Kitchen DIY Facelift

My kitchen breakfast nook area was in desperate need of an update, so of course I jumped on Pinterest to see what I could do.  I found some clever ideas and did what you see now for right at $100!

Obviously it isn't finished yet, I still need to put up the new curtains, nail down the trim board a little better, and eventually we will need to redo the ceiling, but it is a great start and I am sooo excited.  First of all I'm so thankful to my DH for letting me take advantage of him while he was on vacation.  :)   Here is  bigger picture of the before. 

I wanted to address the most pressing issues in this area which were 1. the carpet was stained, ripped, and needed replaced;  2. the backsplash was starting to yellow and peel up;  3. and we needed a new table and chairs because I confiscated the half circle table we had for my craft nook.  (Priorities!)  Here is a closer view of how I solved each of these problems.

 First I knew I needed a backsplash, but summer money is always tight for us so I just wanted a temporary DIY fix. All the materials I used I found at Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store because that's basically all we have in my town. I found rolls of Vinyl at my local Walmart with this pattern on it.  (Think tablecloth type material.) The vinyl was in the picture frames, flowers, vases, and home décor isle at my Walmart.  This backsplash cost me $11.50 total (I got 4 yards) and I still have half of it.  I love it so much I think I will go ahead and do the rest of the kitchen with the same.  I love that I can wash it.  I love that I didn't need to spray it or coat it with anything to preserve it. I love that I didn't have to tear out the old backsplash.  I love how easy it was to put up.  Just start at one side, put double sided Scotch tape (the heavy duty kind) or Double sided 3M tape (we used some of both), peel off and smooth out as you go.  We did a solid line of tape all across the top, in the corners, and on the bottom.  Use an exacto knife and scissors to trim.  Stuff the material down into the edges and cracks with a putty knife if possible, if not cut it flush with the edges with your exacto knife.  Done and Done.  So easy, right! We also put up a decorative shelf  that I spray painted white and put new outlet covers on.  (I already had the decorative shelf so it is not included in the price.  I have no idea how much it was, it was in another part of the kitchen and I took it out and saved it last year.)  I bought 3 cute plates with fruit on them from the Dollar store for $1 each.  I had the rest of the items on the counter on hand already.

Okay, now for the floor.  We really want to put new linoleum or tile in our whole kitchen at some point, but for now I just wanted that stained carpet out.  We ripped out the carpet (and by we I mean Dear Hubby) and underneath was the same linoleum in the kitchen.  It looks like the previous owner just glued the carpet right on top.  We decided to just paint the linoleum and it actually turned out great.  I have no idea how well it will hold up, but for now it looks so much better!  We put three coats of Glidden Porch and Floor paint on.  Apparently you can have it tinted in just about any color you want it to be.  I chose Robin's Egg Blue.  The light isn't the best in these pictures, but it is a very nice blue color.  I wanted to put a rug underneath the table in case moving the chairs in and out would wear the paint faster.  The rug selection I had to choose from was not fabulous and I didn't want to spend $80 plus dollars on something I didn't love so I got a plain black low pile rug for $19 and spray painted lace lines on it using an old lace curtain that I cut into strips.  I taped the lace down using the green painters tape then painted with white glossy spray paint. Be sure to tape down paper or plastic in between your stripes if you do this so the spray paint doesn't get all over where you don't want it.  The paint stuck very well and I'm very happy with it.  The table and chairs I found at a yard sale for $15!  The place mats at Walmart for $1 each.  We also painted the walls in Dove White.

So here is the money breakdown:

$11.50 Vinyl Backsplash from Walmart

$12.00 1 roll 3M Double sided tape and 1 roll Double sided mounting tape

$12.00 3 Cans White Spray Paint from Walmart

$19.00 Black Rug from Walmart

$15.00 Table and Chairs from Garage Sale

$24.00 1 Gallon Glidden Porch and Floor paint in Robin's Egg Blue from Walmart

$24.00 I Gallon Glidden Semi-Gloss Paint in Dove White for Walls from Walmart

$3.00 3 Decorative Plates from Dollar Store

$3.00 3 Placemats from Walmart

$8.00 Frogtape MultiSurface Painters Tape from Walmart

Grand Total:  $131.50

 

Not too bad!  I think I could do it for even less if I kept a watch out for premixed gallons of paint that they sell for half price because the color isn't what someone wanted.  Over-all though I am very pleased with the results. Yay!  Now I'm trying to decide if I want to paint my chair, table, and cabinets or just leave them.  Any suggestions?  I hope you have fun in your DIY projects as well.  :)