My New Kitchen!!!!

My kitchen is finally ready for its big before and after debut! (OK, I'm still not totally done, but I have enough done to get good pictures and make it look like I'm done) My only regret in this whole process is not taking more "before" pictures. When I decided I was going to get started, I ripped out the old sink and countertop and it was on its way to the dump the very next day. I thought I had plenty of pictures from the first year we lived here, but I guess I was wrong. Here are the few before pictures that I was able to find:

Before:

I am sad to report, this is the best before picture that I have. Note the dark, purpley laminate counter and stainless sink and faucet. The sink looks ok in this picture, but the finish was completely ruined and it was covered in scratches. The faucet had cruddy build-up all around the base, and once I took it out, I discovered nasty mold or something growing on the back side of it. Trust me, no amount of cleaning could have brought that sink and faucet up to my standards.

After:

I went from a two handled faucet to a single lever because that way I can turn on the faucet on with my wrist when I have raw eggs or something icky on my hands and I don't have to worry about cleaning the handle.

The sink I chose has a divider that only comes half way up the sink. That way, I have the benefit of being able to soak dishes in one sink and rinse on the other side, but the divider doesn't get in the way when I need to clean large dishes. It's called the Kohler smart divide, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking into a new sink. And the cast iron makes washing dishes as quiet as possible. I just have to make sure I don't use harsh cleaners or abrasive scrubbers.

The little diamonds in the backsplash are 1"x1" recycled glass tiles that I ordered in many different bright colors. I decided to use a lot of different colors so that I wouldn't limit myself to one color scheme in my decorating. Now I can paint my kitchen any bright color, and it won't clash with the backsplash. And I think kitchens deserve bright colors.

Different View Before:

Like I said, I'm low on before pictures, but I did manage to find this one which illustrates the state of the paint and baseboard before I started my work (just ignore the postnatal woman with baby in a sling). You can't see it here, but the baseboard was very poorly installed and there were three different types of baseboard in the kitchen, all extremely different from eachother.

After:

I tried to get that phone jack off the wall, but for the life of me, I couldn't do it, so I just painted over it.

I also invested in new blinds. The old, cheap mini blinds broke in half a few days after I started my remodel. I chose these faux wood blinds; they're much more sturdy, and they do a much better job at keeping the afternoon sun from warming up the kitchen.

The Process...
In this section, I'll focus on one element at a time and post pictures of its progress from start to finish with as little text as possible. Hopefully the pictures can do the talking. Except where noted otherwise, all work was done 100% by yours truly.

Plumbing
(The most difficult part of the entire project. no joke.)

The Sink, Main Counter Top, and Backsplash
Thanks to my neighbor for cutting this large piece of plywood out for me.

Thanks to my other neighbor and his buddy for lifting this cast iron sink into place.
Look at how bright and shiny this corner is now!




Side Counter Top

I widened this counter top to make it more useful
I don't know if putting that small row of glass tiles on that corner was a good idea, but I did it, so there it stays. It still needs grout.


The Door
Thanks to Miguel and Mario for installing the door and trim.

I can keep an eye on my car now!

The Paint
Again, look past the child crawling out of her pants and focus on the paint
I'm not going to do anything about that little vent, because for some reason I really like it. I think it's cute.

The Restaurant Booth

Thank You:

• Grandpa and Grandma Vaden for a generous donation which purchased nearly all needed tools, thin-set, mortar, and most white tiles. Thank you!
• My neighbor for lending me tools and expertise.
• Miguel for surprising me and getting my door installed while mother and I were visiting the aquarium. Love you Miguel!
• Chuck for the Home Depot gift card which purchased the cabinet hardware.
• My mom for helping out with touch-up paint and removing painters tape which I had left on entirely too long

I still have more I want to do. I need to paint the ceiling and put in new flooring, but at this point, those issues seem very minor when I take a look at the horrible, matted, red carpet in my living room. That will be my next project, and it'll probably have to wait til tax time. Hopefully we'll get a good return this year. I hope you enjoyed seeing all the work I've done. I really enjoyed working on it, and I'm kind of sad I'm almost done. But it's good timing because I start summer school next monday! Then it's time to hit the books! Thanks for stopping by!