A Short Break from the Kitchen Makeover

Just for fun and to get out of the kitchen, I repainted one of my chairs that I keep on the porch.

I bought 2 of these at the thrift store a few years ago and haven't really done anything with them. And needless to say, something needed to be done. Poor thing.

So I sanded a bit to remove flaky paint, but I did not go through all 3 colors. I just made it somewhat smooth. Then painted it in this Fireberry paint from Valspar. It's a pretty color, I think.

And then I went out and bought a petunia. There were only 2 left, this one and a pinkish purple one. I was lucky to find one that gave good contrast with the chair.

Bright and cheerful!

Kitchen Makeover Update

I'm not sure where I left off, but I have finished putting all the beadboard wallpaper on the cabinet fronts. And since I can't make up my mind about paint and I'm tired of looking at the mess inside the cabinets, I decided to put the doors back on the cabinets.

I put a bunch of rope trim on too, but still have a few cabinets left to do. After putting it on and rehanging the doors I got a different perspective on the rope trim. I'm not sure I'm all that crazy about it. Sometimes when I look at it I really like it and sometimes I don't. So, I'm going to leave the cabinets the way they are for a few days and then decide to if I want to add the rest of the rope trim or take it all off.

Anyway, here is a shot of the bar area with rope trim and 2 coats of primer. It's kinda hard to look at it in this stage, all chalky. And, of course, after I get most of the rope trim attached, I wondering if I shouldn't have painted it first. C'est la vie.

Today I started working on crown moulding. I added some to a couple cabinets. Here's the before picture:

Here you can see the cabinets with and without rope trim.

Anyway, I started by attaching 1x2 to the top of the cabinets.

I then started cutting the crown moulding. I am crown moulding cutting deficient. I wasted about half a piece of crown moulding trying to get the cuts right. %-(

I used a compound miter saw to make my cuts, I just couldn't wrap my head around which way to cut each piece. I finally figured out a way that I could understand it and everything was fine after that. 

It all has to do with the spring angle of your crown moulding and then setting your bevel and miter angles on the saw. And of course, putting your piece on the saw correctly. What a headache, but I got it now. Here's a link to an online calculator to help with all that.

And I finally got it up there, which was a comedy of errors in itself with no one to hold the other end. But I endeavored to persevere (one of my favorite lines from The Outlaw Josey Wales). I attached the moulding to the 1x2, making sure everything was level. 

Normally I would have filled the nail holes right away, but it's time for a nice long hot bath. I feel like I got beat up. Guess I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff!

The crown moulding looks like it's slanting downward on the right on the cabinet above the fridge, but it isn't. It's the cabinet doors that are wonky. 

Stay tuned, there's more to come. And if you have any suggestions for paint colors I'd love to hear it.

Kitchen Cabinets Upgrade..........part 1

My original plan was to put beadboard on the recesses of the cabinet doors, under the bar and at the ends of the lower cabinets. That sounded pretty doable. But when I got to really looking at how my cabinets were made and how thick beadboard is, I couldn't make it work the way I wanted.

Enter beadboard wallpaper. I had heard of it before, but not until I got a wonderful tip from one of my lovely Facebook friends did I realize that it could be painted!!! And I was happy again!

I immediately ordered some. I chose the wallpaper from Graham & Brown, but I have read that Lowe's carries one as well.

When it arrived I did a little happy dance and started right in. I finished 6 cabinet doors before supper.

I'm no wallpaper expert for sure, but I think I did ok. I'm happy with it.

I started on the bar area the next day. I don't have a very good before picture, but here is one after I had already started. I removed the baseboard and took the wallpaper down to the floor.

Then as things progressed, I decided that I would continue the baseboard (which is on the walls) onto the bar area and the sides of the lower cabinets. So I had to remove a strip of wallpaper at the bottom. My baseboard is in 2 pieces, painted to look like 1 larger piece. So the grooves in the wallpaper might have been visible, that's why I removed it. You can read about my baseboards here.

Continuing the baseboard presented its own set of problems and I'm not entirely happy with how I handled it, but until I think of something else this is how it is. I am going to add wooden feet at the corners under the cabinet and I think that will help the issue.

Okay, so I decided to add some framing around this area so that it looked like my cabinets and gave it a more finished look. And I have to say I'm getting pretty darn good at making tight miter cuts!

Then I started experimenting with rope trim. I want to add it as another border on the cabinets and under the bar. I started cutting the trim with the miter saw, but I didn't like the results. I kept getting big chips taken off. I don't know if I'm using the wrong kind of blade or what. So, I cut them with a hand saw and miter box. Much better! 

As I cut pieces for one cabinet it dawned on me that I should make the first cut so it will fall right between the little rope twists. Common sense escapes me sometimes. You can see here in this picture that I will have to re-cut the top piece 'cuz the upper left end doesn't look right. Actually all the corners leave a little something to be desired, but it is what it is. I have since discovered that they make both a left and right twist rope trim so your miter ends will always match up. I also read that there is a flexible rope trim too. 

Overall, working with the wallpaper was pretty simple. It cuts easily and it easy to apply. As a matter of fact, I used my cutting mat and rotary cutter to cut it. I found that it seems to swell a little upon soaking it and so I always had to trim it after it went on. You can use a little caulk to hide the seams or if you make minor boo boos. I did feel I needed to be very careful not to make indentations in it, as I thought they could be permanent. It really looks like beadboard too. A drawback is that it probably won't hold up to very much abuse, as it is kinda like a foam type material. 

Here's a side by side.

To be continued.....

My Kitchen Before I Go Crazy With It

Here are some before shots of my kitchen, cleared of most everything.

There are several things I have planned for this kitchen. It needs a life!

Here's a partial list:

new tile countertops and backsplash
new paint treatment on cabinets
jazz up cabinet doors with trim
add crown molding to cabinets
new overhead lighting
install over-the-range microwave
new fridge and stove (yeah, right, like I can afford that)
and then there's the life part that cannot be put into words

The only work I've done in here so far is to put a frame and new sill around the window. It's awesome and I'm very proud of the job I did, 'cuz I did it all by myself, with power tools and everything!

And if you are looking in the background, you will see other things. I have wood stacked up and extension cords, etc laying around. I have a throw on the foyer window because I just put framing around it and it is waiting for a nice window treatment. Here's a link to the framing we did on my large living room window.

One day at a time.