Updating Our Kitchen for Under $200

I love almost every part of our kitchen, EXCEPT those cherry cabinets. As lovely as they were on their own, they just didn't match. I know it's kind of old fashioned these days, but I'm a big fan of matching (when I was a kid, I used to select my ice cream flavor to match the shirt I was wearing - I wish I could say I'm joking).

The counters are gray with black flecks and a pinkish undertone. The floor is pink-y beige and the backsplash is yellow beige. The red cabinets only added one more mismatched color to the mix rather than tying it all together. 

It's driven me crazy since we moved in seven years ago. Call it being obsessive or call it a "seven year itch," either way it was time for a change. I was NOT looking forward to the work or expense of redoing our cabinets though.

Through reviews online, I found Rust-oleum Cabinet Transformations (this post is not a paid endorsement for this product btw; it's just my account of what we did to our kitchen.) The reviews were mostly positive, and the before and after pics people posted looked great. So we decided to jump in and do it. We choose the expresso color, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work. 

There are four steps: deglosser (no sanding or stripping - yay!), a bond coat, a decorative glaze and a top protective coat. It's an easy process in that it doesn't require specialized skills, but it does require a lot of work which is to be expected for a project like this. 

Our kitchen has 26 cabinets and 11 drawers. It took two kits at approximately $60 per kit along with the cost of paint brushes and gloves. We started on Friday and worked six to eight hours a day through Tuesday. So was it worth it?

Ready for the big reveal?

I'd say it was definitely worth it! I think the kitchen looks richer and more elegant. The dark brown brings all of those pink, yellow, beige undertones together rather than fighting with them. Harmony at last (sigh).

Now that we've made this change, other things no longer look right. The light fixture in our dining area is too small and the wrong color (read Kitchen Update Part 2: New Chandelier for $60), and I'm thinking the front door needs to be painted to match the cabinets too. Our floor plan is very open. Four rooms are open and visible to one another from the kitchen, to the entry way, to the living area and dining area. No isolated quick fixes here.

Have you ever completed a DIY project to realize that now you've created more projects and work for yourself? If so, I'd love to hear about them and commiserate (while secretly jumping for joy because the truth is, I love home projects).