My kitchen is now one of my most favorite places in my house! It is finally done, except for my water softener now needs fixed. The joys of home ownership!
So here's what my kitchen started like:
Since the previous owners were taking the fridge from above, I decided to go ahead and get all new stainless steel appliances. I had some time to shop for appliances in between the time my offer was accepted on the house & until I closed to find the best deals.
I found a fridge at Sears Outlet, a double oven & microwave at Best Buy and a dishwasher off Craigslist. When all was said and done, I paid around $1200 or so for a stainless steel upgrade--the fraction of the original costs. I love the double oven. The top part heats up quickly and cuts back on the time it takes to cook.
I also did a hardwood floor upgrade in part of my house. I ended up getting real hardwood floors for under $1 a square foot off Craigslist. Such an unbelievable deal!
The countertops are one of my most favorite parts, and they were about $50/piece (I needed less than 3 pieces but had to buy 3 to make it work). They came from Ikea and were a light wood. I conditioned them first with wood conditioner. Then, I stained them Special Walnut from Minwax with 2-3 coats. Finally, I sealed them with a food-safe wood sealer. And when I say I, I actually mean my sister and myself. She helped out as you have to wait 6 hours between each application. Here's a close-up of the countertops:
I splurged on a great sink-faucet combo from Lowe's that was totally worth it. Don't you love it??
Finally, I used beadboard as my backsplash and just painted it white to make it neutral.
And my final product ended up being a kitchen I love and that looks custom & higher end. I've got more red accents that I'll be adding slowly as I get time to finish those projects, so stay tuned for little additions and changes to my sweet little kitchen!
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