Kitchen

"This floor is really starting to look gross."

"These cabinets actually aren't that bad. All they would need is to be refinished."

"Dan, can you fix the floor transition again. My sock got caught on that nail and I almost fell."

"I bet I could spray paint those handles and make them look brand new."

"I just washed the floor and it still looks dirty."

"I bet if we refinished the cabinets, it would even make our counter top look better."

We've both been muttering about the kitchen for a couple years now but we've never been ready to bite the bullet, spend the money, and start the project. Until now. After all, what better time than when I was 6 months pregnant.

The very thought of starting exhausted Nora.

But start we did. At first, all we were going to do was refinish the cabinets. Then we realized if we were going with a slightly darker stain then we should probably lighten up the paint color so it wasn't too dark. Then Dan said something that was music to my ears, "Katie, I think I'm ready to replace the floor." (cue the Hallelujah Chorus) Then we thought... if we are getting a new floor it's probably perfect timing to replace our dishwasher that's been known to leak all over the floor while running. So -- turned out to be more than we originally planned but it's done and it's AMAZING! Looks brand new. Take a look for yourself!

Before Pictures --

Week by week, we took sections of doors off and sent them to Wisconsin to get stripped (BIG thanks to Mary Ann for volunteering to do that for us!!) After about 3 weeks, all the doors were done. It was time for the "bones" to get stripped and stained. (Nora and I got out of dodge for this part and stayed with Gram for the weekend.)

These were the worst cabinets. Right by the sink = lots of water marks.

Also note what the hardware looked like prior to my handy work.

The bones are stripped.

The walls are painted and the new floor is acclimating.

You can see in this picture the bones are stained but the drawers are still bare.

Although this is a mighty cute picture of Rusty Roo,

it is also meant to show you a close up of the old floor.

After Pictures -- drum roll, please....

Cabinets stained - check.

Hardware refinished - check.

New dishwasher installed - check.

New floor installed - check.

Fresh paint on the walls - check.

LOVE IT!!

This was that really terrible part. It turned out so nicely!

These look like brand new, pay big bucks per pull kind of handles if you ask me. All it took was some soaking, scrubbing, spray primer, brushed steel spray paint, and a clear coat for protection.

Even Rusty got a new personalized mat for his food dishes.