After!

Cabinet Color - "custom" color by Benjamin Moore to match the trim in the house. I would classify it as an "off white".

Counters - Silver Pearl Granite through Lowes, but installed by Majestic Stone in Indianapolis. We also added a slight curve to the bar for a little bit of fun and a smidge of extra space.

Backsplash - Equipe Splendours White (3x12) - purchased at The Tile Shop

Grout - Whisper Gray from The Tile Shop

Sink - Franke Dual Mount 33" SS Double Bowl - Menards

Faucet - Delta Mateo (Nickel) - Lowes

Cabinet Hardware - Brainerd Architectural Knobs and Pulls - Lowes (Satin Nickel)

Appliances - Whirlpool - Lowes

Stools - First Avenue Apple Grove - Kittles Furniture (Indianapolis)

I know this is not "fancy", but we love the result and it was all DIY (minus the counter install) so we are thrilled and picked up some handy experience along the way! This was our first time installing tile and it was super messy, but we exceeded our expectations!

Love it!!! Enjoy your beautiful space!!

Very nice. You must so happy about your new kitchen.

Wow, looks great! That tile backsplash was a great option for the space.

Woodruff Floors

Wow, big improvement! I am impressed by the change and for just $7K. That is fantastic. Congrats.

Looks great! Congratulations on a lovely kitchen without breaking the bank.

Great transformation on a slim budget! Congrats...and be VERY proud of yourselves.

Congrats on the new kitchen! Great job!

Your kitchen looks great, I can’t believe you were able to do so much for 7k!

Wow! That’s a big transformation! It looks beautiful! Personally, I get a thrill out of saving money, so couple that with such a fantastic result and I’d say it’s a win-win!

Great job! The transformation is amazing and for only $7k - really impressive! You should be very proud!

Thanks everyone! We are pretty thrilled with the result!

Wow, I love it! You did a great job!

OMG all this on 7K - Great job, good decisions on selections. Enjoy as you should be proud of the end result.

Great job! Amazing what a fresh coat of paint and some carefully-considered countertop/cabinet contrast can do. We had that laminate too; it is the light-sucking king of laminate-LOL! Your new cabinet hardware really makes a difference too. I know you'll enjoy working in your new space.

Tony Montana, a reveal is not the place to criticize. You can voice your opinion in the planning stages, but not after the fact.

@ Tony Montana - to each their own. We love it and it has brightened up what was a very dark and dreary space. The kitchen is northern exposure and gets little to no direct sunlight. We are thrilled with the outcome and our realtor agreed that we added quite a bit of value for our market. Each person has their own tastes, and this update suited ours. Have a nice day!

@ abbycat9990 - Funny you mention the light sucking! That was our intention from the start, to brighten up the space! Plus, I had a hard time with that particular laminate because everything was lost on the counter. Crumbs, debris and gunk didn't show up and made them a pain to clean!

Nice job! It looks great and I love your backsplash choice!

Tony Montoya is proving to be a nasty little troll. I vote we put it on ignore.

Looks like you put the money where it counts. Nice choices on materials / fixtures / appliances. And kudos on doing the work yourselves, it looks like a professional result.

@Tony Montana - Sorry to burst your bubble, but the "truth", as you call it, is yours. Not mine or the professionals that gave us their advice and expertise along the way, which included an unbiased professional cabinet painter (who works in luxury homes and inspected our cabinets) and a realtor.

I get it, you don't like it. Cool. Move on. We are good here. I never expected everyone to love it, but I do and I pay the mortgage, so that is all that matters.

Yeah - the professional was my husband's uncle who has had a painting and re-finishing business for over 27 years, who knew full well we were not going to pay him to do it. Pretty unbiased and straightforward. He helped us out immensely.

Wow, what a wonderful makeover on a tight budget!!! I especially love your new granite!!!

-----------------

I feel so sorry for you, Tony. Your life must be so lonely that you
attack on the internet just for attention. I hope your life gets
better, soon.

Good Job Emily! Enjoy it!

It goes to show you don't need lots of money to make a place look beautiful, just good taste. Great job!

Nicely done!

It looks great. Congrats on a job well done. Can you explain the painting process you followed? Always helpful to me.

Well done! :-)

Do you mine sharing how you like the double oven range? I'm thinking about getting one myself. Most of what I make would fit in the smaller oven, but it's nice to have that second oven for the handful of occasions when I'm cooking two things at once.

Beautiful!

Really great job! I cannot begin to imagine how much effort it took to get your cabinets painted so nicely! Enjoy your new kitchen!

To answer your questions:

Double Oven - I love the double oven. I had wanted one for years and am so happy with the purchase. You do lose the storage at the bottom of the oven, but I never use that anyways, so it was not a big loss for me. I mainly use the smaller oven for most things, but it is so nice to have the extra one when I need to make a side dish at a different temp or one a different setting (bake vs. broil). The lower oven is a convection oven and I really love that feature (never had one before). I also use my lower oven for homemade pizza (once a week) and keep my pizza stone in there. I love the way the convection cooks the pizza. I think it comes down to what type of cook you are, but I would say, for us, it was a great purchase!

Painting - I am not going to lie, this was a beast of a project and we probably added too many unnecessary steps that complicated it even more. We started with removing all hardware/doors, carefully marking each door/drawer (with painters tape) and the coupled hardware. For doors, I used alphabet. For drawers, I used numbers. Each door/drawer got a letter/number and the inside space got the same letter/number. Hardware was placed in a baggie with corresponding letter/number. Just remember as you are flipping the doors/drawers to paint, you are keeping the letter/number nearby or attached.

1. We cleaned all the surfaces to be painted with TSP cleaner. This is were you would also make any repairs (fill in holes, kicks, etc.). We lucked out and did not have any repairs to make and we were re-using the original holes for knobs/handles.

2. Sanded all the surfaces with 180 grit sandpaper (we used a power sander). This becomes more difficult if you have lots of nooks and crannies in your cabinets or molding. Wipe with water to remove any dust.

3. Primed everything with an alkyd primer. We used Benjamin Moore Fresh Start primer.

4. Sand everything again. This time with 220 sandpaper. Wipe with water.

5. Primed everything again. This time with Aqua Lock Plus primer (we purchased at a Benjamin Moore retailer).

6. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

7. First coat of paint. We used Benjamin Moore Advanced in Satin.

8. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

9. Second coat of paint.

10. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

11. At this point my husband went around and caulked (use paintable caulk!) any areas
were there was a "shadowing" effect to make the cabinets look seamless. So, in corners and
were trim met the cabinet.

12. Third coat of paint.

13. After the third coat, we waited 4 full days to re-hang the cabinets and add hardware. We wanted to give the cabinets plenty of time to dry and cure.

We did everything with a brush and roller. (Brush for the intricate details in the molding, roller on every possible surface and to smooth any drips.) In hindsight, we wish we would have taken the extra step to set up a painting booth and spray them. They look great, but when you get really close, you can see a little bit of the texture the roller left behind.

My biggest advice for anyone taking on this project is to plan on it taking a few weeks (unless you are devoting full days to the project). Follow the instructions for drying and re-coat times on the primer/paint. Most importantly, take your time. Always be on the lookout for drips and fix them as soon as you see them.

Beautiful!!

Very nicely done! Everything you did had such a big impact. How do you like the curved bar? I'd like to see your sink better but will do look it up online. I'm not sure what a dual mount is. I love the way you were able to keep so much of the old kitchen and make it all better.

Great job. Love all your choices.

Is it just me, or are many of the posts on this thread disappearing? I saw that Emily posted an extensive step-by-step on how she painted the cabinets, but that post is now gone. I got a notification that she had responded to my inquiry about the double-oven range, but when I came to the thread to read it, that post is no longer here, either.

Incredible change! I hope you'll be very happy in your "new" kitchen for years to come!

You did a great job -- I am making a note of the backsplash tile, in case I ever decide to take that on -- my counter is very similar and your pairing looks great!

Looks great! You’ll have to update on how you like the range. I have a similar set up and will be doing an update as well. I need two ovens so am looking into something like yours so would love with to hear how useful it is. Is the smaller oven functional? I thinking I’d use it for casseroles or warming bread but have no clue.

Your tile work phenomenal. I love the framed corner!

The only thing I would change is to make a couple of doors glass panels. Maybe the two at the end of the peninsula. Then put a couple of puck lights in there? Could be a fun diy later on.

What a transformation - it is lovely! I love your choices. Also, like cs929 and Annette, I'm very interested to hear how you like the double oven, I too am considering whether to get one or a 'normal' oven.

Beautiful kitchen! It is amazing you were able to do so much for $7k! You did a great job!

Agreed on all the above - but yes, yes, yes to the attention to detail on that tile. You measures, ended with full / half tiles, framed it with a beautiful mitered edge and showed an amazing amount of attention to detail.

BRAVO!!!!!

Priceless! Your kitchen is beautiful. I love your choice in granite. It has that sparkly blue that goes perfect with your wall color. The backsplash tile is elegant and clean looking. Your space was nicely done! Great job and I love your positive attitude. You ignore the negative and embrace the positive! ~boxer

Not sure what is happening with my posts. I can see my post about the double oven and painting step by step, but it keeps appearing and disappearing. Just in case....

Double Oven - I love the double oven. I had wanted one for years and am so happy with the purchase. You do lose the storage at the bottom of the oven, but I never use that anyways, so it was not a big loss for me. I mainly use the smaller oven for most things, but it is so nice to have the extra one when I need to make a side dish at a different temp or one a different setting (bake vs. broil). The lower oven is a convection oven and I really love that feature (never had one before). I also use my lower oven for homemade pizza (once a week) and keep my pizza stone in there. I love the way the convection cooks the pizza. I think it comes down to what type of cook you are, but I would say, for us, it was a great purchase!

Painting - I am not going to lie, this was a beast of a project and we probably added too many unnecessary steps that complicated it even more. We started with removing all hardware/doors, carefully marking each door/drawer (with painters tape) and the coupled hardware. For doors, I used alphabet. For drawers, I used numbers. Each door/drawer got a letter/number and the inside space got the same letter/number. Hardware was placed in a baggie with corresponding letter/number. Just remember as you are flipping the doors/drawers to paint, you are keeping the letter/number nearby or attached.

1. We cleaned all the surfaces to be painted with TSP cleaner. This is were you would also make any repairs (fill in holes, kicks, etc.). We lucked out and did not have any repairs to make and we were re-using the original holes for knobs/handles.

2. Sanded all the surfaces with 180 grit sandpaper (we used a power sander). This becomes more difficult if you have lots of nooks and crannies in your cabinets or molding. Wipe with water to remove any dust.

3. Primed everything with an alkyd primer. We used Benjamin Moore Fresh Start primer.

4. Sand everything again. This time with 220 sandpaper. Wipe with water.

5. Primed everything again. This time with Aqua Lock Plus primer (we purchased at a Benjamin Moore retailer).

6. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

7. First coat of paint. We used Benjamin Moore Advanced in Satin.

8. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

9. Second coat of paint.

10. Sand everything again. 220 grit. Wipe with water.

11. At this point my husband went around and caulked (use paintable caulk!) any areas
were there was a "shadowing" effect to make the cabinets look seamless. So, in corners and
were trim met the cabinet.

12. Third coat of paint.

13. After the third coat, we waited 4 full days to re-hang the cabinets and add hardware. We wanted to give the cabinets plenty of time to dry and cure.

We did everything with a brush and roller. (Brush for the intricate details in the molding, roller on every possible surface and to smooth any drips.) In hindsight, we wish we would have taken the extra step to set up a painting booth and spray them. They look great, but when you get really close, you can see a little bit of the texture the roller left behind.

My biggest advice for anyone taking on this project is to plan on it taking a few weeks (unless you are devoting full days to the project). Follow the instructions for drying and re-coat times on the primer/paint. Most importantly, take your time. Always be on the lookout for drips and fix them as soon as you see them.

Thanks everyone for the lovely compliments. The backsplash was our most nerve wracking piece, as we had never laid tile. We took a free class at the tile shop near us and watched tons of you tube videos and just took our time. We were pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Now my husband is just praying I don’t want to re-tile the bathroom anytime soon! :-)

Beautiful job...Agreed, tiling isn't as scary as it looks and a backsplash is a great place to begin (killer on your back, though, right?).

Further down the line, you might consider undercabinet lights. They make a huge difference. We got some led ones off amazon that have a remote (so we didn't have to add a switch). We just had to add an outlet up into the cabinet (we already had one for the microwave in the cabinet above that one. You can connect iirc, so you may not need to).

Awesome job especially for 7K!