Thursday, May 27, 2010

DIY Kitchen Makeover

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments on my kitchen makeover, I'm so thrilled you like the results of all my blood, sweat and numerous tears! Today as promised I'll go through all the details of what I did, how I did it and what I products I used.

So, the first step was to remove all the cabinet doors ready for painting. As I mentioned here, I bought myself an airless spray gun, and I tell you, that baby is worth its weight in gold! The most important advice I can give is to set up a mini spray booth - you do get a bit of overspray and for some reason I don't think I'd have been too popular if I'd painted everything else along with the doors!

Once you're all set up, give the doors a light sand before applying a coat of sealer/primer/undercoat. The best, in my opinion, is Zinsser's BIN 123. It's spirit based, dries quickly and can be used with any top coat. This was followed by two coats of Dulux Wash and Wear 101 acrylic gloss, in Vivid White.







 
after undercoating


While the doors were an easy fix, I still had the problem of a particularly ugly brick island - remember this?



I love the look of beadboard, which proved to be the perfect solution. I bought three panels of Easycraft Easy Regency from Bunnings, and as they come pre-undercoated, all they needed was two coats of topcoat. Then, I glued them straight onto the bricks using Liquid Nails.



To finish off, I trimmed the corners with timber beading, and added skirting along the bottom edge, and also under the benchtop.




Besides the painting, I think replacing the knobs made a huge difference to the look of the room. I went for black cast iron, and although my original choice was this one, available online from here, in the interests of time I went with an almost exact version I found at Bunnings.




That's about it. After wrestling with the door hinges, all the doors went back on, I replaced the knobs, and voila - a whole new room. I do plan to replace the benchtop, splashback and possibly change the wall cutout down the track, and I'm on the lookout for some lovely pendant lights for above the island, but for now I'm loving the new look and I'm in no hurry to change a thing. But you know how, once you revamp one area, the others look shabby in comparison? My to-do list is growing by the second - I think that little spray gun of mine can expect a serious workout! Ok, just a few more before and afters to refresh your memory:









See you tomorrow!


34 comments:

  1. I am still loving it! I am now thinking of my bathroom cabinet. It is very similar to your old kitchen hmm. Perhaps I could give hubby a spray gun for father's day.

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  2. I've said it once and I'll say it again... it looks amazing. You are amazing. Your spray gun is amazing! Well done.. A x

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  3. Kerri, it absolutely gorgeous!!! You have done the most professional job, you should be so proud! Oh, and I think we must be soul sisters or something because I have those Mother of Pearl & Sons knobs in my kitchen and used those exact Bunnings ones on our TV cabinet makeover!! LURVE your kitchen, enjoy all of your fabulous hard work ~ Tina xx

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  4. The only thing I painted with my spray gun was my elbows....

    KItchen looks fabulous!

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  5. Oh you made that look far too easy! And I know for sure that it wasn't...well not quite. Awesome, awesome job. Do you think your painting process would work on ordinary kitchen cabinet doors (not wood ones?) Because you could come and try it out on mine if you weren't sure...I'm helpful like that! :)xx

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  6. oh gosh! Kerri I still can't quite believe you did all this by yourselves!? You are a true genious!! The kitchen looks AMAZING, as you said it's a whole new room, I love it!!
    Perfect, absolutely awesome job
    xxx Flaviana

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  7. Kerri, Kerri, Kerri, you are a clever chook! Amazing.... amazing. A-M xx

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  8. Hi Kerri, wow what a makeover... Similar to my kitchen, hubby convinced me to try a coat of paint, as I was certain that we would have to rip it out and start again. I love how you have used the VJ paneling to cover the brickwork and the skirting... It looks amazing, job very well done!!!

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  9. Thanks Kerri, that is so great to know. My second home is Bunnings so it is good to know all of the tips and that I can buy the products there! I am getting very excited at the prospect of doing our kitchen now! xx

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  10. How fantastic! I have been wanting to do this EXACT same thing to my kitchen cupboards but have lacked the courage. You have totally inspired me! Thank you SO much. Can't wait to see what you do with the benchtops.

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  11. Oh My Goodness Kerri...I am blown away. Just amazing transformation...excellent job sweety...you should feel very proud..just looks awesome...awesome ..awesome :) x

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  12. Wow. It looks like a new kitchen, Kerri. It really does. So, Zinsser? It seems to be the magic product. Thanks so much for your comments. I saw this post earlier and took a mental note. I can only hope my shelves look half as good as your lovely kitchen!

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  13. Oh Kerri!!! This is a real before and after!!! what a transormation!!!! You have to be proud of yourself, dear, you made a fantastic work!!! And your kitchen now is amazing, fresh and full of light!!! Love it!!!

    Hugs!
    Mara

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  14. Kerri it looks amazing. Even without replacing the benchtop and splashback it looks fabulous.
    Alison

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  15. You are a flipping legend Kerri!! Brilliant acheivement, well done you xxx

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  16. So pretty, I love it! I might just have to get a spray gun :)

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  17. Kerri, you did a marvelous job lightening up that kitchen! I bet you can hardly wait to scoot in there once your feet hit the floor every morning. What a delight to see such a gorgeous transformation. You should send this one to a magazine.
    Brenda

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  18. Dear Kerri,
    Well, What can I say. I bow to your expertise and salute you. You are brilliant. To have done all of that so beautifully is nothing short of incredible. It looks fan-bloody-tastic. If I lived nearby, I would bring a bottle of Champagne round to christen it.
    You have worked so hard, but you have created a wonderful workspace that you will enjoy cooking in. A great big high five to you.
    Right....what's next. haha ?!!!! XXXX

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  19. Oh Kerri, How lovely is your kitchen. Be very proud of yourself, girl! You did an amazing job.
    I'm about (just waiting the weather here to get better) to start mine and can't wait to put my hands on work.
    Beutiful job!
    Have a wonderful day,
    Li

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  20. Fab makeover... what a difference! It's so light now. Big pat on the back to you for your efforts, nice.
    Susan

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  21. WOW. WOW. WOW. This makeover is fabulous! Kerri, this is so beautifully done, the beadboard is inspired and the new kitchen handles are just perfection. Congratulations on a beautiful makeover. Can't wait to see what you tackle next. Meredy xo.

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  22. Oh my goodness it is fantastic, amazing, and gorgeous. So how many hours did it take and how many tears were shed??? I'm hoping to paint mine this summer so I need some details about how hard it is. I'm going back for another look at the amazing change. By the way, what are you doing for the backsplash? Have you considered beadboard, or would that be too much of a good thing.

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  23. I feel a telly contract coming up for your own show Kerri. Your mighty efforts beat those other DIY shows hands-down. Superb effort!
    Millie ^_^

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  24. You are truly inspirational! This is one of the 'cleverest' [not sure if that's a word] but you're truly it. I agree with Millie, if there's not a clever tv exec out there itching to get you your own slot, there should be. That's of course if you want that!

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  25. Gorgeous kitchen! I love how bright it looks and covering up the brick was a fabulous idea!

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  26. Hi Kerri, I've only recently discovered your blog and have to congratulate you, it's lovely! And as much as I love the overseas blogs that I check out, I love finding aussie blogs that have features on products I can actually get my hands on! Being in Mackay, I have an even more limited range of products and vintage treasures to choose from than Brissie. thanks for a great read and love the pics!
    cheers, Joely.

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  27. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing all these tips - am bookmarkng this post for future DIY projects. Once again, great job xx

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  28. What a wonderful transformation. Great work!

    Warmly, Michelle

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  29. You have definately inspired me to tackle my own timber kitchen. Mind you living in Melbourne I will have to wait quite a while for some warmer weather.

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  30. Great job you've done!
    I'm thinking about giving my kitchen a makeover for a while now, but money is always an issue :) and in fact I don't want to spend money or too much time in a house that me and my boyfriend don't pretend to live in for ever.
    So painting is a really good option and I think I could do the job but my boyfriend is afraid of the results (I send him this link!).
    Your cabinets are similar to mine, but here in Portugal we have tiles all over the walls and change it it's to much expensive, there for the makeover is never complete. But a white coat on the cabinets will make me love that kitchen a little more!
    Thank you for the inspiration!

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  31. That is totally amazing! No wonder you're pleased. I can see an increase in entertaining!
    Fiona

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  32. Hi Kerri, Deb from Moerk pointed me in your direction re. the kitchen makeover. Looks great you have inspired me to paint mine in the new year. By the way your blog is great, I enjoy following. KP

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  33. can any one tell me wats the best thing to cover up my black pvc splash back i hate it i realy want to do my kitchen shabby chic on a cheap budget thank u,

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