kitchen makeover | Beneath My Heart

Kitchen Makeover {with wood beams}

October 23, 2012 AT 6:00 am 11 Comments

October 23, 2012 By traci 11 Comments

One of the things I love about blogging is when I get emails from my readers telling me about transformations they are making in their own homes from inspiration they received on my blog.

I love that people read my blog and follow my crazy DIY life, but when someone tells me they tried one of my recipes, or painted a similar piece of furniture to mine, or made one of my crafts, it just blesses my socks off!

When I shared how we installed faux wood beams from AZ Faux Beams in our master bathroom, I got a message from a reader, Alix, on my blog facebook page asking me for some more information about them.

We exchanged several messages, and Alix told me they decided to buy some of the faux beams for her kitchen.

I told her to share some pictures with me after they installed the beams, and so I was thrilled when I received this email from Alix:

Traci-
We finally finished out beam project and I wanted to share the before and after pics. We had white beams that our contractor had done for us, but we never liked them and they weren’t the best quality. So these were such a great option for us. I am so happy we saw them on your blog. We did stain them ourselves to get the darker finish and it was super easy. The installation also went well. We are super happy with the end result.
Take care!
Alix

Well, my jaw hit the floor when I saw Alix’s beautiful kitchen. It looked gorgeous in the before picture…

Before…

But WOW! Check out the difference those faux wood beams made in the “after” picture…

After…

Swoon.

Alix, your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous! I love the way you stained your beams to match your floors. And your open shelves are so beautiful.

Thank you for sharing this with me!

If you would like to learn more about AZ Faux Beams, click on the button below.

This is NOT a sponsored post. I did not receive any compensation for writing it. I just love this product and was excited to share this makeover with you. Smile

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Filed Under kitchen makeover, Uncategorized 11 Comments

Our DIY Under the Cabinet Cook Book Holder

April 30, 2012 AT 10:10 am 24 Comments

April 30, 2012 By traci 24 Comments

Last week, I wrote a post called Simple Ways to Store Your Cookbooks.

I shared that post because I knew I would be showing you how we created a DIY Cook Book Holder for our kitchen.

Before I show you my new Cook Book Holder, let’s take a quick look back at what this part of my kitchen looked like about 5 short months ago.

WOW! We’ve come a long way baby! Smile

Notice the soffit above our cabinets. We tore out the soffit and moved our cabinet boxes up to the ceiling.

We also tore out our old pantry to the left of our oven, and created new cabinet space and a new, bigger pantry.

This is what our finished kitchen looked like the day before Christmas…

Much better!

Since we moved our cabinets up to the ceiling, we created some space under our cabinets for additional storage.

I thought this would be a great place to store my cook books and spices.

So I told Cy what I was kind of thinking about doing, and while I was in Utah at the SNAP! Conference, he made me a new shelf for my cook books.

Here is a video he shot of the process while I was gone…

I love this new storage space!

And I cannot wait to make another one like it on the other side of the microwave for my spices!

So if you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen, maybe you could move your existing cabinets up higher to create some under cabinet shelving as well.

If you would like to view the before and after pictures of our kitchen makeover again, just click on the picture below.

Do you have under cabinet shelving in your kitchen?

Do you have a space you would like to add some under cabinet shelving?

See you tonight for my “Best DIY Projects of April” linky Party!

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Filed Under kitchen inspiration, kitchen makeover, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 24 Comments

Fireclay Farmhouse Sinks {Durability and Quality}

January 19, 2012 AT 1:51 pm 23 Comments

January 19, 2012 By traci 23 Comments

Well, I said I wasn’t going to talk about my kitchen anymore.

Oops.

But I’m not really talking about my kitchen, just my kitchen sink!

I’ve had many of you ask about the durability and quality of my sink, so I thought I would share with you a few of the things that I found out. (After I made my purchase.) Smile

I will be honest that I often choose form over function.

Here are the two things I considered when looking for my sink online:

1. I wanted a pretty farmhouse sink.

2. I wanted an inexpensive, pretty farmhouse sink.

That’s it.

Here’s what I didn’t know before I started looking for a farmhouse sink:

Farmhouse sinks are NOT cheap!

Sheesh!

I about died when I started searching the web for a farmhouse sink! The prices are steep!

The best deal I found was the farmhouse sink from IKEA. It was only $313!

I bought it, brought it home, and it didn’t fit in our cabinets. By like half an inch! UGH!!

If our dishwasher wasn’t right beside our sink, Cy may have tried to rebuild some cabinets to make it fit. But he wasn’t able to do it with out some major changes to our lower cabinets, which would have ended up taking a lot of time and more money. Not good.

After looking online for hours, it seemed the cheapest farmhouse sinks were $600, and then they go WAY up from there.

I found my farmhouse sink at Signature Hardware. You can purchase items online or at their store. We needed our sink quickly, so I picked it up at the store since it was located in Northern Kentucky.

I LOVE my farmhouse sink! It is was the most expensive part of the budget for our kitchen makeover, but it was worth it.

Since buying our sink, I’ve done a little research online to find out more about fireclay sinks.

I wanted to share with you what I found out.

First of all, What is Fireclay?

Widely used in London, England, for their durability and style in the late 1800s, fireclay sinks finally have made a design comeback. Fireclay sinks are forged at extremely high temperatures, which cause the clay and glaze to unite. The result is a sink that is not only extremely durable, but also will look shiny and new for many years to come. (source)

source

How durable is fireclay?

The modern fireclay apron sinks are commonly covered with a thick layer or glaze which is irrefutably acid, alkali, chip, scratches and impact resistant. (source)

I love the look of fireclay farmhouse sinks because they are classic, elegant, and a great focal point for you kitchen.

Fireclay sinks do not rust, discolor, or fade. Yay!!

(source for the two pictures above)

How is Fireclay different from Cast Iron?

(cast iron sink – source)

A cast iron sink is beautiful as well, but here is the difference…

Cast iron is fired at a much less temperature than fireclay, and not as durable. The glaze is softer than the glaze on fireclay. Cast iron also chips easily, and when it does, rust appears under the glaze. Plus customers are specifically asked not to use abrasives or harsh cleaners. (source)

We had a cast iron sink in our last home, and I loved the look. But I accidentally chipped part of the white glaze off when a pot slip out of my hand. Sad smile

Cast iron sinks are usually more expensive than fireclay sinks, but some believe they are more durable. Here is a great link that discusses the pros and cons of fireclay vs. cast iron sinks: http://www.ehow.com/about_6672827_fireclay-vs_-cast-iron-sinks.html

As you can tell by what I found out about fireclay sinks, I am very happy with our purchase!

And after living with this sink for almost two months, I can honestly say that I am VERY pleased with our fireclay farmhouse sink.

It cleans up so easily and truly makes cleaning the kitchen more fun. I’m not kidding! Smile

So I hope that helps you out if you are looking to buy a farmhouse sink in the near future.

What is your favorite type of sink?

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Filed Under kitchen inspiration, kitchen makeover, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 23 Comments

Budget Breakdown of the Kitchen Makeover

January 12, 2012 AT 11:59 pm 71 Comments

January 12, 2012 By traci 71 Comments

Happy Friday, friends!

I am still trying to answer the many questions about our kitchen makeover.

One of the main questions I keep getting asked is: “How much did this cost ya?”

Well, we paid approximately $3,300 for our floor to ceiling kitchen renovation.

That sounds like a lot of money!

But when you remember what it used to look like…

And compare it to what it looks like now…

I think it was DEFINITELY worth the money, don’t you?

Let’s be honest. If we had hired out all of this work, from floor to ceiling, it would have cost us about $11-12,000!

However, we did 100% of the labor ourselves, so this renovation was a third of what it would have cost us otherwise.

That’s pretty darn good.

So here is the (approximate) breakdown of what it cost:

(click on the pictures to see the post about each project)

375 square feet of Southern Yellow Pine (Lumber Liquidators)

(3/4 inch by 5 inch) – $1.25 sq foot = $465

Flooring supplies (oil-based stain, semi-gloss polyurethane,

wood conditioner, floor sander rental, sand paper) : $200

Baseboard and Crown Molding: $175

Paint for cabinets and walls: $120

Cabinet hardware (Lowe’s): $50

Wood plank ceiling (Lowe’s): $240

Pantry doors (Lowe’s): $300

Recessed lighting: $40

White Subway Tile (plus adhesive and un-sanded, pre-mixed grout) from Lowe’s: $175

Open Shelving (3/4 inch MDF cut at Lowe’s) and Corbels (Home Depot) and Trim: $240

IKEA butcher block countertops (stain and poly): $525

Farmhouse Sink (Signature Hardware) $600

Faucet (Home Depot): $100

Supplies for making extra lower cabinet: $40

And that’s it!

I’m sure there were a few more miscellaneous expenses that I forgot about.

Like maybe the 128 times we went out to eat because I had no kitchen in which to cook.

Or a table to eat on…

Oh, those were the good ole days!

But we made it through!

And I’m so glad we did!

(I promise this is my LAST kitchen renovation post for a while!)

Now it’s time to get (back) started on our addition!

So, do you think all of our hard work was worth the $8-9,000 savings?

Did you think our renovation would have cost more or less than what we spent?

(Please say more, please say more, please say more…)

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Filed Under husband's handiwork, kitchen makeover, makeover, makeovers, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 71 Comments

A Light for my Kitchen Sink

January 5, 2012 AT 9:12 pm 57 Comments

January 5, 2012 By traci 57 Comments

I cannot write this post without first thanking you for the over 200 amazing comments on yesterday’s post.

I read every single one! I read them to my husband. I forwarded some to my sister. My dad and I were talking about them today. (He read every single one too.) Honestly, if you need encouragement, you may want to go read them too. They were amazing!

Your comments were heart-felt, loving, humbling, praise worthy, gracious, kind, heart-breaking, joyous, compassionate, empathetic, encouraging, and I could go on and on.

I cried as I read the comments too.

I wish I could write every single one of you back. I really, sincerely do. But I just don’t know if time will allow it. Please know that if I could, I would hug each of you. I would invite you to meet me at Panera, and we would talk for hours over soup and salad about life and blogs and everything in between! Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever?!

That post was hard for me to write. I cried as I wrote it. And it took me almost two hours to write.

But I am so glad I did.

God is using YOU and this blog to continue to grow beauty in my broken places.

I praise HIM!

Now let’s talk “kitchen”, want to? Smile

Many of you asked about the lighting in my kitchen.

Truth be told, there’s not much of it.

We have installed recess lighting above the shelves, but that is all the light we have in that room right now.

I do not want to hang lights in the middle of the room or above the table right now, because I am not sure how I want the room to look yet.

We may be creating a new space for the table, and I may or may not be putting an island in the center of the kitchen. Until I make those decisions, I do not want to install anymore lighting.

But I do want a light for above the kitchen sink. Doesn’t the window look bare without my Christmas wreath?

I took the wreath down to try and figure out what type of light I want to put there.

Of course, I could always put in a light above the sink like the one below. I call those “school house” lights, and they are very characteristic of older homes. (I like that island too, don’t you?)

source

Here are some more “school house” lights…

source

I also thought about putting a mini chandelier above the sink to give the kitchen a little “bling.” Isn’t this one gorgeous?…

Source

Here is the look of a lantern above the sink. I like it too!

source

These are probably my favorite. I would only want one over my sink, but oh my goodness! Aren’t they gorgeous?! I would love to wash dishes under those beauties!!

Source

And I love these mercury glass pendant lights! I found this picture on a site where it is just a list of emails talking about a subject, so I couldn’t find a source. Someone called this pendant light an Argento pendant light. I googled it, and these babies are hundreds of dollars!

But I think it would look AMAZING over my kitchen sink!! I’m wondering if I could find a cheaper version somewhere else?

This last picture is just a glass pendant light. It is simple and beautiful, so maybe I should go with something like this?

source

Decisions, decisions!

What type of light do you think

I should put above my kitchen sink?

(Inspiration pictures in the comments are welcome!)

Smile

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Filed Under kitchen inspiration, kitchen makeover, laundry room, lighting, makeovers, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 57 Comments

IKEA Butcher Block Countertop {Answers to your questions}

January 2, 2012 AT 4:08 pm 40 Comments

January 2, 2012 By traci 40 Comments

Happy 2012!!

I am so excited about this New Year! And I am so excited to share it with you.

The holiday rush is now over, and I am in the mood to get things in order. Are you?

One of the things I wanted to do is try to share a few posts with some more details about my kitchen. I had a lot of you ask questions about the specifics of our makeover like paint colors, stain color, etc.

So I am going to try and answer those questions. (Hope you are not getting sick of my kitchen. Smile )

Here is some information that I wanted to share about our IKEA butcher block counter tops:

Here is the link to the exact butcher block that we purchased…http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20057397/#/60057395

They come in different types of wood, lengths, and depths.

Cy cut the pieces of butcher block so that there would be a seam right under the faucet, and two 45 degree seams in each corner.

Cy wanted me to make sure that I told you that he used PL Adhesive to adhere the seams together.

This stuff is the bomb! When it dries, it is actually stronger than the wood that it is holding together. By using this adhesive, it eliminates the chance of the seams splitting or shifting over time.

He also attached a 1×2 underneath the seams with screws for extra strength.

After the butcher block was attached to the cabinets, we needed to fill in any gaps in the seams with wood filler.

Here is a little trick:

When sawing the butcher block, be sure to save some of the saw dust from the floor.

Then mix some of the saw dust with the wood filler before filling the seams.

This will help the wood filler blend more evenly with the wood and help the seam to accept the stain the same as the rest of the countertop.

Next, just press the wood filler mixture into the seam with your finger.

Once the filler is dry, you can sand it smooth with a sander.

Once the seams were all filled, Cy then sanded the whole countertop really well and then applied ONE coat of this stain…

You can see that the stain gave the wood just a little bit of a deeper color.

Then we applied 4 coats of Satin Polyurethane, sanding lightly between each coat.

Perfection! I love the way it turned out!

In the video below, you can see how Cy made the rounded corners in the wood around the sink. We applied a bead of caulk between the wood and the sink to keep the moisture out.

I’ve had my countertops finished for a couple of weeks now, and I can honestly say that I am thrilled with them. They are extremely durable and easy to clean.

Here is a little video I made of some footage of Cy working on the counters.

If I didn’t answer one of your questions in this post, please let me know in the comments, and I will get back to you. Smile

Have a blessed day!

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Filed Under husband's handiwork, kitchen makeover, makeover, makeovers, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 40 Comments

Before and After Pictures of our Kitchen Makeover {without mouse over effect!}

December 28, 2011 AT 2:30 pm 65 Comments

December 28, 2011 By traci 65 Comments

I know these pictures are a repeat, but I wanted to share the before and after pictures of our kitchen for those of you who cannot use the mouse over effect on your computer.

It was just too many pictures to put in yesterday’s post.

So here they are!

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After…

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We have a few more things left to do, and I will share those with you soon.

I will also answer a bunch of your questions about our counters, lighting, floors, etc. in a future post too.

THANK YOU so much for all of your sweet comments! Sharing this kitchen renovation with you made it so much more bearable during the difficult days.

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Filed Under kitchen makeover, makeover, makeovers, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover 65 Comments

Before And After Kitchen Makeover Pictures {mouse over effect}

December 27, 2011 AT 7:24 pm 89 Comments

December 27, 2011 By traci 89 Comments

Happy Week After Christmas!!!

Are ya hangin’ in there?

My boys are having a blast playing with their Christmas goodies, and I am getting the itch to get things organized around here. Are you feelin’ the itch?

Before I show you the pictures of our kitchen, I wanted to ask you to check to see if my blog feed is working in your readers. Some people have told me that my feed isn’t working. It isn’t working for me in my Google Reader either. The last post shown is from the middle of December, which means some of you may have not seen my last TEN posts! Yikes! I posted a lot of great stuff these past weeks, so be sure to check it out.

I am having so much fun sharing with you “before and after” pictures of our kitchen.

I can hardly believe our kitchen ever looked like the “befores!”

The following EIGHT pictures have the “mouse over effect” on them.

Just move your cursor back and forth over the pictures to see the “before and afters.”

*You will not be able to see this effect in your email or readers, you MUST click on the post title and view this post on my blog page. So come on over!

If you were not able to use the mouse over effect, do not despair! Smile

I am sharing before and after pictures without the mouse over effect in my next post.

See you then!

Linking this post to…

And Addicted2Decorating 2011 Year in Review: Room Makeovers Linky Party!

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Filed Under kitchen makeover, makeover, My Kitchen, New Home, New Kitchen Makover, room makeovers 89 Comments

Kitchen Makeover Reveal

June 21, 2011 AT 8:50 pm 37 Comments

June 21, 2011 By traci 37 Comments

Do you remember the kitchen makeover we started over at our friend’s house over a month ago?

We started it right before our move (not a real smart idea).

But my hubby finished it about a week ago, and we love the way it turned out.

Here’s some background information if you missed it:

I have a longtime friend, Mandy, who called me about some advice on re-doing her kitchen. She had gotten a contract on how much it would cost, and my husband knew he could do it for a lot less.

So Mandy asked us to complete the makeover.

Because we love that kind of work so much, we said, “yes!”

We had to work within their budget which determined a lot of our choices in materials.

Here is a look at the “before”.

The “after”…

Before…

After…

The parquet floor was not in good shape and needed to be covered. A wood laminate was perfect for our budget.

Mandy definitely wanted to get rid of her pink countertops, and we decided to paint her stovetop black with appliance paint to match her other appliances.

AFTER….

My hubby installed a bead board backsplash all around the kitchen and all new outlets.

He also installed under the cabinet lighting throughout the kitchen, but I forgot to take a picture of that. Oops.

The makeover also included all new hardware for the cabinets, and a fresh coat of white paint.

A HUGE change that was made was removing the wallpaper. NOT an easy task!

We painted the walls a nice neutral color, and then Mandy brought up an antique table and chairs that she had downstairs. She also added some decor from around her home.

Pushing the table against the wall gives her more room in her small kitchen. It’s mostly just Mandy and her hubby using this table on a daily basis. When they have company, they can move the table out for more seating.

My favorite piece on the table is this little antique box! La-huv!