The Kitchen

The cabinet painting project is finally complete. [fist pump]

The shiny 80's oak? Gone. The very fake-looking wood paneling? Gone. A contemporary, cottage-y feel on a limited budget? Achieved.

First, the before shots. We took these pics when we were still house hunting.

And here's one from just a couple of weeks ago.

We never liked the cabinet color and finish. But we REALLY never liked the wood paneling on the sides and back of the cabinets.

So we took the kitchen apart. We sanded. We painted. We bought new hardware. We spray painted hinges. We put the kitchen back together.

Then we rested. And enjoyed a visit from Josh's parents.

And then? We took off the trim and old paneling. We bought beadboard. We got it cut at Lowe's. We bought a jig saw. We cut a hole for an outlet. We sanded. We painted. We put it up. We put on the old trim (painted white to match.) We caulked. We touched up the paint.

And now? Here is what our kitchen looks like.

Our cheap-o kitchen makeover ended up costing around $400. The total includes the purchase of an electric sander and jig saw, in addition to hardware, primer, paint, liquid nails, "real" nails, and beadboard.

To us, it's $400 well spent.

The fake wood paneling is GONE. Replaced by crisp beadboard, painted white. This might be our favorite part. But we're suckers for beadboard.

Before and afters, for your viewing pleasure:

Whew! It's done! Now on the next project. Any guesses what it is?