Pink Kitchen Reno
Ok, so my kitchen is pink. Not just any pink- HOT PINK. I understand if you want to swing by this reading and just look at the photos, but if you're genuinely interested in how the before and after of renovating, then read on!
Being a homeowner gives me the freedom to do whatever I want, and that freedom allows coloring a room any color the rainbow produces. I've mentioned before it's my least favorite room to spend in, so I made it my favorite color. The kitchen before wasn't awful- but there was so much grease and gunk on each tile when we moved in, along with vinyl flooring from the 70's with a funky smell. I blogged the first day here. There were also broken pieces of countertop tiles, and when we tried to open a drawer, the fridge, we would cut our wrists each time. We couldn't avoid it, it was just dangerous tile sticking out.
We also changed the sink from a standard sink to a Kraus farmhouse sink, which we found on sale for half of what it sells Amazon deal of the day, on the day we began looking. How crazy is that??. We replaced the faucet with a touch-tech Delta faucet and it's AWESOME. It saves water and makes baking and cooking much easier. I highly recommend it.
The original plan was to have the countertops go from grimey tile to quartz. The reason we chose quartz is because it's easier to maintain over the years, it can be used as a cutting board, and it doesn't stain. We used to have granite countertops in our apartment and it was a nightmare to keep up. I used to have marble in our apartment bathroom and that was a terrible experience, too. I chose a pink quartz from Silestone but after seeing the color in the factory, in the sunlight, it wasn't what I expected. Since quartz is expensive to replace, we decided to go with white. It seemed a little too science room lab for us, and we needed to color the cabinets. I'd love an all white kitchen one day, but that day was not the day!
The color we chose was in the raspberry family from a non-VOC paint company. I don't know if it was because it's non-VOC or because we had to mix it with water, but it didn't stick as well even after prepping the cabinets.
We also re-did the floors to an organic bamboo laminate floor. It didn't have a funky smell and it was the most eco friendly we could find on the market, so we went for a white-washed wooden look. It's waterproof, so when it gets wet it won't expand and do that nasty thing cheap laminate does.
The back tile is basic subway tile, which I didn't want any glass or fancy stuff. I wanted stuff I could splash with a mess across and wipe off and not worry what stained. Bonus- it's cheaper!
We also renovated our stove and in one of the pictures here, you can see the nasty tile we tore out. I gotta mention, though- we didn't really do any of the major work. We budgeted to hire a professional in our area to do the work for us. I knew I had a problem when I kept getting the silicone glue stuck in my hair!
We bought the house in July, got the keys in August and after a few pink cans of paint, we finished our kitchen last October, just in time for Thanksgiving! You can see the process of the outside of the house here and parts of the dining room here. It's been fun documenting the before and after, thanks for letting me share.