September 2011

We have tried to be as cost efficient as possible with this kitchen redo.  We have reused all the cabinets and countertops, just moved them to the other side of the room.  One problem that we came across was that previously, the cabinets were built around a flue that ran through the attic to the basement.

The flue was no longer needed, but the granite was cut to fit around it. And we weren't about to pay to redo the counter tops and toss out my 6 year old granite!  (actually, I think that the granite is thousands of years old, but it has only been with me for a few of those years)

I searched antique malls, flea markets, and everywhere I could think, for something that would fit over the hole.  This little cabinet out in my studio was as close as I came, but still was a tad short. I found it years ago at the very first auction I ever went to. It was $2.

Easy fix!  A bit of trim, some nails, glue, and calking, and you'd never know the cabinet was not always there.  I added some decorative trim and painted it to match the rest of the cabinets, and now only need another glass knob to finish it off.

I added some leftover trim from when we first installed the cabinets.  The embellishments are made of glue. When they are fresh (made to order from the manufacturer) you can just steam them and stick them on, then paint or stain. When they are old, like these, they need to be glued and calked into place.

These come in ANY and every style you can imagine. You can find them here. 

I especially love the rosey ones.  They aren't cheap, but are unique and cost less than wooden trims.  I spent under $400 when our cabinets were being built, and have a bag left over, plus have used them on lots and lots of other pieces over the years. I over bought for the project, but have loved to have the baggie full of rosey bits and other trims to use here and there.  A few pieces in the right spots can really elevate a dresser or buffet.

One of the best things about the redo is the new (old) ceilng covering. Trouble was, I couldn't find enough old tins to do the whole job. I had 20 of two different patterns. One we used all around the perimiter of the room, and this one we filled in with.

There weren't quite enough to do the center of the room with the same tiles. There were enough from the border to fill in the center, but I didn't want to do that. Instead, I raided my stash in the garage and found a few odds and ends of different patterns of tin and we patchworked 4 of those around each chandelier.

To make it look  like that was a design choice, not an, "Oh my gosh, I'm out of matching tins, grab those over there for me to fill in with" mess up, I glazed the 8 oddball ones to match the chandeliers they hung over. I wanted to accentuate the odd tiles.

In this photo, the chandelier isn't completely re-installed, but can you see where I am going with it?  I found all the 2' x 4' tins for $20 each, and have enough remnants to do the bathroom too.  The installation was $800 for both rooms, so not bad for the complete transformation they give the kitchen.  Plus, they cover up the fact that one room had a 3" higher ceiling than the other.

Some of the tins were in pretty bad shape and needed a lot of calking to hide it.  The rust will start to peek through all the white satin paint, but I am kinda looking forward to that.

Here is a photo with it almost done. The guys put up a narrow trim piece around the 4 squares and I still need to calk and paint the trim.  I'm thinking I'll paint it the same color as the wall, since that is the base color I used for the glazing.

I also bought 2 of these $26  medallions from Home Depot to place over the chandeliers and glazed them to match. Here is how:

First I painted them white.

Next, I smeared the tinted glaze all over the piece, making sure to get it down into the cracks and crevices.

When I glaze something, I usually use a cheapo brush. I want one that I can force into the nooks and crannys and not worry about ruining.

Afterwards, a quick wipe of the highpoints with a dry paper towel and it was done.

I did the same technique on the 4 tins above each light fixture and also on the little cabinet I used to cover the hole in the granite.

Glazing 8 tiles over head didn't seem like a big deal after spending more than 12 hours calking all the seems and painting all the screws white. Here is a before shot of the seems.

Remodelling ain't for sissies.  Unless you have an unlimited budget and can pay someone else to do it all.   We have a great contractor and crew working on the room, but I'm trying to save money where I can. I'll be staining the floors myself, and have already repainted the front of the exterior of  the  house where they had to reside the area that used to be a window.

We are on the home stretch now!  Its starting to look like home again. That is, under about 6" of old sawdust and drywall powder, I can sort of see a homey place developing.

My kitchen is not done yet, but I am already loving it! I'm head over heels about the new configuration.

The ceiling tiles make me feel like I am inside a white wedding cake.

Aren't they pretty!?  I have to caulk and touch up the paint on each one yet, but they already look good.

Now, to find the right stain for my distressed old floor.  The wood adjoining this room is the same floor, with a clear coat years ago. I'm afraid that whatever I do won't match it just right, so I want a contrast instead.  So, a clear coat is out.  Plus the old yellow heart pine tends to go orangey, and I'd rather stay away from that.

So, I tried dark walnut stain. That went red, but the grain looked pretty.

I'm great with mixing paint colors, but working with stain and wood fillers is a tricky thing. They morph on you as they dry and they interact with the wood itself and change colors.

I thought a gray/black tone would counteract the orangey-ness of the pine, but all it did was mask the wood entirely. I'd like the cool, old beat up areas to show through, not be covered.  I didn't spend hours sanding out the stains just to cover up the wood completely.

The color I think will be just perfect is Jacobean, diluted with thinner and wiped on with a cloth. When put on full strength with a brush, its just too much.

Now, back to experimenting with putties.   I've found that mixing in the sawdust helps tint the color to match the wood, but I'm still not happy with the end product. Luckily I have the area under the fridge and stove to play with.

What do you think? Any advice on colors, stains, or putty?

Progress is happening! The guys working on our kitchen are hitting it hard and have been getting a lot done.

The wall is down, that went quick. 

And they are going to be able to brace it up in the attic, so I wont have a beam going across the kitchen. That was an iffy thing, we didn't know till it was opened up if that would work or not. Old houses are a big question mark when you start remodelling.

Our cabinets are stored in the garage, waiting to be set back up when the new room is ready for them. My new refrigerator is ordered.

The tiles and four layers of linoleum are up, the nails and staples are pulled from the wood.  There are lots of places that need patched, like around the grate. And quite a few other spots too.  But the wood itself is much better than I dreamed it would be.

There were so many layers ripped up, that my ceiling is a few inches higher now!

Someone had already patched some spots, years and years ago. I wish I could leave this as is, for a souvenir, but- it has sharp edges since it is tin.  I think it could be a toe ripper, for sure.

The guys have removed the window on the wall the cabinets will be moved to.

There was no choice, the window had to go. I hated the idea of losing the light, so I ordered two glass block windows from Home Depot online (they came in 3 days!) and they are now built into the space where the back splash will be. Won't that be nice light on my counter top?

To keep myself sane while having my house torn up, I've tried to keep other areas nice as I can. Like setting out a couple flats of fresh violets and pansies and some ornamental cabbage on the porch. I don't do well with chaos and mess, I like things pretty. Nice surroundings mean a lot to me. So, I needed a few pretty areas to look at and keep my mind off of the messy ones.

We've set up a coffee station in the bedroom. I like it so much, its tempting to keep it there. Its pretty nice to have coffee so convenient in the morning!

 

We've moved the fridge and some supplies to the studio.  No microwave or toaster oven, and I am craving a hot meal.  

When my husband is home, he grills for us, but I'm not much of a griller myself. Its been yogurt, toast and peanut butter, and fruit for me lately. My son, Ryan, eats turkey sandwiches almost everyday of his life so he doesn't mind.  He watches what he eats, because about 6 years ago, he lost over 100 pounds, and keeps it off. 

He looks good, huh? 

He is as sweet as he is cute. He kisses me on the top of the head and tells me he loves me every time he leaves the room.  Ryan lives in an apartment on the side of our house, and works two jobs plus spends an hour at the gym every day.  He also does all of our yard work, so keeps busy.

  I just wish he would have a social life.  This is the shyest guy you'll ever meet. 

The winner of our Craft Day Giveaway was chosen from the entries by Beth when she was here for a craft day again on Tuesday.  Her pick was:

Maggie

If you haven't seen Maggie's work, you need to go look at her recent post about her illustrations for sewing patterns. Oh my. That girl can paint!