Before and After: My Budget Kitchen Remodel

I’m going to show you my DIY kitchen remodel before and after that can be done on a budget.

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

So while home on maternity leave, I started the plan to renovate my kitchen. I will provide more details on the layout and cabinet selection later. But I will tell you my budget was VERY lean. My kitchen cabinets were literally falling apart. I had to totally gut my kitchen and rebuild it for under $5000-$6000 max. This meant I had to get creative, very creative.

From demo to install, check out the tools that I found absolutely essential during my kitchen renovation.

Before

I bought my house a little over 8 years ago with the intention of one day totally renovating my kitchen. It was beyond dated. And the blue ceiling was disgusting!

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I updated it multiple times over the years by removing the ugly blue tile, painting the existing cabinets and I even tiled over the existing countertops. But there are so many times I could put a bandaid over something that is falling apart and lacked the usability I need.

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The kitchen cabinets layout and style didn’t work for me. I had no room for my huge tea collection (I have a tea obsession). And why did people put in soffits? I HATE soffits. I mean give me back my wall and ceiling space. I’d rather taller cabinets.

So I partnered with The Home Depot to show you how you can totally transform a kitchen on a small budget using in-stock cabinets and a fresh coat of paint. We took the kitchen down to the studs and transformed the space into something you’d see on Airbnb. Hahaha.

Demo

For this project, I enlisted the help of my friend, once again to help me with the demolition and the heavy lifting. I also worked with him to do my deck renovation. So I work full time and I have a newborn. So the idea of me trying to tackle this project all by myself, well it just wasn’t happening. LOL I have to be realistic. Knowing you can do it, doesn’t mean you have to actually do it all.

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With help, I was able to demo the kitchen in one day.

Install

We maintained the basic layout of the kitchen to cut down on any additional costs. That also made cabinet selection a lot easier.

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With the walls back up and the cabinets in place, I could start to see my vision come to life. I just didn’t know what color the vision would be. Hahaha.

ProjectColor™ App

I was all over the place in terms of what color I wanted to paint the walls and cabinets. I couldn’t decide on a color. But luckily I was able to plug the images of the kitchen into The Home Depot ProjectColor™ App and test out a whole variety of color combinations without picking up a paintbrush.

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At the end of the day, I decided on Smoky White for the walls and Nature’s Gift for the cabinets.

Customization

I customized the stock cabinets by adding a decorative molding I made using 1x3s and 1×4 lumber. I also added a board as a filler above the refrigerator to make it look like a built-in. The countertop really took it to another level. I went with a High-Performance Marble Solid Surface called Birch Bark. I then paired the cabinet color with gold accents like the gold handles and faucet.

The Paint

• Walls – BEHR ULTRA 1 gal. #BWC-13 Smoky White Satin Enamel Interior Paint and Primer in One
• The Cabinets – We used a BEHR Urethane Alkyd Semi-Gloss Enamel Interior/Exterior Paint in Nature’s Gift because this type of paint is specially made for cabinets.
• Ceiling – BEHR PREMIUM PLUS 5 gal. Ultra Pure White Ceiling Flat
• Primer – KILZ Adhesion 1 Gal. White Bonding Interior/Exterior Primer

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After – The Big Reveal

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Time for a Staycation! Till Next Time. ~T.

Materials I Used

• The Cabinets – In-stock Unfinished Cabinets
• Cabinet Door Handles – GlideRite 6-1/4 in. Satin Gold Solid Square Slim Cabinet Drawer Bar Center-to-Center Pulls (10-Pack)
• The Gold Faucet – KRAUS Oletto Single-Handle Pull-Down Sprayer Kitchen Faucet in Gold
• Shelf Brackets
• The Deep Sink – MR Direct Drop-in Stainless Steel 23 in. 3-Hole Single Bowl Kitchen Sink
• The Countertop – High-Performance Marble Solid Surface called Birch Bark

Tools I Used

• RIDGID Cordless Drill/Driver and Impact Driver 2-Tool Combo Kit
• RIDGID 18-Volt Cordless Brushless Drywall Screwdriver with Collated Attachment
• Bosch BLAZE 165 ft. Laser Distance Measurer with Bluetooth and Full Color Display
• Bosch 65 ft. Self Leveling Cross Line Laser Level with Plumb Points
• RIDGID 9 Gal. 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum with Filter, Hose and Accessories
• Dremel Saw-Max with Tile Blade

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I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the Home Depot Paint Program 2019. As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.