After 5 years in our “fixer upper” home, we finally had the funds and guts to take on our 1973 kitchen. Definitely Chip + Jo style! We did most of the work ourselves, learning from YouTube videos and making many trips to Lowe’s. This has been our hardest DIY project to date but I have never been more proud.
They say the kitchen is the heart of your home. It’s certainly true in our house since I do most of the cooking and baking. Creating is my happy place. And now I’ve finally got a space I can’t wait to show off when we entertain.
Complete with a matching mustard yellow sink and oven, here’s a look at the before.
Voilà! Literally everything has been updated and I can’t stop staring at it. It’s crazy how paint, new fixtures, hardware and backsplash can change a whole space.
The whole renovation took a little over a couple months with the process of ordering countertops and painting cabinets. We were able to knock out the backsplash, hardware and light fixtures over a weekend.
We definitely learned a lot throughout the process and leaned a lot on YouTube videos and wine. Here’s a few of our products we highly recommend for a kitchen renovation:
- Black Cabinet Handles – So much cheaper on Amazon!
- Kobalt 7-in 1 Wet Tabletop Sliding Table Tile Saw – Literally could not have done the backsplash without this tool. An investment but worth the money.
- Satori Wall Tile Sheets – A complete game changer!
- MusselBound White Plastic Tile Membrane – Adhesive sheets used to stick the tile sheets to the wall. So easy to use!
- allen + roth Brushed Nickel Pendant Light – I just love how simple it is.
- MAPEI Flexcolor Premix Grout – No need to mix grout and worry about getting the texture messed up.
- Tile Spacers – Even though the tile came on premade mesh sheets, we had to have spacers to make sure they were even.
- Outlets with USBs – We changed all of our outlets to have USBs and it’s so nice to not have to chase down all the charger pieces.
- Plastic Wall Plate Spacer – We were able to install these behind the outlets so they would fit over the tile and be flush.
Projects like these make me so thankful I have a man who loves me enough to take on this mess. Lots of long days and nights and learning new things together.