Kitchen: Before and After
The award for "Biggest Transformation" goes to.... The KITCHEN! This room was a true labor of love but the final product is truly spectacular!
In the previous post "It's Demo Day" you got to see us tear this baby apart! This was a fun day but it was a lot of work! Goodbye to the old particle board cabinets. Goodbye to the formica counter tops. Goodbye to the DROP CEILING and linoleum floor! We even tore down a wall to open up the once tiny pantry/hallway separation. In the end we had stripped the room down to the studs, on nearly every surface!
Just for a walk down memory lane, here are some "before" pictures, and a few highlights from demo day!
Before:
Demo in progress:
After demo happened, we were on a bit of a hold! I had to work with the cabinet company to design the layout and order the cabinets. We also had to order all of our other finishes such as flooring, backsplash tile and countertops! In addition there was a LOT of prep work to be done by our contractor such as electrical and drywall.
Here are some photos of us in progress on the kitchen:
Electrical and Drywall are in, time to paint!
We also had to tackle the stairs going into the basement! For such a small area it was QUITE a chore! This was our biggest DIY project on the house and was done completely by us. The original stairway was covered in the same linoleum that the rest of the kitchen was covered in. We spent hours peeling and scraping it off. Next we put new treads and risers on the stairs to make a more polished look. Finally we did all of the finishing touches such as stain, paint, caulk and add quarter round finishes. A new light fixture and an accent door finished off the space!
Next all of the cabinets arrived and we were able to put on the hardware! It was amazing seeing the room finally come together! Also, check out those floors!!!
Finally the counter tops arrived! They are so absolutely stunning! They are Quartz, white ground with shades of gray and a little hint of sparkle! Once they went in the backsplash quickly followed!
The Backsplash was my design, using the subway tile but in a herringbone pattern. It turned out absolutely stunning!
We had a tough time coordinating where our pendant light and floating shelves would go! But man they look great now that they are done!
It seemed like AGES before we saw the end product taking shape, but once the drywall was up, we were able to paint. Next thing we knew the kitchen was finished! And wow! I am in love!
