Problem List (starting at the top and working down):

1. popcorn ceilings – I decided to leave the popcorn for someone else to scrape
2. cheap, cheap, cheap gold paint – I’ve complained about the paint in multiple posts. Glad it’s gone.
3. ancient light fixture – moved a pendant light from living room. Pendant light in center of living room???
4. ugly brass ceiling fan – I spray paint brushed nickel with black blades
5. popcorn on soffit – scraped, primed, and painted like walls
6. old-fashioned trim board over sink – removed (and I don’t miss it…)
7. cheap plug in flourescent light over sink (so not code) – switched light wired in by electrician
8. gap between cabinets and soffit – corrected with trim
9. no window covering over sink or on sliding glass door – I made a Roman shade from fabric I had. Made curtain from canvas drop cloth for $15
10. old-fashioned routed cabinet style – Shaker Cabinet Update detailed in multiple posts
11. horrid green paint (on door face only – backs were dark wood) – painting cabinets detailed in multiple posts
12. gold paint on backsplash area – primed, painted with chalkboard paint, decals applied
13. ugly Formica counter tops – painted with Giani Granite Countertop Paint
14. chair rail around room (sorry — I don’t like it in a kitchen…) – removed and wall patched
15. gap above and sides of dishwasher – dishwasher raised and wood time added to side
16. black painted kick plate below cabinets – painted with several coats of white
17. vinyl flooring – when I had the dishwasher out to clean it I saw carpet under the vinyl. Someone else can deal with ripping all that out. I pass.

Everything got done but #1 and #16 — popcorn ceiling and vinyl floor with indoor/outdoor carpet under it were more than I chose to tackle. I would have liked to replace the railing along the opening for the stair with a solid wall, but decided to forgo the expense. There are posts galore for everything I did.

Here’s what it cost me. I am amazed what I could accomplish for under a thousand dollars.

Before

I moved the white refrigerator to the garage and it will sell with the house when the time comes. In the meantime I wanted to use my own refrigerator.

After

Here’s a picture with all the furniture out of the room so it shows the cabinets well.

Here’s the kitchen with the island and rugs I added. I got the set of three rugs from Walmart for $33. The dogs like rugs, or rather they hate hard floors, so I wanted plenty of rugs for them.

Picture taken from the sliding glass door so you can see the chalkboard and plaques I made.

This shows the painted ceiling fan and the curtain I made for the slider. The curtain rod is 1″ conduit pipe since I wanted something strong enough it would not need a center bracket. The rod cost $10.

Picture that shows the backsplash behind the stove.

 Odds and Ends

Nikki was grossly offended she was banished from the kitchen while I took pictures.

While painting I ran across a couple wall anchors that were still in the wall. I kept painting and was wondering what they had been for when it hit me. Holy crap! I don’t have a smoke detector! I ordered a smoke detector and a new doorbell from Amazon — the old, big, brown, ugly doorbell had to go.

The wall over the microwave looked barren. I didn’t want to spend any money so I used scrap lumber, printed vintage labels off the internet and mod podged them on the wood.

 I made this on the computer and had it printed. I like what it says 🙂