Hello! It’s been a while so I thought I would write up a quick post on the process of my single wall kitchen makeover 🙂 As there are a ton of great DIY resources for projects like this already, I’ll just be sharing the general process and the information I found most helpful. This is more of a ‘get back into the swing of things’ post than anything. I find the more labor-intensive the project, the fewer pictures I remember to take, so bear with me!
A Kitchen Makeover
As I was doing this makeover myself, I made no structural or layout changes to my single wall kitchen. I also chose to keep my cabinets because they were in decent shape and had wood fronts. It cut down on cost substantially to keep them and I felt good about reusing something that was still perfectly functional instead of demolishing it.
Step 1: Level Base Cabinets
Since I was using existing base cabinets and replacing only the countertop, I needed to make sure the base cabinets were level before the installers would make a template. I don’t know if there are companies that will take care of leveling in addition to installing your countertops, but mine did not! I hired a quality handyman to come in, remove my old laminate countertop and sink, and level the base cabinets before the templating process could begin.
Step 2: Replace Countertops/Sink
The first truly fun part of the makeover was choosing the countertops! For simplicity’s sake, I chose a quartz countertop and stainless steel sink from IKEA. The IKEA near me uses a local company that I trust for installation, so I felt good about the decision. I went with the 3cm KASKER countertop in white with a marble effect.
After the countertop was installed, I had my handyman come back and re-plumb my sink, garbage disposal, dishwasher, and new faucet.
Note: There was a significant gap of time between when the template was created to when the countertops were finally installed. I was without a functioning kitchen for a few weeks, which was the literal worst. Needless to say I was happy when I no longer had to wash my dishes in the bathtub! Depending on the requirements of your countertop installers this may not happen to everyone, but I thought I would mention it.
Step 3: Refinish Cabinets
Now came the biggest project – refinishing my old cabinets! This process was pretty involved but worth it in the end. First, I took all the cabinet fronts off and removed all of the drawers. I labeled absolutely everything to make sure the hardware matched the cabinets and cabinets matched their original locations.
I consulted numerous Youtube videos such as ‘How to PAINT Your Kitchen Cabinets the EASY Way‘, ‘DIY How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets‘, and ‘How To Paint Cabinets‘. I took guidance from each video and settled on what I felt would be best method for my situation. To be honest, the process ended up being similar to that of my dresser refinishing project.
Prep – Wash, Sand, Fill
I used Krud Krutter to wash down every surface that I would be painting. Then, I sanded those same surfaces with 180 grit paper. This was a scuff-sand, so I wasn’t too concerned with fully removing the existing finish. I used a combination of my orbital sander for the flat areas and plain paper for the curved/hard to reach areas. Finally, I filled any cracks or gouges with wood filler or spackling and re-sanded those areas smooth.
Prime
At my nearest Benjamin Moore store, I bought one gallon of STIX primer tinted to match my final paint color. I applied one coat to the inside and outside of the cabinets/drawer fronts as well as the frames.
Paint
I chose Benjamin Moore Advance paint, as it had great reviews as a cabinet paint. I purchased one gallon of ‘Narragansett Green’ and applied two coats to the inside and outside of the cabinets/drawer fronts as well as the frames.
I then changed the hardware and put everything back!
A note on the hardware: I used brass pulls from Wayfair, but darkened them a bit with Rub’n Buff in the color ‘Gold Leaf’ to reduce the contrast.
Step 4: Replace Appliances
For my appliances, I created a bundle at Home Depot. I went with stainless steel GE for my microwave, dishwasher, and stove, as they had good reviews and were in my price range. I chose Frigidaire for my refrigerator because they had a model that was countertop depth and also had French doors.
I did have to wait to do the backsplash until these were installed because Home Depot wouldn’t install the above-range microwave over tile. If you are making over your kitchen, be sure you check on installation requirements when deciding on your order of operations!
Step 5: Install backsplash
The final stretch! Overall, the backsplash installation was much easier and quicker than the cabinet refinishing, but did require me to learn a few new things.
Tile Laying
I consulted many more Youtube videos such as ‘How To Install A Subway Tile Backsplash’ and ‘How to install a simple subway tile kitchen backsplash’ to learn about how to lay tile. I used 3″X6″ tile with a slight beveled edge so I did not need to use spacers between tiles. I chose a mirrored layout for the corner.
Tile Cutting
Mitered Corners – Since I was using a multi-purpose ceramic tile edging (as my chosen tile did not come in a bullnose version) I had to make my own 45 degree cuts with a wet saw to achieve mitered corners.
L-cuts – In order to make the tricky cuts around outlets and window sills, I had to use a wet saw. I chose the Ryobi tabletop model with stand because it was the middle of winter and I had to do all my messy cutting indoors. I also enlisted my brother for moral support as I am scared of power tools.
Grouting and Caulking
I chose a non-sanded medium grey grout. Most of the DIY videos about installing a backsplash covered grouting and caulking, but ‘How to Grout a Backsplash‘ is another general overview of the processes.
The manufacturer of my grout also made a caulk in a matching grey, so that’s what I used. It ended up a bit darker than the grout, but it isn’t too noticeable.
Sealing
This one is pretty self-explanatory! I just followed the directions on the bottle of my spray-on sealer.
Final Thoughts
I’m very proud of this kitchen makeover and there is only one thing I would (and probably will) change. Because of the layout of the single wall kitchen, my refrigerator and range need to be next to each other. This isn’t great for the efficiency and lifespan of the refrigerator, but since I can avoid using the right hand burners unless cooking for a big group, I wasn’t too worried about it. However, my old stove had burner covers much further away from the edge of the stove than the new model. This causes a much higher transfer of heat to the side of the refrigerator when using those burners than I am comfortable with. I may have to replace the stove entirely, which is quite a bummer.
