I’ve been plugging away at the kitchen for the past week and I must say it’s coming along better than I expected.
The goal: revive one very dark, outdated kitchen for $300 or less. Think it’s impossible? Read phase one here and the second phase here.
The biggest part of the face lift was making something out of the floor. The vinyl tiles were in good shape and I didn’t have the money to lay a new floor so I had to come up with a plan.
Serviceable, yet it needed help
With a very neutral wall color, the room needed a shot of color so I purchased a gallon of red (Bolero) and a gallon of white (Antique Lace) for a total of $22. A quart of high gloss polyurethane ($10) would provide enough for three coats of durability.
I painted the entire floor with two coats of white and after it had plenty of time to dry, I marked off each vinyl tile with painter’s tape. Using a small roller I applied two coats of red on every other tile to create a checkerboard pattern.
Blue painter's tape marked the tile borders
Once the paint had a full day to cure, the polyurethane was ready to be applied. Polyurethane darkens objects by a couple of shades, so pick out colors a little lighter than what you think you want.
The only bathroom in my house is accessed by tramping through the kitchen and I just knew the minute I polyurethaned in front of the bathroom door, I’d have to “go”, so the poly was only applied at night, just before bed.
Three coats later, I had a kitchen floor to be proud of. The project was easy but time consuming.
The kitchen has come a long way from this:
And the total to date? $198.45
Considering I had more than $100 left to my budget, I made a pair of cafe style curtains ($2.99) and purchased a bamboo blind for the kitchen door ($22).
Robert and his friend Lew are building a cabinet/work surface to fit between the fridge and the stove, which is very very cool of them…and they work cheap, which fits my budget.
Some pictures on the wall and the kitchen will be complete.
I have, with the help of friends, created a pretty and functional kitchen on the cheap. Just goes to show you what a little money and a whole lot of ingenuity will accomplish!
8 responses so far ↓
Obi-Mom Kenobi // February 21, 2009 at 10:19 pm |
That floor is simply gorgeous! I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a black and white tiled floor in my kitchen without breaking the (rather small) bank and, well, I think I’m going to follow your lead and just paint it. Thanks for the heads up on the darkening of the poly. Your kitchen makeover is truly astounding.
livingdowneast // February 22, 2009 at 8:48 am |
Well, thank you! Whatever white you pick out will definintely darken a few shades. It took about 4 days to do the floor and another 3 before I could use it after the last coat of poly. Time consuming but worth it. Thank you for commenting!
Onedia // February 28, 2009 at 3:27 pm |
Clever and so well done. The floors are wonderful.
livingdowneast // February 28, 2009 at 8:04 pm |
Thank you! I have to say: the lovely floor shows every speck of dirt but I guess that will keep me on my house cleaning toes!
Mike // March 1, 2009 at 5:00 am |
Just passing by.Btw, you website have great content!
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Making Money $150 An Hour
livingdowneast // March 1, 2009 at 9:41 am |
Thanks for your kind words, Mike!
Niki // March 8, 2009 at 10:58 am |
I need to hire you to do “stuff” around my house. If I even attempted a checkered floor all of the squares would be different sizes. I don’t paint well. You need a show on cable!
livingdowneast // March 8, 2009 at 11:40 am |
Oh, if I had a show on cable, who would get all the work done on *my* house? I suppose I could hire Martha…. : )
Your visits are always fun, Niki!