You guys have to remember Krystol thanks to the amazing porch makeover that she sent our way a while back. Well, she’s done it again. And her kitchen is nothing short of fantastic (not to mention budget friendly). Here’s her letter:
Thank you so much for posting our porch reno on your blog. I was so amazed at the response and wanted to share our latest project: the kitchen reno. We ripped out everything right down to the studs and started over with new Ikea cabinets, new appliances, a new laminate counter and my favorite: a zinc topped work island which we made by “wrapping” the top half of an MDF sheet with zinc that we ordered from rotometals. I felt kind of bad because the previous owner had just “redone” the kitchen with new tile, countertops, sink, DW and range but we did end up keeping the tile and the dishwasher so all wasn’t lost. The kitchen reno cost about $8,000 total, which includes all cabinets ($3000), appliances ($2500), lighting ($400, a splurge), paint, plumbing and electrical work as well as drywall and tile work. We did everything ourselves (with the help of my dad the carpenter) except for a few minor plumbing and electrical items. Oh and we got the tile on “closeout” at Home Depot but ended up having to drive two hours away in order to get more matching tile! Oh the adventures of DIY. Hope you enjoy!- Krystol
Here’s her lackluster kitchen before the big makeover:
And here’s the very same space completely transformed:
Isn’t that amazing? It looks like a super spendy farmhouse remodel to us- right out of House Beautiful or the dearly departed Cottage Living (sniffle). And we love that stunning details like the mosaic backsplash and range hood came from affordable sources like Home Depot. Plus the total cost of this remodel is pretty unbelievable considering that it includes everything from drywall to all appliances and lighting- not to mention a custom made zinc topped island, new countertops and new cabinets. Inspiring! Oh and here’s a handy source list from Krystol:
- Wall color: Horsetails by Martha Stewart (from Sherwin Williams)
- Window sash color: Squirrel by Behr
- Cabinets: IKEA
- Cabinet hardware: eBay for $1 a knob (they’re vintage lucite handles and I love them)
- Mini mosaic tile: Home Depot (it was a cinch to install since the area isn’t a wet area- we just stuck them to the drywall with mastic and grouted)
- Lighting: a splurge from here, but I’ve since seen similar fixtures at Lowe’s/Home Depot
- Zinc sheet for island counter: rotometals.com
- Curtains: I made them
Didn’t Krystol do a fantastic job totally reinventing her kitchen? We love that she and her family DIYed nearly everything themselves (from the drywall to the tiling and even the curtains). And the fact that they relied on places like Home Depot, Ikea and eBay to get ‘er done without breaking the bank should give everyone hope that you don’t have to drop a million dollars for a high-end effect. Now let’s play a little game we like to call what’s-your-favorite-part? We’re torn between that gorgeous mosaic-backed range hood and the homemade zinc-topped island. And those dramatic blue curtains are pretty sweet too. What do you guys think?
Andrea-
The zinc top is secured to the MDF with laminate glue, applied with a roller, then you use a brayer to press it on.
We used tiny nails to secure the sheet metal to the underside of the countertop. There is about a 1/2″ fold under. The rest of the overhang we painted a dark grey.
The maintenance is zero. We wanted the counter to patina and have lots of character. I would say it looks more like galvanized metal.
When we first put in on it looks like stainless steel, but it quickly patina-ed.
We prepare food on it, put hot pots on it. I try not to cut directly on it so the knives won’t dull. I suppose it does scratch, but nothing too deep.
Hope that helps.
The sink is IKEA, faucet is from Home Depot, not sure of the brand
Can I ask how you did the edges of the island? I’ve actually been thinking of doing the same thing for a top of a coffee table but I’m concerned about sharp/rough edges with my kiddos. Any advice would be great!!
LOVE the kitchen!
WOW. I am in love and a little envious! lol We have our kitchen on our DIY to-do list and this is definitely an inspiration. I love every single thing about it. Great job Krystol!
Krystol – yes PLEASE post a link to more photos. I’d love to see the other side, where the fridge is and your dining area. It’s absolutely beautiful, definitely inspires me in my own kitchen makeover.
Love the kitchen. I like seeing individuals incorporating white appliances in their kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of stainless steel. However, my house came with new white appliances which do not need replaced. Krystol’s use of the stainless hood and stainless hardware gives hope to all of us out there that we can actually use the white appliances we have and still give our kitchen a fresh, modern feel. BRAVO!
I am loving the green paint…it’s actually very similar to the color I have been looking for to put in my new house…but I can’t find it on Sherwin-Williams (or anywhere else, for that matter). Do you know if SW still makes it? Otherwise, could I have the color values/number thingys so I can have my local SW mix some up? Thanks bunches!
Awesome. My favorite part is definately the tile running up the wall behind the stove. Nothing short of Stunning!
Ohhhh, this gives me hope! My 70s cabinetry is so out of plumb that four carpenters have told me to just start from scratch rather than attempt repairing the rickety plywood structures. I’d been planning to go with a combination of IKEA cabinets and open shelving, with only one new appliance (a dishwasher to replace the ultra-cheap breaks-every-six-weeks one my late hubby chiseled me into buying) and a new hood. I think my remodel will cost more than $8K because I need pros (previous DIY efforts have sent me to the ER), but I’m now sure I can keep it below $10K. Thanks for the encouragement!
Wowza! I love the colors and esp. the tile. Great job!!
Kandace- the straight edges are not very sharp, so I don’t think they would pose a risk. the actual corners are no shaper than a laminate counter edge. We were able to round them out a bit with a regular hammer. We have a 4 yr old and there has never been any problem.
April- the color Horsetails was in the old Martha line for SW. They no longer have sample cards, but I believe you can still get the paint made if you ask at the counter
Here are a couple of more pics of the other side of the kitchen and a wide view. Sorry I don’t have any dining room photos right now.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q262/kjorourke/Our%20House-%20before%20and%20after/IMG_4654.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q262/kjorourke/Our%20House-%20before%20and%20after/IMG_4662.jpg
awesome renovation! i love the wall color.
Really lovely!
Sherry–with 2 such beautiful and dramatic transformations, maybe it’s time for a House Crashers with Krystol? I know I’d love to see the rest of the house, just from the glimpses of other rooms in this pictures.
Hey Tiffany,
It’s definitely a distinct possibility! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
I want to warn against using zinc in a kitchen. There’s a reason we use non-reactive metals in our kitchens! This is a terrible idea. Zinc is fantastic for roofing and all-weather applications, it’s used to coat steel so it won’t rust. That’s because the zinc oxidizes faster than just about anything else, creating a layer, or patina, of zinc oxide that protects the material underneath. It’s used in batteries for crying out loud! It’s reactive! You can get too much zinc in you pretty quick (scroll to Precautions):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc
It is also used in galvanizing metals, and if you breathe in zinc fumes it can cause neural damage. Like, putting hot pots and pans on a zinc surface covered with zinc oxide dust.
http://www.barbecuenews.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=13805
Stainless steel! Expensive but nonreactive, if we swallow it nothing happens.
That’s fabulous! I love how open and inviting it feels! I’m in love with the mini mosaics too. :) TFS!
What a shocker! I was totally not expecting the after shots! Great Job Krystol!!!
I love and airy it feels….and am surprised at how much bigger it seems!
wow! I love kitchen transformations!! Love the mosaic tile.
Beautiful kitchen!
I would also like to extend a sniffle for the dearly departed and greatly missed Cottage Living… *sniffle* :(
Great idea with the zinc-covered island! Love it. I am planning my kitchen remodel right now, and I am totally keeping Rotometals.com in mind as a source. We haven’t had a kitchen for almost 2 years (we cook in a toaster oven) so I’m really excited to get started with our project this summer. Thanks for the inspiration and the zinc idea!
Gorgeous make over!!! Amazing work!
UGH, I have those same cabinets from the before and I completely hate them! I am so jealous of this beautiful kitchen!
We decided not to re-do our kitchen for resale of our apartment because we didn’t think it would pay off, but with the length of time it seems to be taking us to sell I’m reconsidering living with an ugly kitchen for another few months!
This is beautiful!! I love it all, but my favorite part is the tile and range hood. I have all brand new appliances and they are all white. My stove looks almost exactly like Krystol’s stove in her before pictures. Would a stainless steel hood like that look good with my existing white stove? Or would it look terrible? My cabinets are white also with brushed nickle hardware…thanks for any advise! Beautiful porch makeover too!!
Hey Leah,
We always say that if you have enough of each material in a room to make it feel intentional (and not one sore thumb stainless thing while everything else is white) it will look layered and lovely. So if you already have brushed nickel hardware, just bring in some stainless steel accessories (perhaps a pretty stainless fruit bowl or even a chic little stainless toaster) and add a few white dishtowels and other white touches so they “read” as if they’re both meant to coexist. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Leah-
I was worried about that same thing when we bought our stainless hood.
I find that it looks fine with the stainless sink, silver hardware and zinc topped island. I agree, if you have other stainless items in your kitchen, it will look fine.
I have had stainless before and decided against it in this kitchen. The fingerprints were too much!
For those of you that are interested in the paint color, I looked it up and the color number for Horsetails at Sherwin Williams is 8077. They can mix up a sample size for around $5 I think.
This is wonderful!! Totally looks like House Beautiful!
I have to chime in. The poster who said zinc is dangerous is correct, but you’d have to lick the zinc or constantly prepare food ON the zinc countertop, which seems unlikely. French bars and restaurants all have zinc countertops and I’ve never heard of anyone dying.
Love the sage green walls and the mosaic splashback.
House Crash please!
On the safety of zinc countertops: I did some quick research- solid zinc metal is considered safe. This runs about $120/square foot and this is what they use in those French restaurants.
A lot of the pro-zinc argument seems to say that zinc is safe b/c it’s essential to our bodily function. That is true, though I would point out that many things are necessary or beneficial in small amounts, but deadly in large ones. Like aspirin- very effective blood thinner which saves people’s lives, but you die a horribly nasty death if you take too much.
But these sound like possibly repurposed roofing zinc? Not sure. Roofing zinc would be galvanized, which would not be safe. Galvanized means that it’s been dipped in zinc and may have a hexavalent chromium coating. Here’s a link to
osha’s website about exposure risks: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hexavalentchromium/recognition.html
It does sound like they are preparing food directly on it, though using a cutting board to spare their knives- Krystol says, “We prepare food on it, put hot pots on it. I try not to cut directly on it so the knives won’t dull. I suppose it does scratch, but nothing too deep.”
It’s probably safe if you just use cutting boards and don’t put hot pots directly on it, thus avoiding the potential
neural damage. But it would be weird to be concerned with the fire-retardants sprayed on our pillows, but not with the neuro-toxins on the countertops, right?
I would love to know the brand and color name of the tile you used. it looks like exactly what i’ve been looking for to use in my kitchen. it all looks great!
The zinc is food safe, per the rotometals website. It appears to be almost pure zinc.
http://www.rotometals.com/ZINC-SHEETS-s/29.htm
The mosaic tiles came from Home Depot or Lowes (about 18 mo ago). It is an in stock item. As mentioned, the installation was a cinch.