautiful, but way underpowered for what you need. Uplights need to be much stronger than downlights to have the same effective illumination. I'd like to suggest undercounter lights, either fluorescent or xenon, but you've said you're on a budget so I know that's rough. It's hard to tell if you have a molding around the bottom of your upper cabs - if you don't, you'll need to install one to hide the undercounter fixtures. Not only is this more work (you want it to look good, not "pasted on") but it reduces the space available between your uppers and base cabs. This can make it difficult to have your small appliances out so you need to be careful about this.
Well, since you asked for any input, here it comes...without knowing the floor plan, etc., kind of a shot in the dark, but I'd be thinking about losing the counter between the kitchen and dining/living room. Put the sink where the fridge is now, counter around the corner to where the bulletin board is, and put the fridge where the tall cabinet is.
All hypothetical, of course, not knowing anything about the rest of the building.
Wow, thanks so much for all the diverse suggestions. Claypa, that's a bit involved and actually one of the main benefits to this plan is that I am facing the action of the house (the computer, the dining table, the tv), when I am standing at the sink. It contributes to the open feel and I like that part of it. I WISH I had money to make this kitchen exactly the way I like, but we WILL be moving in a few years, and I just want to enjoy it while we're here and make it attractive to potential buyers.
I took some detail pics in case it helps. I know it must be hard to not be able to walk through a space and look at things up close. What is behind the oven is the beige laminate. It creeps up pretty high on the wall, in several places, like by the coffee maker. Kinda weird, but it does keep it easy to clean.
I went to Lowe's today and looked at counter tops and tile. Can someone just tell me very GENERALLY which is cheaper? I get the feel that a laminate countertop would be cheaper than even a basic tile, but I guess it's hard to say. I found the chip of the counter we used in the computer area, and while I think it is a TERRIFIC idea to join the two with the same counter, I think I would be defeating the purpose of trying to lighten the kitchen. It is a DARK pattern.
So I got the idea that maybe a sage green tile or peachy sandy (or combo) of tiles would work and tie the two rooms together, without them "matching." What do you think? I took a pic of the backsplash area behind the sink with some green colors there. Also, my spoon rest is a pretty (but darker) green, so I laid that there too.
I think that would be a reasonalby affordable project spread over time:
* flooring (the vinyl tiles are really affordable, $30 a box, and dh is already sold on this idea.)
* perhaps tile to dress up the counter and backsplash areas?
* paint or refinishing supplies for cabinets, plus new hardware
* new light fixture
These are all things that I can buy a few of at a time if I have to, the spread the cost out.
Let me know what you think!!!!!!! Thanks SO MUCH for the suggestions - I love everyone's advice!!
Here's a close-up of the sink area and some "greens" I was thinking about. See how dark the green counters would be if the computer counter were used? If I did that with a light cabinet, I feel I would not be upping the lightness of the room at all, just switching it from counter to cabinet, know what I mean? What do you think?
Hi! Thanks so much for all the advice! I bought paint today for the bathroom and I'm ready to get started!!! This will be like a "test run" for the kitchen project. ;-D
I'm rereading your tips on doing the cabinets. What is TSP? Forgive me! lol! ;-)
Also, what do I prime them with?
As for the sanding, do I start coarse, then go fine? Use fine only? There are a few small gouged parts. Do I use some type of wood putty in those areas? Also, any suggestions on how to best sand the grooved parts? They are the most damaged, (from years of water droplets) and yet they seem the most difficult to sand properly.
I bought Martha Stewart satin paint in Milkweed Pod (light green) and Putty Pink (creamy white). My hydrangea print inspired me. :-D
You say your sink is scratched up. How badly is it scratched? Mine is porcelain and I clean it at least once a week. At my parents second home, the sink is porcelain also and has a few scratches, but Ajax or Comet cleans it up in no time. If the sink isn't that bad, I would spend my money in other areas instead of getting a new sink. I'm not in the camp that anything dark in color makes a room appear smaller. It depends on the accessories that are used also. All the rooms in this house were white or had light colored wallpaper on them. I've repainted them all in dark rich colors. They look the same size to me. If your cabinets are light, but your counter top is dark, I don't think that makes for a dark room, but that's my opinion. Especially if you re-use the white sink and use white appliances. Now if you painted the cabinets black and used all black appliances, then yes, the room would probably appear very dark. My girlfriend has used a new spray paint that's for wood furniture, but I think it could easily be used on cabinets. Somebody here has a post where they used just ordinary spray paint and painted the small upper cabinet (like above the stove and fridge) black. I thought it turned out well. I like the last silver knob you linked, but I would add something like the below link to any drawers.
Thank you for the compliment. The cabinets and counter plus install was less than $4000. I was pleased since everyone else was giving me quotes of $7000-8000 for cabinets alone. These are by far much more superior in quality than anything I looked at. They're maple, just like the floor. Which reminds me...how does a house or a room have too much wood in it? I don't understand that comment at all. I don't care how small the house is...my grandmothers house was barely 900 sq ft. all wood floors, wood cabinets in her galley style kitchen, wood table and buffet in the dining room and it wasn't too much wood in a small space? I also don't have any undercounter lighting in my kitchen. I simply don't care for them at all.
Remember that HD and Lowe's always have sales. I bought my pulls and knobs on sale. My faucet was another sale item. Just keep a watch for when they have them and ask an associate when they're having a sale.
You posted while I was previewing. TSP is Trisodium Phosphate, I buy mine at Ace. And yes, start with course to fine. Hand sanding in the grooves should work fine. I'd use a palm sander for the rest of the sanding. Wood filler is what you want, not the putty.
You are awesome -- thanks -- I'm on my way to buy TSP. Hope it's cheap, my husband is not totally on board. He thinks if it's fine, you should just leave it alone. ;-)
Can't I just do an extra coat of paint as primer?
That light fixture is beautiful! Would coordinate well with the silver we have happening in the dining area on our shelving. $100 is a little steep, but I am sure I can find something similar or on sale for an affordable price.
Oh and I hated to post SO MANY pics and links, but the drawer pull you posted is exactly what I would choose, whether I go silver or bronze. ;-)
Despite my husband, I am going to paint the bathroom tonight! Hope it turns out well and I can convince him to let me do something to the cabinets. Do you think the colors are neutral enough? (for resale purposes).
Thanks again, everyone! Keep the help coming!
PS The wood in this house is just overpowering and beat up. If it were prettier, I would love it.
Oh! I totally forgot about primer. No, you need a good blocking primer. It will block the grain from showing, and just block out anything from bleeding. I prefer oil based primer, but again, that's my like. If those cute little kids up there are yours, I'd just do a water based primer, something like Zinsser or Kilz. They can tint your primer to the color of your paint and in my opinion (again!), it justs makes it easier to the next coats to go on. They have TSP either in liquid or powder. I'm not familiar with the liquid, so I'd ask for the salespersons opinion. Buy some good latex gloves too. I don't use them, but I know some people have sensitive skin, plus I think the box tells you to, I just don't ever bother. Your colors are neutral enough in my opinion.
Remember that inventory is always changing and they always put the "old" on sale.
Take a look at the sheet vinyl flooring too, it's not expensive. It's even easier to lay than the adhesive tiles, and it's a lot better floor. Stores often have scraps big enough for your kitchen.
I'm listening to all suggestions. Thank you and keep them coming. I've been really absorbed in this the last few days. THINKING about the kitchen while WORKING in the bathroom. It's been slow going (we have 2 kids), so no cabinet work yet. :-(
Plus we are leaving town this weekend, so that will slow the project down for a few days, but here is what I am tentatively thinking about for the kitchen:
I REALLY want to find a way to get a fancy, beautiful new countertop in. I think I will go with silver hardware and light fixture. I am even thinking about getting a solar tube (skinny skylight thing) over the sink or bar area, ideally 2 of them, but $ may nix that idea.)
I am also thinking about vinyl tiles or sheet flooring in a pretty light wood pattern.
What do you know about the "soft touch" vinyls? I saw something about them on the Armstrong website, and while it was a different product, saw one up close at Lowe's today. IT WAS ON CLEARANCE for 6 CENTS A TILE! Isn't that incredibly cheap? I am tempted to go ahead and get them!! Would they be durable? Could that be why they are on clearance? This particular display had the products labeled as "Good" and "Better" and it said "Better." (There were no "Best" displayed.) I forget the name, but they seemed brand name. Would they gouge easily? I will have to do some research on those. I think light painted cabinets, a honey/peachy/sandy beige flecked counter of some sort, and wood like flooring would be pretty.
Can I get some specific advice on the cabinets? I am really perplexed about what to do here. I'm attaching pics. My husband says these are particleboard. (I thought they were oak.) He says there is such a fine layer, I cannot sand the grooves or the edges at ALL. They look horrible! Boy, these pics really show it too. In other, low traffic areas, like up high, they are very heavy grained and super glossy.
I bought "TSP substitute". I was unsure at the time, but with 2 hungry kids, I was in a hurry. ;-) I may return it and go to Ace Hardware looking for TSP powder and fine steel wool? Will fine sand paper work? My husband thinks I'm going to ruin the cabinets. (He is thinking of the bathroom cabinets, but they are the same.)
Thanks for any advice. I'm driving myself crazy. I wouldn't want to pain "beautiful" oak cabinets, but I don't think that's what I've got here. I want to lighten the space and we are definitely selling in a few years. I'm not one for giving myself knicks to constantly worry about, but it almost seems like an easier thing to touch up than this grubby gouged wood I have to deal with as it is now.
Thanks, everyone!!!!!
Robin ;-D
What follows is embarrassing pics of my nasty "oak" cabinets to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with.
Robin, you don't need to sand the finish all off, you just need to scuff it up (make the gloss not glossy) and clean them. I use steel wool when I'm stripping wood, but after the wood is dry, I use sandpaper. It's all what you're most comfortable with. I think the only way to make them look good is to paint them. Some people are just hard on cabinets, so it's hard to say if they had knobs on them, what they would look like. I would take back the TSP substitute and get the real stuff. Sand them down first, then clean them really well. Take the doors off and sand and clean those outside, in the garage or anywhere where the dust won't bother you. I've had wood or ceramic tiles in any of my kitchens, so I'm not familiar with any linoleum out there.
Thank you, Terry. I am excited to see how the bathroom turns out and I hope it inspires me to do the kitchen in the same way.
I have had a lot of help from the design studio at cambiausa.com.
While this is miles away from what my kitchen would really look like, I'm going to try and post a pic of a kitchen that uses similar colors to what I'm imagining if I repeat the green/black speckled formica in the kitchen. It would certainly be an affordable way to go. With cream cabinets and "hardwood floors" (vinyl) I think it would be a nice look. Maybe we could even spring for one of the solar lights and a new sink.
Do you think that green counter would be good in terms of RESALE? Sage walls?
I REALLY appreciate all the suggestions. Thank you so much for your help, especially, Terry! Where can I send you payment? lol! ;-D
I do think you shouldn't be afraid of using that green laminate, even if it's darker. It'll add a little "punch" to the space without taking it over. In 2003 we did new countertops and I picked a beige granite-look Swanstone over our bisque laminate/beech trimmed cabs. I'm really sorry now I didn't get a nice rich brown countertop color instead. Now it just looks too bland to me.
I think the sage green wall paint is lovely, and would accent the space without making it look closed in. Very nice choices!
Yes, you have an oak veneer over particleboard. Nothing wrong with that - particleboard is very stable and an excellent substrate for cabs. You won't be sanding through the veneer, anyway, even though it's thin. As Terryr points out, you are scuffing it up for paint adhesion.
Because particleboard swells when wet, keep the water/TSP solution OFF any unveneered edges. Keep a dry towel handy so that if they get wet, you can wipe off any water quickly.
Actually, I would clean with TSP first and THEN sand. Water will raise the grain, so you'll have to sand again with extra-fine sandpaper. Wipe it down properly afterwards with a damp lint-free cloth (NOT a microfiber cloth unless you want to be picking little grains of wooddust out of it forever!) to remove all dust before you paint. Those little specks become hugely magnified when added to a layer of paint!
I was planning on using microfiber, but now that makes total sense. lol
Thank you for all the helpful comments!
Now to find a sandy/peachy/beigey off white that would look nice on the cabinets!
Maybe some affordable, but distinctive tile for some punch at the sink backsplash? Or would that ALL need to be the formica? Ugh! Decisions! Decisions! It's a good thing finances are going to make this a slow process so I can torture myself over every detail. If I had the $ in the bank, I'd already have people in there doing it for me and would probably keep changing my mind on them, driving them nuts! lol!! ;-D
I returned the "TSP substitute" and Home Depot was out of the real stuff. What a pain.
I will go to Ace Hardware this evening for TSP powder. So should I use coarse grain sandpaper at all? Extra fine only? Sorry to be such a novice!! I so appreciate all the hand holding. :-D
You can start with medium; then go fine, then end with extra-fine. Wipe off between each sanding. Run your fingers over the surface to feel for spots you may have missed. You'll use more sandpaper than you think, LOL.
Again, remember you are dealing with thin veneer. Sand lightly and evenly. Do not grind the sandpaper in furiously; it isn't necessary.
You're awesome, jkom! Thanks!! ;-D
Just what I needed to know. Unfortunately, we are heading out of town for the weekend in the morning. :-( Will try and pick up the project as soon as possible next week!
And I must say I'm sorry! I was thinking of all the stripping that I've done is in this house, then wriping down with TSP. jkom is correct in that you should wipe down first, then sand. Buy some tack cloths to clean away the dust. I think the colors you've picked are very nice! When I was getting the new cabinets and then picking out the counter, the kitchen guy didn't like my choice, he felt it would be too dark. So I kept flipping thru the samples and just kept coming back to the one I got and the one I picked right off the bat. When I was flipping, he told me he thought that he was wrong and I was right, that the one I originally picked was the best choice. When the cabinets went in and then the counters and he stopped by, he was really glad I went with the choice I wanted. I think it looks awesome.
With the veneer, yes to what jkom suggested. Medium and work your way to extra fine. If you have a palm sander, I'd still suggest using it. If you haven't ever used one, I'd invest in one as I use mine all the time. Actually I have 2...lol. I like the palm sander because it doesn't care if you don't go with the grain of the wood, therefore you can't mess it up. You might try it on something else first (even just an extra piece of lumber) to get the hang of it. Don't push it, just control it.
Small rooms don't mean only light colors. It's only paint, so experiment in a room to see how a darker rich color can add warmth and does not close you in.
I have some questions about the application of polyurethane. I bought Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane. How long should I let it dry before I can safely attach my hardware? One coat or two? I found a very informative page:
Well, if your painted surface is quite dry, the poly will dry pretty fast since it sounds like you're using the water-based type. I'd still give it at least 24-48 hrs between coats, and again, 2 thin is better than one thick.
Hope everything is coming along well so far for you!
I would never do 1 or even 2 coats of poly. Even over paint. I would do 3. The second one gets what you missed the first time, the third coat gives it the best look. Remember to always work from your wet, going up to dry. Overlapping. The final stroke of each completed brush width application, should go lightly from top to bottom. The can should tell you how soon you can apply another coat. Sand lightly in between coats, using a tack cloth to wipe it all down when finished sanding. I'd leave the hardware off for at least 48 hours. That would depend on the drying time though also. I always use Minwax Polycrylic. The finish is made for water being splashed on it, can take being cleaned with water, etc.
[HYPERLINK@www.minwax.com]
If you do your kitchen, I would strongly suggest using the Polycrylic.
Oh dear. Well, it might have been the conditions, (windy garage), but it looked BAD in my opinion. I painted over it and I GUESS I will just leave them? The paint is so light (pretty much looks white) that the "clear" poly looked like yellow ... ahem ... snot smeared on my cabinets. And yes, it sure was fast drying!
Maybe I should try the Polycrylic. We are flat out of $ until payday in a few days. We have company coming tomorrow and I'm trying to decide whether to put the hardware on or not yet. hmmmm...
Thank you very much everyone for your helpful advice! It is so appreciated!
My "rechargable" batteries are acting up, so I will take pics asap.
Well, that sure sounds better than the stuff I bought! YuK!
Maybe I should go and get some of that asap. Thank you (again!) Terry! ;-D
Here's a pic of the cabinet, but no door yet. My husband is back, so maybe tomorrow he can help me get some poly on it. (but he'll be packing for another biz trip.)
BTW, I saw an episode of Property Ladder I had TiVo'd a week ago. The flippers (from TX) painted the kitchen cabinets instead of putting in new and they looked awesome! They didn't get their asking price, but close to it. Who gets asking price anyway? Nobody around here does...lol!
Sorry, I just have a minute as hubby is out of town and I am preparing for a baby shower I am hosting today (not at my house - thank goodness)!
Well, here's the latest. I went ahead and began painting the walls in the kitchen/dr a sage green color (Valspar's "marine reef") because I figured if I decide to do a faux finish, that would be very hard to do a "spot touch up" on. Also, I really thought I needed the wall color to provide color and match the green counter in the dining room, so that was an important place to start.
I am undecided about what to do with the cabinets still. I have held up the painted bathroom cabinets to try and envision what cream or cream with a glaze might look like. I just keep hedging on whether painting is the way to go. Maybe I could just work on the finish and top with a creamy glaze? I also considered painting cream colored and using a green glaze.
I made the mistake of going to a cabinet showroom and now I really WANT new cabinets alltogether! I was wondering if I could convince my husband to put the old cabinets in the garage for him (we already have lots of shelving however) and THAT way, I could buy cabinets that go clear to the ceiling. I think that would be a big improvement and take advantage of some wasted space. I could get cabinets that match the ones in the dr, which is really the bargain basement variety. It would still be a large price tag, though.
Well, let me know what your thoughts are!! I really appreciate all the opinions and suggestions! Thanks!!!
Since my experience has always been that I can't match up the stain and therefore what ever I'm doing looks like crap and I end up with it blotchy looking and then have to redo the entire thing, it would my inclination not to try and match up the stain, but to just paint them. I've been doing a lot of searching on white painted cabinets, or just painted cabinets in general. I hit on a ton of websites and forums where the people are painting their cabinets. I saw one lady did her cabinets in red. Another was a rich buttery yellow on top with red for the lower cabinets. So if painted cabinets aren't the thing to do, a lot of people are misinformed.
My whole first floor has solid maple floors. My kitchen included. It was built that way back in 1896. Upstairs is wide plank pine floors. Country is not a look I like either. Way too cutesy.
Stain a decent-sized scrap piece of plywood with some MinWax golden oak stain. Let it dry overnight and seal it with some clear shellac (very stinky so do it outdoors and wear a mask). Dilute some paint with four parts Floetrol or faux paint extender with one part paint and glaze the scrap wood. That will be very close to the color of what your cabinets will look like glazed.
The underlying color of your cabinets already has a lot of yellow in it so it is likely that a white glaze will give cream-colored final result with the thicker parts of the white glaze tying in with your white appliances. You could try doing one side of your scrap plywood with white glaze and the other side cream glaze to see which you prefer.
To get an idea of what painted cabinets would look like just paint a very big piece of cardboard.
It is much, much cheaper to reface cabinets and install new doors than to install all new cabinets unless you want to completely redesign your kitchen layout. Also, refacing/new doors does not require the considerable inconvenience of tearing up your kitchen.
If you want taller upper cabinets you can simply add on to what you have. You can get a nice catalog at Home Depot that shows some complete kitchens with refaced cabinets or download the cabinet company's print catalog here: [HYPERLINK@www.qualitydoors.com] Page 13 of the catalog shows what it would look like to add cabinets on top of your current upper cabinets.
The dark flooring you picked is pretty, it looks rich and it won't show dirt. However, dark colors do absorb a lot of light and the high contrast between light cabinets/appliances and a dark floor will very likely make the room look a bit smaller. I have one of those blue plastic tarps that has a brown backside. They are pretty cheap and tarps are always handy to have on hand. You could put one of those down on the kitchen floor, brown side up, to get a rough idea of how a large area of dark floor might look.
The sage green is very pretty and gives the look of tranquility that you seem to prefer. I'm very partial to tranquil backgrounds myself but I do often punch them up with bold accents.
I like the stone-look tile, but I'm one who prefers a contrast in textures to the endless wood/wood/wood combinations. Wood's great and I love it, but the combo of wood and stone or stone-look is always so rich-looking to me.
Besides, I confess I'm biased - we almost picked that exact tile when we were remodeling in 2003. We picked the green/tan instead, in an upscale tile (Metroflor), but either color would have worked. We have gotten tons of compliments on it and boy, does it hide dirt!
Well, I've been working between the bathroom and the kitchen! Bathroom is almost done, minus flooring. $ is SO tight, my husband almost had a fit when he learned I bought a gallon of paint. Ugh...someday we'll have more to work with. I think I am slowly convincing him that this is all about us enjoying the house to its full extent while we're here (you never know--it may be much longer than we think!) And at the same time, having a desirable property that will reach a good price when we decide to move. He has nixed the whole glazing thing. (I showed him the two examples of bathroom cabinets.) The skylight in the bathroom makes it so bright with natural light that I thought the glazing would not look as nice in there. (Maybe down the road in the master bath...) Anyhow, I should be able to attach those doors tonight and get the hardware on. :-D You were right, Terry! 3 coats of polyacrylic were a must. I about lost my patience with the teeny knicks and specks of dust appearing out of nowhere. The finish is not as perfect as I'd like in spots (drips, bumpy texture, etc.) but the OVERALL look is a HUGE improvement, in my opinion. Unless someone just really does NOT like painted cabinets, I think they look fresh and light and bright.
I have gotten several bright ideas for the kitchen. The overall plan keeps getting bigger and bigger. It may never all come to fruition, but I plan on doing my best to keep at it. I figure spending a little bit at a time will make it more possible.
Here are some of my big ideas. First off, I want DuraCeramic tile. I am still trying to decide if it's worth it. My thought is, it's a small space, so maybe a good way to splurge and upgrade. It supposedly can be cut with a knife, so no tile cutter involved. (I'm not willing to go there!) Also, it can be laid w/o grout, which I think makes it more livable and look nice too. Finally, it supposedly is not as cold as tile and comes with a lifetime warranty and is very durable, but is less likely to shatter glassware, etc. A salesman tried to sell it to me (obv. did a pretty good job!) and it was $4.61/sf. I would like to pay less, maybe even purchase online if I can see the same tile in person in a store somewhere. I asked a good friend, who works in flooring and here's what he had to say:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have made an excellent choice in "Duraceramic". I have been in the flooring business 17 years and am familiar with all types of flooring for residential and commercial use. Duraceramic is relatively new, about 2-4 years on the market. In my opinion, it's one of the best kept secrets out there. To answer your questions:
1. Yes, you can butt the tile together and not use grout. Duraceramic makes a special grout just for their product which works well and is a lot better than your regular grout types. If you choose not to use grout, either make sure you have a very good installer or choose a pattern that is forgiving enough to keep the layout square. Going grout less will force the layout to be square from start to finish. When using grout, the grout joints will absorb a little error if you start to get out of square thus preventing a "crooked" looking floor.
2. Duraceramic is more forgiving than ceramic when it comes to both walking and dropping items. it is very close to hardwood in it's hardness rating.
3. With a good utility knife you can score the surface and snap the tile. So yes, you can cut it with a utility knife-just not all the way through.
When I was in retail sales up until a year ago, when people said they wanted ceramic, I would always try to show the Duraceramic as an option after a ceramic presentation. It's frankly a much superior product than regular ceramic. The problem usually was the price. people like $1.50 a foot much more than $5.00 a foot. But trust me, It's well worth the investment. A few months before I resigned from Budget Floor Store I sold A dinning room and large kitchen of Duraceramic. The customer spent an extra $1300.00 to get the Duraceramic but they just absolutely fell in love with it and could not say enough about how happy they were with their new floor.
I am not a big fan of the people that run Budget Floor Store, however, they do have the best pricing in town and offer a 30 day price match guarantee. If you can order on-line for $2.50 that would be great. The only issue may be your shipping cost and ordering more of the same dye lot should you end up short or wanting more.
Anyway, when we buy our house next year, there will be Duraceramic installed wherever possible. So go for it, you'll be stoked. Please feel free to call me should you have any other questions.
Also, you should add about 10% to your net measurements as you will loose footage and tiles at the end of each row-there will be waste you cannot use. In addition, dye lots can vary, so if you ever need to replace or want to add to your existing floor, you want to be sure the color matches with the original tile.
Take care and good luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So feel free to tell me your thoughts on that! I would probably put it in our two teeny bathrooms eventually as well. I am too scared to put vinyl squares in wet areas.
Ok, my next bright idea: I want granite! There are two differing thoughts I have on this. First, I've heard, you can never go wrong with adding granite. You will get your $ back when you sell because it is such a draw. On the other hand, maybe it's just too over the top and unnecessary. The "double" counter is 8 feet long, with the lower counter having a cut out for the sink. The other side of the kitchen with the stove and fridge is just two little rectangles, not even a foot long each. Changing the counter would mean adding tile though (I think) or something else as backsplash...wouldn't it? Hubby wanted to know if we did granite, how would the edge of the upper bar look? What would go down over the edge if you lay granite on top?
Of course, I want a stainless steel sink. :)
I would love some cool glass tiles. :-D They are SO expensive, but SO beautiful and would be such a visible feature in our house!!
Maybe a pretty neutral:
[HYPERLINK@www.floormall.com]
Or even something a bit bolder:
[HYPERLINK@www.floormall.com]
I think I already mentioned this, but I want my cabinets to go to the ceiling and possibly be lit and have frosted glass doors.
I would also like the cabinet by the doorway with the paper towel holder on it to be an open plate rack on the bottom. Since it's all by itself, I think it would be a very easy one to extend upwards.
The large cabinet opposite it might also be nice to bump up and put an "open" cabinet underneath it. For mugs, glasses, etc. These are just thoughts so far, but something to think about before I get into painting and sanding.
My last high falootin' idea is I want an L-shaped banquette in our dining room. I am SICK of moving chairs around and I do worry about the computer counter we have installed shrinking the eating space. It won't be a formal dining room per se anymore, but I think if it's done with quality materials and well thought out, it will look GREAT, be a very functional space, create additional storage AND make maximum use of the space. I KNOW it would work well for us and I think for resale, it would be very family friendly and also appeal to young couples.
I am still trying to decide if I would want more cabinets on one of the dining room walls.
So there you have it, a flurry of ideas, all problematic in that we have very little money, but I have plenty of time to decide what I like at least!
Gimme your thoughts! Thanks!!!
Robin ;-D
PS I'm attaching a pic of the "palette" I've created, including a granite sample (we like Desert Gold!), a sample of the green computer counter laminate, the green wall color, the taupey color in the entryway that I will also put in the hallway by the pantry, the deeper beige I am considering for the living room walls and finally, the ivory color I THINK I have selected for the kitchen cabinets. :-)
Robin, what about the houses around you? Are they all starter type homes? Or a mix? Does granite have a resale in your neighborhood? It doesn't here. You can't put all this into your home, if you'd be the best house on the street. The comps tell it all. You never want to over improve for your neighborhood. You've got wasted space to the left of your sink in the pictures. Wouldn't it make sense to add corner cabinets in there and possibly a pantry cabinet too? Instead of adding cabinets into the dining area? Also, the inner part of the cab doors can be removed and frosted glass added.
I forgot...paint can and should be sanded if there's runs, drips or sags. Polycrylic should be sanded between coats and any runs in it should be sanded out then.
I did sand for the most part in between coats, but when I did that, it often created brown spots that I felt like I had to put touch up paint on. At some point, I would sand (manually) a bit, then say to hell with it. I felt like I was stretching the process out too much.
I totally hear you on the granite, but I think it boils down to "I just WANT it." I also think it will help people want to buy the house. I think this area is primarily attracting couples and families. I did a search last night and found the County Assessor's site for our neighborhood. I will post that in a sec.
Thanks so much for your input, Terry. I'm not fully understanding your suggestion about the corner cabinet. There is "dead space" to the left of my sink, but there is so LITTLE counter space overall, I considered bringing cabinetry down to the counter, but figured it might not be good to eat up valuable counter space. (So I definitely want to try to go up -- just not sure how exactly to do that.)
So I spent some time doing some research last night, precisely to determine what you mentioned, Terry. This is a bit of a new concept for me, because as a naive layperson, I think "create a nice home and get a nice price" for the right buyers and right market, of course. But I do understand the concept of not wanting to be the fanciest house on the block.
Our suburb town is building a brand new high school and our house will be within walking distance, but nestled in a nice little U-shaped street that is quiet and pretty well maintained. There are a few duplexes two blocks over and that street (mostly renters) is not that great, but our street has mostly young families and retired age people. Our house is not the newest on the block and it does not have the most square footage, but it is exactly like several other houses. (I mean EXACTLY.) And according to the info I found, all the houses that are the same are worth the same exact amount. Not sure how that would work in actual buying situation. Hopefully, a "cuter" home that has had some updating would bring more. ??
Here's what I found:
Home Prices in our neighborhood:
2137 S. Ourstreet $84k
2138 S. Ourstreet $102k (built in ’92 – 1473 sf)
2139 S. Ourstreet $79k
2141 S. Ourstreet $75k
2131 S. Ourstreet $84k
2130 S. Ourstreet $111k (built in ’91 – 1501 sf)
2129 S. Ourstreet $90k (built in ’89 – 1126 sf)
2128 S. Ourstreet $93k (built in ’92 – 1149 sf)
2127 S. Ourstreet $101k (built in ’91 – 1285 sf)
2126 S. Ourstreet $85k (built in ’87 – 1126 sf)
2125 S. Ourstreet $102k (built in ’91 – 1476 sf)
2124 S. Ourstreet $86k (built in ’87 – 1129 sf)
2122 S. Ourstreet $85k (built in ’87 – 1129 sf)
2121 S. Ourstreet $91k (built in ’91 – 1123 sf) $81/sf
2120 S. Ourstreet $85k (built in ’87 – 1129 sf)
2119 S. Ourstreet $94k (built in ’91 – 1200 sf)
OUR HOUSE: 2118 S. Ourstreet $85k (built in ’87 – 1129 sf) $75/sf
Are those actual selling prices, or what a site like Zillow or something similar is telling you? In some areas, those estimates are right on but in others they can be off quite considerably, and all it knows about are the things that are a matter of public record like square footage, lot size, etc, it doesn't know anything about the condition of the house or how updated it is. You'd be better off getting some data on recent actual sales--if you're using Zillow there is a link where it'll show you recent sales in your neighborhood, or else in some areas it's published in the paper, or a real estate agent would probably be happy to give you the info in the hopes that you might remember them when you go to sell your house someday.
It was from the County Assessor's Office online and yes, it's all based on square footage and taxes, etc.
I'm trying to view my neighborhood on Zillow the way I had once before. I must have messed with the settings somehow, but here is my home on that site. (Depressing! It shows 3 recently sold homes in the 70's!!!!!)
The county assessor's office numbers are just what they use to determine what your property taxes ought to be, so it doesn't necessarily mean the house would sell for that price (although if the house would sell for considerably less, people ought to request a reassessment!) Looking at sales prices on recently sold homes that are comparable to yours is the most accurate way to judge what you might be able to get for your house.
Also, this forum is open to everyone, so I'm not sure if you want to keep the link to your house on Zillow or not--I know some people worry about stuff like that on the forums that are open to everyone so I figured I'd mention it!
I'm disclosing my privacy for the advantage of hearing info from folks like you! :)
(I won't leave the link up forever. Thanks for mentioning it!)
So, it looks like many homes around 80k by the County Assessor are selling for 100k. (APPROX.) That is encouraging. We paid $75k in 2003.
I may not necessarily go granite, but I would really like to do some upgrades that will help US enjoy this house for the next several years and might provide a bit of wow factor in comparison to comparable homes when we do decide to sell. Isn't that the point? I mean, I'm not installing granite to sell next month. You know what I mean?
If anyone has any further advice, I'm all ears!
I'm thinking about doing DuraCeramic in the bathroom as my next step. It's such a small area and it could give me an idea of how installation goes as well as how we like living with it.
Thanks for any comments - I really appreciate them everyone.
Robin ;-D
I think if you're doing things to make yourself happy, then go for it. If you're doing things where you're expecting to get a certain return on your money when you sell, then you need to look more carefully at what other houses in the neighborhood have. Given your price range, probably not a lot of people have/expect granite, so it's unlikely that you'd get back your money on it, but if you enjoy it and are OK with not getting the money back then there's no reason not to do it. And things like that certainly could help your house sell faster than a less upgraded house, just don't expect to get a lot more money.
ditto ditto ditto what ecrane said! If granite is what you want, and you want to put something like 20k into renovating your kitchen (cabinets, appliances, flooring, sink, lighting, granite etc), understanding that you won't get that in return, then go for it. By dead space at the left of your sink, I mean the counter stops at the wall and doesn't turn. Turning either by a lower and upper cabinet that you see up above in my 1st picture showing my kitchen. It would add more counter space and give you more cupboard room if it followed the wall and stopped at the fridge. I think it's the fridge that's right there. I'll tell you a little story. My husband and I built our first house in '82. I'm not a mover. We built that house and I was never moving. Never never never. They were going to carry out me cold and lifeless ;0) I was always updating something. In late '98, I decided I wanted a new kitchen. I hated the wood work, I wanted all new wood work. Wood work was trim, baseboards, doors. I wanted hardwood in the kitchen, new tile in the bath, and a new vanity, vanity top and faucet. While we're at it, we might as well put on a new roof. I'm not going anywhere, right? Basically the only things that were the same were the walls and ceilings (been painted a lot though), the plywood underneath the new carpet, hardwood and tile. The siding was cedar siding, which I loved, so we had stained that in '02. Also in '02, we got all new windows and a new sliding glass door. The very next year, in '03, the company my husband worked for decided they were moving to TN and closing here. He'd been with this company for 25 yrs. Sell our house and leave the town we'd lived in for 21 yrs and the county I was born and raised in? And never lived anywhere else? Or stay with no job? We decided to go ahead and sell and move to TN. Now what would a house like that sell for? We put in 35k worth of improvements. It sold for what all the other houses that had the same sq footage (the comps) were. I might of well as opened the back door and just thrown the money out in the back yard. It sold fast because the people could tell that it was an extremely well cared for home. But in the end, it didn't matter a hill of beans what the improvements were, it only mattered what other houses in the area, similar to the sq footage were selling for. It only sold for 33k more than we had payed for it 21 yrs previous. Not including the finance charges per month of course. And all the carpet, the new doorknobs, the new front door, the new storm door, the new doorbell, the new the new...you get the point. So we had more in the house than it was worth and more than it could sell for. The real kick in the teeth comes when we buy another house in TN and the company my husband had worked for went bankrupt. It sold to another company who moved the machinery all down to Mexico. NO JOB. So, here we are, back in my home town. But I won't make the mistake of over improving this house. It's being improved, yes it is, and with quality materials. But I know what sells and what doesn't in this area. If this house had granite counters, it wouldn't make it worth any more than the guy selling his house just up the road 1/2 a block with laminate.
When you sanded, what was the brown? You don't sand hard or with course sandpaper, you just use a piece of sandpaper in your hand, and sand lightly only on the run to remove it. You do sand the whole thing lightly in between coats of poly. But again, if you have a run, just sand lightly on the run till it disappears.
I am so sorry to hear that story. Ugh! Yes, I admit that is what I worry about, BUT it is not even an option to spend $20k, so everything will be small projects here and there. I know, it does add up, but I will NOT be spending thousands of dollars. I will definitely keep you guys updated on the costs as I go along. Right now, we are completely broke, so I can't do anything more at the moment and that is incredibly frustrating, but c'est la vie! It will happen. I don't know about granite for sure, but I would like some sort of sparkly slab of something! ;-) I really did not understand about the "comps". You hear so much about improving the value of your house, that just doesn't seem right, but I believe it to be true, I guess. If we could sell for 90-100k, that would be awesome. As I said, we only paid 75k 4 years ago. I will keep watching Zillow for comps. Thanks a bunch for the sound advice - not exactly what I want to hear, but I still plan on redoing and making it pretty. Might just have to reel myself in at times.
Terry, HOW do you know what sells and what doesn't? I have considered calling up an agent and talking a little bit about our situation. I got a neat newsletter in my mailbox from an agent the other day. Thought about starting there.
I don't know what the brown was when I sanded. I guess it was just a scuff mark of some kind. I used a fine or extra fine sandpaper in my hand and rubbed with medium pressure with the grain. The marks usually came at the edge, where there was a bit of buildup of the poly. They were faint, but bothered me. Once I was so tired, I just dabbed a pinky's worth of paint on it and called it good. ;-D I am about to get all the hardware completely on. I wish I could take pics that include a new floor, but finances and indecision are stalling that for now and we are going out of town for the weekend, so it'll have to wait a bit.
Thanks again for following along. I love hearing everyone's input!!
Realtors can be very helpful telling you what improvements will make you the most money back and which ones just won't pay for themselves, that's probably the best thing to do if you want to find out what'll pay back and what won't. Also, if you're friendly with the neighbors, check out what sorts of improvements they've made, or go to open houses if there are houses for sale in the area, that'll give you an idea of what sort of countertops, floors, etc are typical for your area.
Robin, I'm just trying to be that voice of reason inside of you. My dad tried to tell me...but again, even he didn't know that the company would move away from here when it'd been here for 53 yrs! If you go in and get a quote from a kitchen place for new counters and new cabinets, I think you're going to be surprised at just how much it does cost. My cabinets didn't come with the pulls or knobs, so that was $3-5 per right there. Then you add in a new sink. Stainless sinks, good stainless steel sinks are going to cost over $250 if not more. I priced them before I decided on doing the cast iron porcelain sink here. New flooring at $2.50 minimum, is going to add up to. Then the light fixture. Then you probably won't like the faucet you have. Then the carpet looks ratty now, since the kitchen is so good looking and it just keeps going and going. You're not going to be in this house for long. So why not just paint those cabinets, put in new counter tops, redo the floor, replace the light fixture and add some knobs and pulls? You want to give the most bang for your buck...and when you don't have a buck, you do the barest minimum. Just like Design On A Dime and the countless other shows they do.
For how I know what's going to sell...well, this is a small rural town, population 7600 (other towns in this county have less). The kind where everybody knows your name. I've had friends move from one house to the next and I see what's in there and what's not. I've talked to the 4 places around here that do kitchens. They all know what's in the houses around here. You don't walk into a showroom around here and find a display with granite counters. It just doesn't happen here. Before we bought this house, I looked at over 30, no lie. In this little town! Even when we moved to TN, I bet we looked at well over 100 houses down there. You get a feeling of what a house in "this" price range is going to have in it. We looked at houses that were over our budget (way over our budget!), both here and in TN, just to really get a good idea. I've gone to a few open houses around here...just to see the inside of that house...lol.
I hope the link below works. This is a house that I know. It was totally redone inside 7 yrs ago. The siding and roof were just put up last year. You won't find granite in this house, but it's listed for $249,900.00. The house these people are moving to, has 10 acres, 2 garages and 2 outbuildings. About the same amount of sq. footage for the house, but newer. And it was $439,900.00. It doesn't have granite either.
The below is a picture of part of the kitchen of the house linked above. Now I have to tell you, I consider the price they're wanting high for that area of town.
You should use a brush for the poly that doesn't get used on anything else. Thin coats, and at least of them. I've had to do 5 before. But it dries fast, unless there's too much humidity, then you have to give it more drying time. It sounds like the sandpaper was burnishing the finish. To me, that's when my paint or my poly isn't dry enough.
You're awesome, thanks so much for the advice. :-) I know what you're saying is true. I am confident that no other house in my specific neighborhood has granite, but isn't that kind of the point when you're trying to make your house stand out from the crowd? I know for a fact that I would have to find a really good deal. Also, it's a small area, so I was hoping that would allow for an upgraded material. I also was liking the idea of granite because it's different than the computer counter. I like a lot of formica out there, but it seems a little weird to have the green formica there, and the beige formica there. You know? I am attaching another pic of the current palette I'm playing with. I still plan on painting the cabinets, but would like to add some 30x12 cabinets and replace the doors with glass, I think.
Yes, that's how I did the poly. Overall, it went well. It was just a tedious step-by-step process.
Ok, got a crying baby on my hands - gotta go!
PS The 3 creams I'm trying to choose for the cabinets are on the right in this pic.
Look, I love Zillow, it's great fun and I have friends making a lot of money working there. BUT IT ISN'T WHAT YOU SHOULD RELY UPON! It has the same basis in reality as "reality TV" does to your own life.
You don't live in a "hot" market. That's good because you shouldn't get the big ups and down we get on the coasts. That's bad because you are in the starry-eyed lusting stage where "just this would make me happy".
Except then it becomes "and this too" and "oh, this is just a small thing, so this would make me even happier".
Because of the fast-changing local market, the only appraisal you can depend upon is one from the top-selling experienced RE agent in your best local realty. I'd be awfully surprised if the prices haven't dropped in your area. With the recent froth in the subprime markets which is affecting starter and mid-range homes, any honest agent will tell you the buyers are psychologically shaken. They will not pay for your upgrades. Your best bet is a strictly cosmetic redo with paint and the barest minimum of upgrades, such as cheap laminate counters and a peel and stick floor tile.
You keep saying you don't have any money, but like terryr points out, the costs of what you are wanting are adding up to a lot more than you think. Be realistic - even if you can't do 90% of what you want to do, you CAN do some things to make your kitchen look and work a little better. And later, when the finances do improve, THEN you can see
