Not only that but we've taken it upon ourselves to care about the INSIDE of cabinets now. This ugly speckled press board just won't do for our high class family. How disgraceful!
So we added a coat of primer and two coats of tan paint to the innards of our cabinets. And voila! We have [wanna be] custom, finished cabinets for fraction of the price.
Necessary? Probably not. But why not add a few more hours of work to our weekend? Again, before [no poly, no paint]:
And after [4 coats of poly, 2 coats of paint]:
Poor Nate had to work both days this weekend, yesterday for a total of 13 hours at both of his part time jobs. So that left me and the in-laws to do the dirty kitchen work. And of course the dogs. Henry entertained himself by catching a few pitiful sun rays in the kitchen before the skies turned gloomy again, so of course I grabbed my camera.
[Vent begins here] It got to a whopping 50 degrees today and I swear people thought it was summertime. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Weather in the 50's is nice and all, but don't worry because it's switching to snow tonight. And the rest of the week will be 30 degrees at the most with our usual nasty precipitation/dreary mix. I've read a few St. Louis blogs that mention 60-70 degree weather this weekend and let's just say I'm not too happy right now. In fact, I may or may not have uttered a few profanities under my breath when I read those numbers. Feel sorry for me now. I hate this climate so much. It's making me a depressed bitch. [End of vent]In other news, the "H" outfitted two coats of poly as well. I declare the H finished and ready to hang.
So what's next?Well here's my list:
~add all hardware to cabinets
~add shelves to cabinets [have to cut them first, which is news to me]
~finish patching and sanding walls
~prime and paint walls [yippee! Lois and I may even try a cool faux finish]
~finish installing baseboards
~sand and polyurethane all woodwork [doors, trim, etc. NOT a fun part, I'll try to avoid this]
~finish closet [add shelves after polyurethaned]
~install floor
~buy microwave
~install microwave, stove, and fridge.
~enjoy a celebratory bottle of wine:)
Whew. That makes my head spin. I swear we've accomplished a lot in the past month but the list is never ending. And I might be naive enough to believe we'll get it all done in two weeks. Anyone else completely gut and redo a kitchen without any outside help? How did you keep your sanity? So far my combo of wine, music, and coffee isn't working.
In the words of my wise friend Hannah, "This too shall pass."
Your "H" looks great! What a cute idea!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! I didn't realize your "H" was so big...until I saw it sitting next to your paint brush and poly. Where are you guys going to hang it??
ReplyDeleteOh good grief, I DO NOT envy you!
ReplyDeleteIt's such hard work, but so worth it in the end! It'll look great! I love the H! Where is it going?
I have no advice, house stuff is a huge pain.
ReplyDeleteYes, the weather in STL was great yesterday but today isn't the same at all. Cold, rainy, soon supposed to be snow.
I do acknowledge; however, that your weather is worse.
It might be kind of hard to hang your microwave since the plug is behind it. Most of the time the outlet is in the cabinet above and you drill a hole though the bottom of the cabinet for the cord. Otherwise I like your work!
ReplyDeleteAtc~thanks!
ReplyDeleteJenn and Prep~I don't know where to hang the beast of an H. It's freaking huge. I ordered it online and figured the 24 inch size would be nice, but it's damn big. I'll post pics once it finds a home.
T~glad you empathize with me:) Makes me feel better.
Anon~Good eye! Actually, I'm not sure if I posted a pic of the wall which will hold the stove and microwave, but you are correct. The plug we will use for the microwave is INSIDE the cabinets. I think my father in law didn't know about the wonders of a wall-hung microwave and made an outlet behind it first. But then when we discovered how they are rigged, he added another outlet in the cabinet. He's so freaking handy doing electrical and plumbing!
Here's a faux painting idea if you're into stripes. I did it in my dining room and it looks great. Nothing too bold, but noticiable enough to get lots of compliments. Super easy if you get a laser level. Here's how: pick one color, but paint one stripe matte finish amd one stripe glossy (or choose your own variety of finishes). You can even do different widths of stripes (here's where good math skills come into play). My mom and dad did this in their bathroom and it looks awesome. Just thought I would suggest since you're still in decorating mode.
ReplyDeleteJulia - I have done the stipes too and they were fabulous! We used a flat paint on all 4 walls and then just used a clear poly to paint the stripes. It was subtle, but everyone loved it!
ReplyDeleteHenry is freaking adorable! I think I want another dog..perhaps getting a girl :)
ReplyDeleteMy only concern with the stripes is that our walls are really bumpy and old. I'm not sure they'd hold stripes well b/c they aren't very flat...but I am SO doing stripes someday. I already have inspiration pics saved somewhere.
ReplyDeleteJenn~you need to post pictures of that.
Mai~one dog is enough! I toyed with the idea of another a while back but then my roommate got another puppy [love you, Hannah!] and I decided one was plenty. Milo is too cute.