a day in the kitchen

 

It's amazing what a girl can accomplish in a day when the kids are in school.  Megan and I worked on the budget kitchen makeover today.  We made quite a dent in what we needed to do, the only interruptions were from Margo the dog who needed to know exactly what was going on at all moments

first off I was able to

white wash the brick surface on the wall behind the stove

it took three colors of paint to achieve this look

Because I am doing this kitchen over on a tight budget I used some leftover Benjamin Moore white paints from a previous job and a little bit of the new floor paint

White Dove 06 in flat

White 01 in semi gloss

Rockport Gray HC-105 in flat

 I mixed a little bit of the gray with some of the white dove and really watered it down to use as a wash over the whole surface

next I painted over the brick only with a watered down paint mixture of  white dove  (about 50/50 mix)

last I dry brushed on the white to highlight the texture in the surface

we got the flooring ready for installation

yes - this is 1/4"  plywood cut into 8" wide planks.  After I saw my friend Wendy's plywood flooring in her office space, I knew that one day I would have to do this - it will cost under $300 to have the new floor

I changed it up a bit from what my friend Wendy did  - Megan has 2 dogs, 4 cats and a busy life. Since the floors are in her kitchen it needed to be durable, practical, plus not collect pet hair or dust -  and look cool (the boards are 8" wide)

I made my own floor stain using flat paint mixed with water

the color is from Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray HC-105

I wanted to create the look of a wash of putty gray so that you could still see a little wood grain and some knots. 

Here Megan is helping out with the painting of the floor boards

we put them out the in bright sun to dry

they are going to be installed tomorrow

then coated with a few layers of protective poly

I am using a penny as a spacer to keep the boards separated just enough, but not so much that stuff can get in there after three coats of varathane

the counter top was poured

the concrete surface for the kitchen island has been poured into the form

this is something new for us  - we are really excited -  so keep your fingers crossed that all comes out well

it has to stay in the mold for a few days to dry then it gets polished (more detailed info on this later)

later in the day we picked up some furniture

here is my truck loaded up with some old shelving I found in a basement for only $20.  It will be transformed into something fabulous

I found this old beveled glass hanging cupboard for $75, I can't wait to clean it up and get my paint brush on it

lastly we choose the wood from the storage barn

here is some of the barn wood, it is 2" thick and has a great surface

I even found a piece stamped "NEW YORK"

Margo was the GC on this job - and boy she was tough

good night Margo, see you tomorrow

and I will see you soon with more updates

Lori