A Budget-Friendly Turquoise Kitchen Makeover

Stick a fork in it, our budget-friendly kitchen makeover is done and it's time for the big reveal!  What better day to show off the turquoise kitchen I've been dreaming about since last summer (actually, since August 2012) than on my 30th birthday?  I wish I had added "awesome turquoise kitchen" to my 30 before 30 list because a whole bunch of things didn't get done while I was making magic happen in here.

(Bear with me while I update this post with new, better, more true to life photos taken with my new DSLR camera...Since originally sharing this post, I've added some art and reorganized a bit - I'm never "done" with a space.  Here's a sneak peek at how it looks today, but read on for more before and after photos, plus budget breakdown, of my dream turquoise kitchen).

Do you remember what the kitchen looked like before?  Here's a side-by-side comparison because I think you need to see this affordable kitchen makeover to believe it:

This affordable kitchen makeover, as smitten as I am with it, is temporary-ish.  Down the road we'd like to gut the kitchen and do all new cabinetry, flooring, counters, tile - the works, but it might take us years to save up the cash so we decided it would be wise to spend a little bit now to make it look and function better for us while we squirrel away some dough and figure out what we want from the space.   Here's a summary of how we transformed this 1990s oak kitchen on a budget (with links to previous posts included throughout, and also listed at the end - along with our complete budget breakdown and sources).

The upper cabinets were removed because they were so small and offered surprisingly little storage space.  We primed and painted the remaining kitchen cabinets a turquoise that is nearly identical to my Pyrex butterprint collection.  With the upper cabinets and tile gone, the walls needed a little TLC so we installed a few new pieces of drywall and used paneling for an insanely affordable backsplash.  I painted the paneling a slightly creamier white than the rest of the house.  I waffled about painting it the same as the rest of the space because it would make the paneling blend in even more, but I worried that the cream flooring and off-white stained counters would read really yellow against a bright white.

To replace the awkward cabinets we ripped down, Hubby and I built a simple open pantry from plywood, which we primed and painted to match the walls (using a semi-gloss finish).  Windsor Plywood sells laminated wood shelving which is the perfect width, so we grabbed four of those, which I primed and painted to match the walls and pantry (also in semi-gloss).



Even though I painted out the knots, some of the texture of the wood grain remains, which is what I had hoped I would achieve - I didn't want them to look like melamine, but I wanted them white and bright.  Because the shelves are constructed from small pieces of wood laminated together (like our counters), they likely won't cup or warp like a solid piece of wood could.

Hubby used wood glue and pegs to join two pieces together to make the longer, top two shelves.  You remember our bracket debate?  On the studs or where they looked good?  I lost and we originally put the brackets on the studs.  We were so focused on our respective concerns for the placement of the brackets, we goofed up the shelf height!  We realized (thanks to readers!) that our wood shelves violated Ontario building code by being too close to the stove - oops!   For the second attempt at a configuration I wanted the brackets centred on the stove but when we removed one row they left massive holes from the giant screws required.  We filled them with wood filler, but they didn't look perfect so we left the other brackets where they were.  It was my Mom's idea, actually, not to centre the brackets on the stove because, as luck would have it, both sections of shelf on either side of the stove are now exactly the same size.  In the end, half of the brackets are on studs, and the other half are held with giant anchors.  Floating shelves might have been a simpler solution, but we thought this would be easier - ha!  (Plus Hubby was adamant that he wanted these brackets, which hold 500 lbs each.  I think he's telling me to go buy more Pyrex . . . ).

A glass vase with turquoise KitchenAid utensils and a row of three of my framed enamel landscapes from Hungary offset the asymmetry.  Kinda.  It's one thing that still bugs me a little, but I think I can live with it! 

To make the floating shelves look more intentional, we installed them so they lined up with the shelves of the DIY pantry we made.  We also lined them up so one shelf runs right over the top of the fridge, so the fridge looks less "out there," and more built-in, for a similar feel to cabinetry.  I added tons of handy storage with twelve 2 gallon glass Montana canisters for storing our dry goods.

Happily, the DIY solid maple counters Hubby built still look amazing - as does the stainless steel sink and faucet we installed awhile ago.  That's the genius of working at a snail's pace: by the time the reveal is ready, I've had a chance to put everything though the wringer.  I love finally seeing everything finally come together in this kitchen makeover! 

I've been trying to be relaxed about the wood counters and just use them, but I do take certain precautions.  After wiping them down or after an especially splashy dish-washing session, I wipe off any water with a dry tea towel.  I used trivets for hot things and coasters for beverages - although rogue drinking glasses haven't left any rings.  I have this thing about the rubber feet on the bottom of the knife block and blender, though:  I'm worried they will stain, so I bought a little cream-coloured cutting board to set them on. 

I stashed my orange kettle because I'm just really loving this icy palette of cream, white, and shades of turquoise.  I've got some mint and blue in there for variety (and now some colorful new art).  My Mom gave me her vintage glass Pyrex kettle, which doubles as a tea pot.  I like that it doesn't draw add to the busyness here.

We stopped and started working on this kitchen so many times, and I lived without a functional space for so long, so it feels really, really good to have completed our budget-friendly kitchen makeover.  It's better than I could have ever imagined and I just wish you could see it in real life, where it is brighter, less grainy (!), and more aqua (it looks denim blue in some pictures).  The glassware sparkles and the wood counters gleam.

It's a cheery kitchen and when you're actually in it, it's not so AQUA - it feels mellower.  It's a joy to cook and bake in here and it has such a great vibe when we entertain.  Guests sit on the stools, chatting with me while I bustle, and they stare at the shelves, all glassy-eyed.  Everyone who we have invited over has immediately felt at home, which is such a great feeling!  It's perfect for our little lakeside home because it has a relaxed, happy, cottage feel. 

Here are all of the posts related to our budget-friendly kitchen makeover:
Turquoise kitchen inspiration
Painting the cabinet doors with a paint sprayer
Painting the cabinet boxes and installing hardware
Building the solid maple counters
A little bit on wood movement
Staining the counters with a sprayer
Installing the sink and faucet
Choosing paneling as a backsplash
Installing paneling (and now, trimming it as well)
The great bracket debate
Building a DIY pantry, and working around some weirdness
Reveling in the mess 
Enjoying our new kitchen stools 
UPDATE: My thoughts on open shelves, six months later 

Here is the budget breakdown for this affordable kitchen renovation:
Maple lumber for counters = $611
Counter stain and clear finish = $40
Sink = $200
Faucet = FREE
4 Laminated Wood Shelves = $80
13 Metal Brackets = $102
6 Sheets of Paneling = $108
Paneling Trim & Screws = $112
Window Trim and Baseboard = $30
Electrical Box Extenders = $42
Ikea Light = $30
2 Plywood Sheets for Pantry = $90
Knobs = $24
Floor Vent = $13
Edge Tape = $10
Primer for Cabinets = FREE
Paint for Cabinets = FREE
Paint for Walls, Pantry, and Shelves = FREE
Modernica Stools = A lot (they don't count, they're technically in the dining room ;)
Pantry Canisters = FREE
 
Grand total = $1492!!  I'm pretty excited that we made such a significant change in this kitchen with less than 1500 bucks.  I'd need to add a bit more if I had paid out of pocket for items like paint and our fancy faucet.  Conversely, I think buying prefab wood counters from Ikea might be cheaper than our DIY walnut counters, but I'm totally in love with the decadently thick slabs of solid maple we've got going on - they make the kitchen.  I'm not counting kitchen accessories, like my Pyrex collection, linens, glassware, etc., because most of these accessories I've collected over time.  Hopefully our ancient appliances can hang on until the next kitchen reno!  Oh, and if you see a math error (of I've forgotten something), please let me know.  

Sources:
Cabinet primer (Zinsser Bulls Eye 1,2,3 Primer) c/o Canadian Tire
Cabinet paint (Premier Interior Latex Semi-Gloss, in CIL's Niagara Mist), c/o Canadian Tire
Panel paint (White on White, Eggshell), c.o CIL
Pantry paint (White on White, Semi-Gloss), c/o CIL
Paneling (B Grade Dover), purchased from Windsor Plywood
Trim, laminated shelves, metal brackets, purchased from Windsor Plywood
Faucet (the Lita), c/o Pfister
Sink (Atlantis Commercial Grade Pro Series), Purchased at Costco
2 Gallon Glass Montana canisters, c/o Canadian Tire
Cabinet hardware, Purchased from Lee Valley
Glass light fixture, Purchased from Ikea
Stools, Purchased from Modernica
Birdie foaming soap pump, c/o Umbra
Skinny Robin Egg blue can, c/o Umbra 

Whew!  Shall we ogle this budget-friendly, bright turquoise kitchen once more before I get on with my birthday festivities?  Yes, we shall.  The before, one last time:

And my turquoise, retro-inspired kitchen now:

Kitchen Progress: Turquoise Cabinets? Check!

After spending the winter in our garage, the cabinet fronts Hubs painted with our sprayer needed a little touch up, but now they've been re-installed and all of a sudden the kitchen is looking so good.  Sadly, it looks a lot more denim-blue in my photos - I've been having a tough time lately, photographing teal and turquoise true to life, which is really problematic given my penchant for anything turquoise.  In that elusive third dimension, the colour (CIL Niagara Mist) is nearly identical to the turquoise Pyrex butterprint pattern, so if you've seen a piece of that, then you can better envision the colour.

Painting the cabinet boxes was straightforward: light sanding, coat of primer, and then three coats of semi-gloss Premier paint, courtesy of my paint partnership with Canadian Tire.  Just like when I painted the bathroom cabinetry, I used my small artist's brush for the narrow cabinet face frames, a two-inch angled brush for the toekick, and a roller for any larger areas, like the section that faces the dining room and the areas beside the stove.  The cabinetry wasn't in the best condition so when I zoom in with the camera some blemishes appear, but the semi-gloss finish, which reflects lights, does a good job of hiding imperfections when I'm not staring at it from three inches away.  People say sheen emphasizes flaws but I'm adamant it's the other way around: matte paint can really highlight flaws.    

Even though the turquoise cabinets have been giving me shivers, the real showstoppers are the solid maple counters.  Hubby is sharing the full tutorial on Friday (you already saw how I stained them).  Even if you don't plan on making your own wood counters, just seeing the transformation from pile of rough lumber to this gleaming gorgeousness is incredible - and we've got lots of photos!

You got a glimpse of the new sink and faucet last week.  If you have been following me on Instagram, you saw the new hardware as well.  I wanted something brushed silver (my favorite!) and simple, but not too stark and modern because the cabinet fronts have really busy profiles.  I wanted something to bridge the modern sink with the decidedly unmodern cabinetry.  I had a pretty meager budget (hardware adds up quickly!), so I headed to Lee Valley.  Their catalog is fun, but nothing beats spinning those turnstiles and seeing the different styles in person.  Hubs and I both liked the feel of these knobs, which were only $3.00 a piece. 

These knobs require two screws for installation and the old knobs only needed one, so we simply added a second screw hole.

Hubby measured, marked with a pencil, and drilled away (with a wood scrap underneath).  For the cabinet drawers, I had filled the hole with wood filler prior to priming and painting, so Hubs just drilled two new holes and centred the knobs.  Easy!

Such a pretty change, compared to the old brass knobs (which were the same in the bathroom, but because that room is a more temporary fix, I just painted them matte black):

We made one other inexpensive change: the floor grate.  What was previously there was white and rusted, so we bought a $13 replacement, in silver.  I'm only mentioning it because it's Made in Canada!  I love finding things made in Canada or the USA.   

The kitchen is really taking shape, but we still need to paint and install the paneling, add trim to the paneling, replace the window trim, paint and install open shelving, add some bar stools, unpack my Pyrex collection and our dishes, plus build a pantry beside the fridge.  But I'm feeling so motivated because it's already the happiest room in the lakehouse . . .

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Painting the Kitchen Cabinets with a Paint Sprayer

We're bouncing between projects, trying to tackle any projects that we need to work on outside before the icy weather sets in (it hits Thunder Bay a little earlier than Ottawa).  Soon it will be too cold to tackle paint projects in our un-insulated garage (weep), so although we aren't quite ready to work on the kitchen yet, we capitalized on a couple of warms days and quickly gave our kitchen cabinet fronts a coat of bright turquoise, using our new paint sprayer.

As a refresher, here's our oak kitchen cabinetry, au naturel.  We're ditching the upper cabinets in favor of open shelving and finally doing a turquoise kitchen (in addition to updating the counters, sink & faucet). 

How to:

• First I removed all of the cabinet fronts, including the hardware and hinges (what I couldn't remove, I covered with painter's tape)
• Next I cleaned the grease and goo off with soapy water and a chore boy scrub pad, which is excellent for a deep clean
• I also lightly sanded the surface, even though the Zinsser primer can tells me it's unnecessary
• Once they were sanded, I wiped the cabinet fronts with a damp cloth and let them dry 
• In the meantime, we laid down the faux french door inserts I axed from the living room to help keep the cabinet fronts up and away from the garage floor
• Next I applied a thin coat of Zinsser primer with an angled paint brush, starting with the back - it only takes about half an hour for this primer to dry (it cures fully in 7 days)

• We set up our paint sprayer (it took minutes) and tested the spray out on a scrap of plywood to practice a little and fiddle with the settings

Yes, Hubby's mohawk evolved from a faux-hawish mohawk to a full on mohawk.  Go Hubs.

• Then we got to work spraying the cabinet fronts, again starting with the backs
• Spraying the cabinets was ridiculously easy and straight-forward: Hubby sprayed side to side on the surface before spraying the edges, making sure not to start or stop the spray on the cabinet, but slightly before and after, also paying attention to overlap the spray as he went

• Once dry (we waited a couple of days because it started to get cool and it slowed our drying time), we flipped them over and sprayed the fronts
• As recommended by the folks in the Canadian Tire paint department, we skipped a protective top coat because we chose a semi-gloss finish which should be durable enough (especially with the primer)

So far, the fronts look amazing!! 

The Paint Sprayer Finish

The kitchen cabinet boxes will be painted with a roller and brush, but I know it won't compete with the excellent finish the cabinet fronts now have.  The paint was applied rather thickly, but evenly, with the paint sprayer, and we got away with only one coat (it took a couple of days to fully dry).  At first, when it was wet, the paint looked thick and textured as if we had used a roller, which was disappointing.  But then, magically, as it dried the paint sort of sunk into the wood and dried in a super smooth finish.  The paint doesn't look "applied" - it looks like a factory-finish, without distracting roller marks or brush strokes.  There's a bit of the texture of the grain peeking through, which is what I wanted, but with a second application of paint I'm sure we could have covered it up. 

Including our practice sprays, and painting both the fronts and backs of the doors, we used just under half a gallon of paint.  As with any spray painting, there was some overspray:

HomeRight Heavy Duty Paint Sprayer Review

The last time Hubs and I used a paint sprayer was to paint my '92 Dodge Colt lime green.  It was my father-in-law's equipment (serious stuff) and required an air compressor to operate.  It was heavy and a bit awkward, but it did the job.  When HomeRight offered me the chance to review a paint sprayer that doesn't require a compressor (and weighs only 3lbs), I jumped at the chance to add this tool to our DIY arsenal. 

This particular sprayer, an airless paint sprayer from the titanium series, is fabulous.  The set-up and clean-up of the sprayer took about 10-15 minutes each, but then spraying all of the doors took only 10 or so minutes (per side), meaning the total paint time for all of the doors, front and back, was less than an hour (which is crazy fast).

PROS:

• No air compressor needed!!  Just plug it in to an outlet and GO
• Small and easy to store
• Simple to clean (we just ran soapy water through until it came clear and then rinsed with clean water, but the cleaning method depends on the type of paint used)
• Easy to use (with a few seconds of practice, we created super smooth results)
• No need to use the itty bitty canister provided, a tube and clip is provided that lets you work right out of the can which is amazing for larger projects, and makes it even easier to clean
• For major projects, this sprayer can paint a gallon of paint in only 7.5 minutes
• The MSRP is $109.99, which I think is a reasonable price, especially for the avid DIYer or for someone with a big project looming

CONS (I'm really grasping at straws to think of something negative):

• Super loud (not really a big deal - just wear ear plugs, but you have to provide these yourself so don't forget to grab some before starting a project)
• Vibrates a bit uncomfortably, but wearing work gloves alleviates discomfort 

HomeRight provided the Heavy Duty Paint Sprayer for review but I was not prompted or paid to review this sprayer positively.  We genuinely like this tool and are already dreaming up our next paint sprayer projects (I'm thinking of painting the exterior of the house deep grey!!).  The Zinzsser primer, Premier paint in turquoise (it's made in Canada!), and Dream Finish angled brush were generously provided by Canadian Tire, who is helping us take the lakehouse from cottage to contemporary.  I wanted to colour match the turquoise Pyrex butterprint pattern, but the colour-matching machine couldn't read the shade because of the sheen of the Pyrex.  Darn.  But with the folks in the paint department I found a near perfect match: Niagara Mist, available at your local Canadian Tire paint department. 

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