I’ve been getting some questions from concerned readers: “Where have we been???” They’re assuming we’ve been eaten by the half-finished kitchen. Well…. I’ve been sketching kitchen projects and my adorable Rainman has been fishing. It’s my fault that I approved the purchase of a small boat fixer upper (in addition to the larger boat we already have) and that all equates to FISHING and NOT WORKING INSIDE ON MY KITCHEN. But the Dewalt miter saw on the front porch makes it LOOK like we’re working, so that’s cool. “Sips wine.” (Supply links at the end of the post!)
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
Anyway, that’s not preventing me from forging ahead and obsessively planning every detail, and occasionally threatening to hire a carpenter if he doesn’t get his rumpus back in the house and start throwing some kitchen together. It’s getting to the point where I may ACTUALLY consider a carpenter… or start wielding tools at opportune moments so he will catch me and feel compelled to intervene. So… the current project (that I have ordered materials for and am just WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO INSTALL): A shelf nook for the range surround.
A shelf nook? Yes, it’s absolutely a thing. Think: incredible use of wall space for storing daily use items like olive oils and favorite spices within EASY REACH of your cooking space. We are in the middle beginning of a kitchen renovation and the focal point of the room is a large hood with a surround that encapsulates the entire space (range, hood, and cabinetry). Having looked at ALL of the kitchens on Pinterest and Instagram, I feel well informed and confident that I have planned all of the details well.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Here are two EXCELLENT representations of my idea by professional designers (and let me give a SHOUT OUT to these ladies/gents, because the amount of nit-noid planning that goes into designing these spaces is really next-level):
Gorgeous walnut shelving inside the hood surround by @studiodearborn on Instagram.
Gorgeous wooden shelving inside the hood surround by @christopherpeacock on Instagram.
Are you IN??? Yeah, me too! Imagine wasting all of that space when you could have usable, adorable shelves (and trust me, you need the storage)!
So, here’s my sketch of the front of our range wall:
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
And here is the sketch of the inside of the right-hand wall:
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
No fancy design software here! It’s so much easier for me to visualize when I sketch.
One of the most important design elements of this space was functionality: an excellent space to cook where all of the cook’s tools are within easy reach. It’s also important that the space be very easy to clean and hardy. Everything near the stove is a solid surface and non-scorch-able (including the metal upper cabinets). I allowed myself a little leniency with the shelf materials because they are 33 inches from the side of the range and the back of the shelves are still tiled. I briefly considered a shelf OVER the stove (it looks so pretty with the copper pots hanging there) but remembered that I don’t want to clean grease spatter off utensils, pots, and spices every time I cook.
Anyhoo, after I actually threatened my husband with bodily harm for the lack of progress on the kitchen (i.e. fishing/casting on the boat instead of doing interior construction), this is the next project we came to in the build. One of the challenges was that walnut is really hard to find (read: expensive) right now, but since it wasn’t a lot square footage wise, I thought it would be fairly affordable. It was not. Not, to say that little detail changed my mind: I still got my walnut shelves. Just know that the species of wood you choose very much impacts the final cost.
I also wanted some pretty gallery rails to prevent oil bottles from being knocked off and smashing into tiny pieces. Those were also not cheap, but they were necessary both from an aesthetic and functional standpoint. I had already purchased the Carrara marble subway tile for the interior range walls, and I have broken out the relative cost below.
Step one was framing the wall with the size I wanted and thinking about all the 3D things that could affect the functionality of the design.
Since we are doing one wall at a time… it is more difficult. I want to have a functional kitchen for as long as possible through the renovation, so there was an old peninsula with electrical and plumbing in the way on one side.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
And then, of course, this little design treasure that I was feeling borderline homicidal about. Don’t worry, I fixed the look, but I’m still pretty torqued the HVAC crew couldn’t reroute the intake anywhere else. The worst part is it robbed me of half of my cabinet space on one side of the stove. NOT COOL. (It currently has a really pretty cover on it, and I ordered a false front for the cabinet so it will be invisible to anyone who doesn’t know).
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
Step one: Install cement board for all tiled areas.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
Step 2: Mortar.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
Step 3: Tile.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
Step 4: Prefinish the walnut shelves prior to installation. I highly recommend lots of lacquer to prevent warping/staining from spills or drips.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
Step 5: Install wooden shelf surround (if you’re using gallery rails, I highly recommend attaching them to the shelves prior to installation). I recommend leaving the shelves unattached until you have completed the grouting process (it’s much easier to grout without the shelves in).
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Have To Have
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Need To Have
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Need To Have
Step 7: Grout and caulk (don’t skip the caulk, it prevents fluids from getting behind the shelves and warping them).
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Must Have: Carrara Marble backed walnut shelves with antique brass gallery rails in the kitchen
Step 8: Style: Like everything else in the kitchen, this shelf should be both beautiful and functional. Keep your favorite oils, vinegars, Worcestershire sauce, etc. within reach.
The Oil and Spice Shelf Nook Inside Your Range Hood Surround You Didn’t Know You Needed But You Absolutely Must Have: Styled shelfie all ready to go with a small preserved boxwood, oils from High Country Olive Oil, a Carrara marble mortar and pestle, a vintage landscape oil painting, oil carafes/dispensers, and a tiny votive of roses from our last bloom of the season
I don’t know if I mentioned this… but I LOVE my shelves!
Carrara marble subway tiles behind shelves: Stone Center Online: About $100
Supplies for installing tile and shelves (mortar, grout, nails, stain, and lacquer): About $100
Total: $650.13
If you’re planning your dream kitchen, I highly recommend these!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, LTK, and other affiliate programs: affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other sites. These programs offer a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to a product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. These links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
I’ve been dreaming of an antique mirrored backsplash since I first saw it on a simple home bar. The mirrored tiles are everything from one solid sheet, to tiles with beveled edges, to larger flat tiles. When I started researching where to buy the tiles for our own home bar backsplash (because of course I just HAD to have one) I was mortified. Those suckers are expensive. There are some sellers on ETSY selling these for $60 a square foot… which is well out of any budget I’m willing to spend on a backsplash. But look how beautiful they are!
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
Home bar by @chandosinteriors on Instagram
Home bar by @meredithmcbrearty and @eleanor_roper_interiors_style
So, what did we do? We DIYed it (of course). And it came out JUST as dreamy as those designer looks.
Before I start the tutorial, please know that this process is quite labor intensive and makes a huge mess. I recommend doing this with a buddy, a spouse, or a helper (my body was screaming at me for two days after the paint-stripping process because I had underestimated the amount of up and down and crouching). But, what do you get out of it? An awesome, one of a kind backsplash!
I did quite a bit of research and looked at a LOT of pictures before I got out the plastic dropcloth and laid out the mirrors. I encourage you to look at the finished photos of ours and adjust your plan accordingly. I wanted a lighter antiqued look with a glow… but if you want more antiquing, or a different color underneath, it will still look great!
So, this is what our materials looked like before we began, but I can tell you up front that we made at least one MAJOR adjustment. Unless you’re doing a VERY small project, the stripper shown is not going to do the trick. I ended up using a bucket of stripper we had previously used on an antique mirror someone had painted, and slopping that on really did the trick (a full materials list is at the end of the post).
What you’ll need: two plastic drop cloths, muriatic acid, stripper, disposable gloves, eye protection, funnels, gold or gray spray paint, a spray bottle, 12×12″ mirror panels (you can cut these down later if you’d like smaller tiles), and a good putty or mudding knife. I apologize for some of the progress photos being missing: once I got into the middle of the stripping process I couldn’t stop and I had goop and acid on my gloves.
Supplies you’ll need to antique mirrors
1 Put down your plastic sheet somewhere you can work and where you can get messy (we did this project on a deck we’ll be tearing out later).
2. Lay out your tiles so you can walk between them.
3. Put on your gloves and eye protection and slather the back of each tile (there is a thick layer of paint) with a good coat of stripper. To clarify, every step of this process, the “front” or glass face is down… you are only manipulating the backside finish.
Pro tip: Mirrored tiles are made up of three layers: Glass, silver reflective material, and a thick painted backing that protects the silver. This step removes the painted backing. It will lift EASILY when it is ready: don’t scrape at the mirrors or it will scratch through all of the layers and be visible later (ask me how I know).
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
4. When the backing is lifted (set it aside next to the tiles on the plastic drop cloth), spray off the back of each tile with water.
5. Move the tiles to a safe place, face down, where the front glass will not get scratched (we moved them to a smooth concrete slab and had individual paper towels down to protect the glass surface of each tile.
6. Put some dawn dishsoap on the back of each tile, wipe it down thoroughly (keep the hose running next to you here) rinse and dry it (it helps to have two people working on this step, one cleaning one drying). What you should have left at this point is just the silver backing. If there is leftover paint, that’s okay, it’s not going to show through, that area just will not be antiqued.
7. The next step it is VERY CRITICAL you are wearing protective eyewear, gloves, and clothing as you’ll be dealing with muriatic acid. Carefully use the funnel to pour muriatic acid into the spray bottle (I would use a NEW spray bottle to ensure you’re not mixing any other chemicals with the acid).
8. Gather up your used drop cloth (that should be very wet and filled with used goop) and put a new plastic dropcloth down so you don’t have any chemical reactions with the acid step. Lay your mirrored tiles glass side down again, spaced out.
9. This is sort of the fun part: now you’re antiquing! If you want heavy pieces of the silver gone you can spray it on more liberally. Mist the acid around the edges of the panels for a natural antiqued look, spraying some tiles more heavily and some less. Then you just let the acid do it’s work. Keep some clean rags on hand to blot excess acid in case you spray too much. You’ll be able to see when the acid is finished doing it’s work: you’ll be able to see through the clear glass to what’s beneath.
10. Get your hose out and spray off the panels to clear the acid.
11. Move the panels back to your washing and drying area and repeat the process of washing and drying (don’t forget to protect the face of the glass!). Your panels are now ready for paint!
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
12. We chose an antiqued gold spray paint instead of gray to give our panels a lighter, gilded feel, but gray works also if you’re into a moodier look.
13. Lay out the panels in a place where you’ll have plenty of time to let them dry, glass side down. Rainman did two good layers of gold spraypaint with the panels laid out on cardboard, allowing the layers to dry inbetween.
14. When they are completely dry, you can store them stacked with cardboard between the panels to prevent scratching.
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
In the photo above, you can see the dark spots through the first layer of paint: those are the spots the acid etched into the panels, and where you will see through to the paint.
Now to the really fun part: cutting glass/mirrors isn’t difficult, but I recommend planning ahead for getting around outlets, light fixtures, or plumbing fixtures. There are one million tutorials on Youtube on how to cut glass or mirrors… so I recommend you look those up (the glass cutting tools I linked below are all that we needed to do cuts).
15. I recommend drawing out the tiles on the wall to make sure your cuts will be do-able. I also recommend doing test cuts on scrap before you start cutting your antiqued tiles (these tiles are only $3.50 apiece so don’t forget to grab some extra at the store). If you have cut outs to do for outlets or light fixtures, getting these on an edge or a corner is CRUCIAL. Otherwise, you will end up with cuts that show (we only had a couple and it still looks great, but if we did it again I would plan around that).
Pro tip: Make sure your wall is flat. If you have bumps, imperfections, or mounds the tiles will not lie flat.
16. Put mirror mastic on the back of the mirror as directed. If you start at the bottom, the mirrors hold each other up until the mastic dries.
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
Want to see the finished product??? We’re pretty proud of how this bar came out, and the antique mirrored backsplash is a big part of it. You’ll have to forgive the reflection in the mirror showing our unfinished kitchen… but, you get the idea! Cheers!
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
How To Get That Antique Mirror Backsplash For a Fraction of the Price and Install it Like a Pro
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, LTK, and other affiliate programs: affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other sites. These programs offer a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to a product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. These links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
One of the biggest challenges living in a new, or newer, home is making the house feel like it’s been there forever: lived in, loved, cozy, warm. I know. I’ve been there. I am also CURRENTLY there… We’ve been trying to accomplish this task room by room here. It’s slow going (because Rainman has to go to work… which is super frustrating and also QUITE INCONVENIENT WHEN WE NEED TO BE RENOVATING OUR HOUSE) but we did finally get to our downstairs bathroom remodel.
The neighbor had the audacity to remark to my husband that he thought our downstairs bathroom was fine and that time would be better spent fishing. I haven’t egged his house yet, but I’m considering it. Do people still TP houses or is that frowned upon? Asking for a friend.
And the bathroom?
It. Is. Awesome.
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
As usual, the budget did not allow for me to hire a bathroom contractor (bathroom remodeling near me is SUPER EXPENSIVE- but, isn’t everything?). Apparently, every tradesman in my area has a ton of work and they can charge whatever they want to show up and work on your house (and that’s a BIG IF you can get them to show up).
Of course, it’s not like Rainman would hire out something he is “perfectly capable of doing himself” even if they can do it in under a decade, unlike us.
But… I feel like we got this amazing project done well under the average cost to remodel a bathroom because we did it ourselves (other than the plumber, who I begged Rainman to hire and ended up saving us probably about a week in work time) and I LOVE that we saved the money.
As most of you know: kitchen and bathroom renovations are the most expensive rooms in the house to remodel, but we managed to do this pretty reasonably, because I’ve been working on this for A WHILE. I’ve been sourcing pieces, researching,… cough cough… and buying stuff for this bathroom for about two years (and the guest room that was temporarily storing all of the construction stuff has finally breathed a sigh of relief and been emptied out again).
Long story short: how did we do?
This. Is. My. Favorite. Room. We’ve. Ever. Done.
Seriously. I am absolutely, 100% in LOVE… and have captured EXACTLY my design style. It doesn’t have a name.
It’s just me.
Without further ADIEU, here is the mood board we started with:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
And the bathroom I was trying to take from boring and forgettable, to awesome…
I’m actually really lucky, because at no point did my darling Rainman suggest any silly things like, “this room is perfectly okay as is.” Or any other such nonsense. I believe he has truly embraced his fate in being married to someone who can’t just- for the LOVE OF GOD- leave well enough alone. I honestly don’t know why he puts up with me.
BEFORE (also see “Zzzzzzzzz” in the dictionary):
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
AFTER (and the clouds parted…):
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
BEFORE:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
AFTER:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
BEFORE:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
AFTER:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
BEFORE:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
AFTER:
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
Here are some fun construction photos:
Don’t be discouraged by our two-week timeframe… we had to self-isolate for two weeks because we had a possible COVID exposure… so I very smoothly suggested that a lockdown would be an EXCELLENT opportunity to renovate the bathroom (for which we just happened to have all of the supplies)… This cut our normal construction time from about ten years per project to finished in about two weeks.
I think renovations are a lot like having babies: you only do it again because you forget how painful and messy it is. But, you keep doing it because the end result is AMAZING (even if the process involves pain, bleeding, and occasional screaming). I’m trying to remind myself of that because the ENTIRE downstairs is in a state of construction mess.
Also, the six year old has done 5000 drawings watching Youtube videos. She loves it when we’re distracted. Insert mom guilt.
For those of you who have ever renovated a bathroom, you already noticed the water damage (NEVER, EVER PUT A WOOD FLOOR IN A BATHROOM). And you were already thinking, “I wonder if they have any extra plywood on hand for that subfloor because I bet it has rot.” And you’d be right.
You noticed the color is different than the mood board? Yes, I changed my paint plan at the last minute (like THAT’S never happened before). I decided to go with Benjamin Moore’s Smoke Stack Gray. I think it’s going to have the cozy feel I want anyway, because the room is very small and I’m painting EVERYTHING the same color (ceiling, walls, and trim).
But, here’s for the really fun part: FINISHED!!!
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
One of the best ways to save money on your sink vanity is to do an antique dresser vanity conversion. Vanities are super pricey, even the junky ones. So, why not build a beautiful custom one that’s not only WAY cheaper, but also way more awesome in every way?
You can look for an antique dresser made into a bathroom vanity for sale (lots of people sell these on Craigslist), or you can just find the dresser and customize it with a smashingly fancy white porcelain vessel sink basin and any fixture you want.
I was the most surprised by this incredible faucet: I had no idea it could be that cost effective and be so beautiful. Check out some close ups.
One of the easiest ways to add depth to walls (and get rid of that horrid new house feel) is to add moldings. I wanted this already small room to feel cozy, but not claustrophobic. By painting everything one color, it feels bigger and taller. We added picture frame moldings, chair rail, and put in new baseboards. We were able to reuse the crown molding.
The Easy Way To DIY Breathtaking Landscape and Scenery Paintings
We pulled out the hardwood (why why why would you ever put wood in a bathroom???) and traded it for this gorgeous Travertine Field Tile in Ivory Honed (18″X18″). It is breathtaking but EXTREMELY finicky to install. We cracked two tiles during installation. The end result: SO WORTH IT. Travertine tile (limestone floor tile) is timeless and I made sure to pick one without the peachy/pink hues that I hate.
The commode we already had (we have upgraded every toilet in our last two houses to the American Standard Champion 4, because it is the UNCLOGGABLE toilet). It’s also very attractive, so win win. This just required a removal to put down the floors and a reinstall afterward.
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
In this shot you can see the antique Hall Tree I found on Craigslist for (I think) around $100. It was painted in a robin’s egg blue, and it was no small task getting all the paint off, but I used this paint and varnish remover, and that helped tremendously. I absolutely ADORE how it turned out (and that I can use the hooks for towels).
One little problem, though. It is ENORMOUS.
Remember Mr. “That Bathroom Doesn’t Need to Renovated” from next door? Well, as penance I asked him and his son to come over to help hang it. This involved he, his son, and my husband squeezed into this tiny bathroom, holding it up, and trying to line the bolts up with the holes we had dry fitted.
I was balancing on the toilet lid behind them, waiting with the drill to drive home the bolts as soon as someone signaled they had a bolt lined up.
So, Rainman says, “I think it’s in.” And, without hesitation, I leapt into action… RAKAKAKAK… and drove that bolt home…
Smashing Rainman’s finger between the mirror and the brick.
We might have to work on our communication.
But, I’m betting the neighbor probably won’t mess with me after that. I feel like the head of an organized crime family. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Then there’s my son, who is apparently NOT afraid of me. He thought I needed to replace the mirror part for one less “antiqued” (which he brought up no less than thirty-seven times prior to installation). Pffffft. What he doesn’t know yet, because he’s an amateur is that this is the perfect party mirror: everyone looks lovely in it. He’s just not old enough to appreciate the beauty of an imperfect mirror.
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How about those awesome Veneer Bricks from Old Mill? This is the third time we’ve used these (the Castle Gate color) and they are absolutely FANTASTIC. They are 100% authentic brick, just thinner and easier to install. We went with a medium gray grout this time to achieve the antique look we were going for and I’m absolutely over the moon with how it turned out!
Watch for our installation tutorial coming soon!
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
So, by now you’ve noticed those Dreamy 2 Light Sconces With Smoke Crystals. Yes, I’ll be buying more when they are in stock again. They match our RH Rococo Chandeliers (in smoke) perfectly, but with a much smaller price tag.
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
And more pictures of my “Smithsonian bath,” (as my sweet sister dubbed it).
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
How To Create A Historic Bathroom In A New Home
Here is the complete source list for our bathroom reno (and staging items):
Can you see doing something like this in your bathroom?
Check out more fantastic projects and design inspiration on the blog!
Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, LTK, and other affiliate programs: affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other sites. These programs offer a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to a product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. These links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
For those of you that follow along with us, you already know that we’ve been in the middle of kitchen planning, designing, and installing on a kitchen in another state. I am in North Carolina and the kitchen that I designed for my mom’s forever home is in Vermont. Luckily for me, my sister and brother (who is our “contractor” and carpenter) are in Vermont and have done almost all of the heavy lifting themselves. My sister, who owns the home, has painted more than she ever wanted to paint in her life.
When we began talking about this project (when the property that adjoined my sister’s farm came up for sale), I think it was sometime around February (2020). When we started actually planning it, the idea was for my brother to have everything ready for me and my husband to drive up and help with the installation (especially because he thinks some of the design choices I made are a major pain in the butt). But, then this weird thing happened: a pandemic. Our trip obviously got delayed. But, on the positive side, my sister and brother were able to continue working on the rehab and the kitchen just about full time since everything was closed due to Covid.
Sneak Peek (the AFTER):
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
*This post may contain affiliate links and is sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
The Before
I was able to get a decent idea of the space from talking to my sister and lots of pictures and video chatting. I came up with a preliminary design that would save her time and money by leveraging the existing layout. We agreed it would be a nice kitchen.
In addition to detailed wall measurements, locations of lights, switches, plumbing, etc, I was working from the following before pictures:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
The Design Style
I talked to my sister at length about the intended style of the house (she was doing a complete renovation, not just the kitchen). The house was, at the time of purchase, sort of a bad mid-century look. We agreed that “Vermont Cottage” was a good style to strive for, throwing in some modern conveniences, and some new cabinetry. Trying to save her money on the reno, I had suggested we try to paint and re-use some of the cabinets, but it would not have been as polished of an end look.
However, if it’s a total tear down, I have some great tips to save you money. The main component of a kitchen remodel is the cabinetry. There are so many cabinet options and they can run from $100 each to thousands of dollars each.
Thousands of dollars. “For a CABINET???” you ask. Oh yes, for a cabinet.
Anyway, here is the original “Vermont Cottage” mood board that I made for my mom’s forever kitchen to give my sister an idea of how I wanted the finished space to feel. You may notice that it has some polished elements, some rustic elements, and some commercial/industrial level elements also.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
For my mom and her husband, we had some specific design considerations on top of the usual desire to create a timeless kitchen:
Her husband cooks greasy steaks on high heat almost daily: Although a dedicated hood was not in the budget, we chose a microwave that was capable of venting to the outside. We also planned a stainless steel sheet as a stove backsplash to make clean-up easier.
Her husband is a mechanic: If any of you have a mechanic in your house, you know that black fingerprints are a fact of life. We chose dark stainless for the appliances and beefy black hardware to minimize smudges.
My preliminary design had options to use the existing layout and cabinets, add some cabinets and move the sink under the window, and to add some cabinets and bridge shelves from IKEA to the wall that was blank in the kitchen. This design was the most budget friendly.
Then my sister brought my brother in to look at the space before we agreed on a design. He said, “let’s open it up.” Read: please scrap your entire layout. We’re doing this differently.
The problem was: inbetween the closed off kitchen and living room were two walls and a staircase that went to the basement. Apparently, for carpenters that wear superman capes, this is a non-issue. He informed us he was going to move the staircase to the other end of the living room, frame the hole in, build a new staircase with kneewall, and we would have one BIG, FANTASTIC, open living space.
So, I revised my plan, which doubled the cabinet space we would have in the kitchen, plus the overall aesthetic was going to be awesome!
The Design Plan
I got out my graph paper (yes, I am old school and I still use graph paper for my designs) and was back to the old drawing board. I put my wall measurements and locations of fixtures, etc (including appliance measurements) down onto graph paper and then proceeded to start filling in standard size (non-custom) cabinet sizes to see how much of the space I could use. It turns out, I was able to use almost every inch of the back wall and create a nice big kitchen.
While I was designing I was also researching pricing for cabinets. YIKES. There are a lot of options, and some of them, even their off the shelf prices (non-custom cabinets) are pricey. I’m always trying to find a good deal, especially when I’m spending someone else’s money. I found a company that was running a sale that has good reviews and had a cabinet style I liked. They also offered design services, so I figured getting a pro to look at my design couldn’t hurt, and I was curious to see what they would come up with.
This is what I sent them (I also told the designer we wanted to do an island with four base cabinets on each side):
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Graph Paper Design for the lower cabinets
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets, Sink and appliances information
Fancy, right? Ha.
Tip: You don’t need anything near as detailed as what I sent to the cabinet company. You can send them basic wall dimensions with locations of outlets, plumbing and light fixtures, and doors and windows, and they will design the kitchen for you!
Well, this is what they sent me back (and why we ultimately went with the company):
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
I was super impressed with the designer’s knowledge, and they have a whole tech team dedicated to rendering 3D images of your kitchen so you can easily visualize EXACTLY how it’s going to look.
I think it was about this time that I asked the company if they would like to sponsor our kitchen (we received a discount on the price of the cabinets), so we teamed up with Lily Ann Cabinets for the cabinets, and decided to go with RTA to save my sister some money on the ever-growing budget for the project. (Pssst, don’t tell them, but we were going to use them anyway because they were already the least expensive manufacturer I could find).
Ready to get started? My readers can use the code SDIY2018 at checkout to get 5% off your Lily Ann Cabinets order!
RTA cabinets are “ready to assemble” and my husband and I had previously installed some in our old kitchen, so the RTA thing didn’t scare me at all. My brother, on the other hand, flat refused to assemble them (and when he’s adamant I just go with it), and insisted we do it when we came for the kitchen install. We agreed and we moved forward with our planning.
Except, remember that whole COVID thing? The entire design and ordering process was accomplished by Lily Ann employees working from home, and the order assembled and shipped by a skeleton crew in their warehouse. Our planned working trip over the kids’ Spring Break was smack in the middle of the lockdown. And our ability to plan another trip was completely on hold with really no end in sight.
I sent the designer my sketch on Feb 28, 2020 and the cabinets were delivered April 14, 2020. The whole process, from starting the design to delivery of the cabinets, was less than seven weeks and that was during the pandemic lockdown.
Tip: Don’t hack up the old cabinets with a sledgehammer like the TV shows do. Why?
1) It’s super messy. Instead: you just need to remove a few screws to pop the whole thing off the wall.
2) You can either re-use the cabinets in your garage for extra storage or you can donate them to the Habitat For Humanity Re-store and get a donation slip from them that you can write off on your taxes (they’ll even come pick up your donations!).
Cabinet Assembly
By this time, the cabinets had been delivered and were sitting in a neatly packed palette in the garage. I think my brother started getting antsy, because he was going to put the flooring down after the cabinets went in, and we were still on a travel lockdown. So, suddenly I started getting pictures of cabinets going together and up against the wall.
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
I was a nervous wreck at first… I was holding my breath waiting for my brother to deliver the verdict that the cabinets were junk and were a nightmare to assemble. But, guess what? That didn’t happen. My brother, the wood snob/very talented carpenter was SUPER impressed with the quality craftsmanship and how easily the RTAs went together! I breathed a sigh of relief. Whew!
Not handy? It doesn’t even matter. Check out the following two videos from our build that show the complete assembly of an RTA cabinet box (which takes about 3 minutes total):
Of course, after the RTA box is assembled, the doors and drawers are attached, which takes a few minutes longer, but is still very simple.
Is it really that simple?: Yes! Here are some more photos of the cabinet assembly:
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures
Installation
My brother quickly assembled all of the cabinets and started installing them. He was able to do this without me there, because he had a detailed layout guide from Lily Ann. With exact measurements he was able to do the entire installation.
Remember these?
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files
Following the detailed layout the designer provided: they started tying them into the walls and the kitchen was really starting to take shape!
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
Using the design, he had the electrician put in all new can lights, outlets, and receptacles for the other fixtures.
The Rest Of The Kitchen Installation
My sister immediately got going on painting in the main living spaces, including the kitchen. She very carefully covered the cabinets and went to work.
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
Later, the floors went down and lights went up. My brother also installed the decorative panels on the sides of the cabinets so that the countertop people could measure accurately.
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Light fixture installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation
Next, the countertops went in (except for the kitchen island, which my brother had wood curing for).
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Countertop installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Countertop Installation
How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Countertop Installation
They were finally ready to bring the appliances up and it was amazing how it ALREADY looked, even though it wasn’t finished. And we had a little problem coming up… We were supposed to do the “reveal” on my mom’s birthday in July. But, we were still unable to travel north because of COVID.
So, my sister and brother did a mini-reveal to show her the progress, knowing that we would be up soon to finish the space that still needed: molding, an antique for a spice rack, the stove backsplash, the backsplash above the counter, the cabinet hardware, the hanging herb garden, and the open shelving to the left of the sink. But, the before was still pretty awesome and my mom was blown away. Here’s what it looked like on her reveal day with my brother’s custom island top he manufactured from wood on his property and his wood mill:
And who doesn’t love a good reveal video? Warning: it makes me weepy every time.
What do you think? Would you use RTA cabinets for your renovation? Let us know in the comments below!
Ready to get started? My readers can use the code SDIY2018 at checkout to get 5% off your Lily Ann Cabinets order!
Thanks again to the team at Lily Ann Cabinets for making our build possible, to my sister, brother, and brother-in-law in Vermont for all of their hard work, and to my favorite Rainman for doing working vacations with me without a single complaint!
Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
Who doesn’t love a good before and after reveal??? We teamed up with Lily Ann Cabinets to do this awesome project for my mother’s forever home and I’m super happy with how it turned out. We used their RTA Cabinets, Lily Ann’s Grey Shaker Elite (and you’re going to love them!).
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
The kitchen turned out beautifully and the carpenter was super impressed by the quality of the RTA cabinets. That helps a LOT when the carpenter happens to be your brother AND he’s a meticulous and dyed-in-the-wool wood snob.
Quick story:
My family has been playing musical houses for almost my whole life (I’m an army brat). So, when my mom finally decided to pick a house and stay in it, my sister reached out to me to help with the kitchen design (they were really busy renovating the whole rest of the house). The place had great bones, but was really ugly. One little problem: I am in North Carolina and they are in Vermont. To any lesser team this would’ve been a problem (working with family and from a different state… what could go wrong???).
I sent my initial design which was nixed by my incredible carpenter brother who wanted to knock down walls and move stairs (who am I to argue with that?). So, I worked up a moodboard and completely new design and sent it to my sister and brother.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Then there was the issue of finding a cabinet company that wasn’t going to break the bank. I looked and looked, but everything I liked was super expensive! And since I had added a huge island, the cabinet total had about doubled. Then I stumbled across RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets. I found them on sale (even though they were already significantly cheaper than the other cabinets I had found before the sale), and I sent the company my design. My brother said, “that’s fine, but you guys are putting those cabinets together.”
Almost ALL of this was carried out without me physically at the property because suddenly there was a pandemic. Yup. Perfect timing. I corresponded with a Lily Ann kitchen designer in Michigan that was working from home and had the details and 3d renderings in just a few weeks. A skeleton warehouse crew got our order out and it was delivered about a month and a half after we first contacted them.
Back to the house: imagine my delight when my brother (who had said NO WAY was he assembling RTA cabinets) called me to say he had assembled and installed them and the quality was amazing. Oh, and they went together super fast. I was in shock. I will save the rest of that story for another post. This is a simple before and after, remember?
If you love this look, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!
Grandma got to see her almost finished kitchen on her birthday in July and I think you’ll appreciate the video (it still makes me cry every time):
All that was left (after the first reveal) for install when we arrived in Vermont (two months later and on re-scheduled trip number three) was hardware, the backsplash, the shelves, and crown molding. Still, five full days of install while trying to persuade my six year old to do her virtual school independently was a bit challenging. And, to be perfectly honest, my brother had told me the quality was good, but the cabinets were even better in person. The finish was beautiful and I quickly realized there was nothing “discount” about these cabinets other than the price.
The after photos were all taken by @loganbspring on Instagram, so give him a follow! I think you’ll love his work as much as we do!
Drumroll please!!!!
This is looking through the front door at the door that went down to the basement:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Here is the front door now:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
This is looking from the corner of the kitchen back at the front door:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
We couldn’t REALLY get this “before” shot because of the wall, but you can see where the new front door is now (the wall started roughly where the island begins):
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
This is standing by the front door, looking at the kitchen.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
And here is the after:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
This is a shot of the space after the walls came down, but before the staircase was moved:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
And after:
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
And just for fun, here are some more detailed shots of the kitchen we took during staging:
Reclaimed shelves with iron brackets, fully staged. Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Grandma’s cutting board/charcuterie board collection next to her wooden spoon collection. Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Kitchen staged with gold pictures and a french country style lamp. Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
Reclaimed shelves against a herringbone backsplash. Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.
This was quite the journey, but it was all worth it to see how happy my mom was at the end. What do you think of our design and renovation? What is your favorite part? Please let us know in the comments below!
Once again: If you love this look, and want to pay less for awesome cabinets, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!
Special thanks to my brother and sister for all of the hard work and making it so easy for us to look good!
Thanks for joining us on our adventures! Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a paid affiliate for Lily Ann Cabinets and received discounted products to provide this review. As always, our opinions are honest and we promote only quality products that we use ourselves.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
I have been wondering about using a paint sprayer for years now, because of course I see all these gorgeous finishes on people’s cabinets, furniture, and small paint projects. So, I did a little research, and finally settled on a small project paint gun that is inexpensive, works really well, and is very simple to set up and clean up. Here is the process and what we used to get outstanding results!
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
The first step is having a place to paint. Now these doors were unattached and I REALLY didn’t want to do prepwork inside to paint (especially because of the cats). So, we waited for a day when the wind was relatively still, and set up a clean work surface on the ground and screwed in eyelet screws into the top of the cabinet doors. Then we wired them to an outdoor arbor so they were suspended and accessible.
What you’ll need:
A paint gun: we used the Critter Paint Gun, (great design, very simple, and the best news: CHEAP!).
Paint straining bags: you can get these for a buck and change at hardware stores or buy them online: Paint Strainer Bags.
A compressor, hose, and basic attachments. We have a large Dewalt Compressor (which I bought apparently thinking we’d be framing walls and working in a commercial building environment) but we used the smaller and much more easy to wield Bostich Air Compressor for this project).
First we dry fitted everything on the gun to make sure it worked with the compressor hoses.
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Then we used one of the paint strainers to strain the paint into the jar.
TIP FROM RAINMAN: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP. If you don’t strain the paint, little chunks will clog up the tiny tube that feeds the sprayer.
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
We realized after the first few minutes that the best method is to put the strainer all the way in and then pour the paint in. It lends some weight to the process and makes it strain MUCH faster.
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Once the paint is in, lift the strainer out until it has all drained into the mason jar. We layed the bag down on our clean surface, knowing we would use it again, but if you’re taking a long time, you might want to rinse it with a hose between uses (we have not found a non-messy way to do this).
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Attach the mason jar back to the gun, and make sure your air compressor is set at 30 PSI.
TIP FROM RAINMAN: USE SCRAP WOOD TO GET PSI, LIQUID NOZZLE, AND DISTANCE SET (35 PSI WITH LIQUID NOZZLE CENTERED WORKED WELL WITH THIS PAINT AT AROUND 4 INCHES FROM SURFACE).
Rainman sprayed around the edges, then into the corners, then did a good layer, spraying back and forth across it.
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Spraying around the outside:
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Door two: holding it steady to start spraying (this is where those eyelets and wire are handy).
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Spray the front sides, then the back sides, and give it a little time to dry. Make sure you get any outside edges you will see.
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Painting the doors with the Critter
Depending on the paint and color, you will need at least two coats. We did three for good measure and for even coverage.
TIP FROM RAINMAN: LIQUID NOZZLE MAY NEED TO BE CLEANED (PICK OFF ANY DRIED/DRYING PAINT), ESPECIALLY IF YOU LET THE GUN SIT BETWEEN APPLICATIONS.
Pose for a “finished painting” photo:
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Finished Painted Doors
We took the doors into the downstairs shower (where there are no cats if we close the door) and where we had a rod across the middle and resecured them to the rod for three days to make sure they were really good and dry before we mounted them.
TIP FROM RAINMAN: CLEAN GUN WITH PAINT THINNER BEFORE PAINT DRIES ON GUN SURFACES.
Clean-up: Rainman rinsed out all of the paint from the mason jar, rinsed all of the tubing and the outside of the paint gun off, and then added mineral spirits to the jar. He sprayed that all out to clean the inside of the tubing and the inside of the gun. Then he dumped that out, added water, and did it again. Take the components apart and let them dry completely before you put it back together. We stored it back in the box and will definitely use it again!
TIP FROM RAINMAN: NOT SURE HOW LONG JAR GASKET WILL LAST; PROBABLY NEED TO ORDER SPARES.
Here are the doors mounted on the fireplace:
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
Here they are mounted and COVERING THAT AWFUL GAPING HOLE!
How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer and Get Outstanding Results
We had already painted the rest of the fireplace with brushes and rollers. If I had realized how easy it was to use the sprayer and how little overspray there was, I would’ve used The Critter to paint that, as well. The finish looks VERY professional, and I’ll definitely be using it to do our cabinets once we get to that point.
I’d love to see your paint projects and hear about how this little paint gun worked for you! Please share in the comments below and check out more great project tutorials and inspiration over on our blog.
Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
If you follow us, about a year ago I started thinking about the fireplace (and how NOT enamored with it I was). I dug up some fireplace inspiration in the hopes that I would find something awesome and reasonably cost friendly. The thing is, we have some really pretty millwork around the fireplace, but over the fireplace is an awful TV space, meant for one of those gigantic tube TVs. Aside from the part where it a terrible waste of space, it is a complete eyesore, as well.
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
The more I looked, however, the more I realized that I have REALLY expensive taste. The fireplaces I love would require a complete gut, a big mess, and a LOT of money (like upwards of $3000 just for the fireplace surround). So, the alternative is to keep what I have and build upon it. I came up with a design that I think I’m really going to love, that’s very US, and added to it a bit. Rainman is going to kill me when he sees what I added to the project (but ultimately he’ll love how it looks).
This is what we’re starting with (the before):
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Before We Started
Okay, so it’s not really that bad. I should stop my crying and just stay with what I have, right? (insert evil laughter). We both know that’s not going to happen. And, is there a reason that I’m showing the whole wall and not just the fireplace? Oh yes, there is. But, we’ll get to that.
Right now, it is a very classic-ish, plain fireplace with some pretty mill-work and a crazy, giant opening up top. This is a shot of it with the cabinet doors that I ordered from Cabinet Door World. So, yeah, you can make cabinet doors (pretty easily), however, with no working wood shop currently, and very little time, I ended up ordering them instead. The quality is very good and the ordering process was easy. I got them exactly the size of the opening, so I’m sure we’ll need to do some sanding once we dry fit the hardware.
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Doors To Be Mounted Above
For the color we chose Benjamin Moore’s “wrought iron” and I think it will be fantastic. I’m planning on using it for the cabinets we’re moving out of the kitchen into the mudroom area, also, so this will be a good test run. Check out the tutorial on how we used a great, super cheap spray gun to paint the cabinet doors!
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Our Favorite Paint! Benjamin Moore, Wrought Iron
Project tip: We were painting over a semi-gloss, so we sanded with a sanding block first, then wiped down the whole thing and let it dry before painting (a good three coats because of the color!).
The cabinet hardware, from House Of Antique Hardware is still backordered, so I will update once that comes in and we get the doors up, but for now, I couldn’t WAIT to show you how amazing the fireplace looks with a fresh coat of paint! Drum roll, please.
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Painted and Updated
It blows my mind sometimes how much a simple color change can transform a space! (And yes, I’m planning on painting the walls… but there are more dining room projects that have to happen first, like the new doors and the stone veneer on the wall to the left of the fireplace… Welcome to my project A.D.D.)
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update
And one more, just because I’m so in love:
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; With Pretty Lighting
Project Update:
You’ll remember that we weren’t actually done, I just had to show you the paint because I was way too excited. The most difficult part of the project was still to come: actually installing the doors over the fireplace.
A quick word of advice: If you have to work with your spouse, find something that works for you. I find a combination of wine and a mute button work best when he’s doing something for me. I throw in some compliments and thank yous about the awesomeness of his work and shut my mouth. If I have the urge to OPEN my mouth and say something, I open it and insert wine. It has worked out pretty well thus far and has yielded tremendous results.
I ordered the doors so they exactly fit in the opening. That means that in order to account for the fact that the opening is not square and unlevel areas on the mantel, the doors had to be dry-fit, then trimmed down. Now, let me tell you, this is the most Rainman-iest project in Rainman land. It also means that we couldn’t paint them until they were fitted and trimmed.
Full disclosure: I love this man.
First, was the problem of explaining why we needed to build trim above to act as a stop for the doors and fill in the dead space above when the doors are closed. It’s not that he doesn’t understand my “I don’t want a gap above the doors”, it’s just that explaining something conceptually doesn’t always translate to something concrete in his brain. So, a little while later, he devised a solution.
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Installing Trim Over Fireplace
“YES, my love, that will fill in the gap. It’s perfect. What’s the next step?” (sips wine)
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Trim Above Doors
Back to Rainman Land:
This installation involves a plumb-bob, multiple levels, obsessive measuring, remeasuring, shimming, shimming again, dry fitting, shimming again. Measuring again. Splitting the difference. Rainman muttering about the lack of squareness in the opening. Let’s just say that I may or may not have started drinking before 5 PM that day (but once again, in my hurry to slap it up there and be done with it, I’m quite sure it wouldn’t have been so downright balanced and lovely in the end).
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Shimming Doors
After it was shimmed (I don’t mean to undersell the length of that process), I held the doors while he aligned the hinges (more wine, more wine, more wine), and eventually, after much careful sanding and trimming, the doors were hung, and had all the clearance they needed to open and close.
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Doors Dry Fitted
Now, we are waiting on it to be not blustery weather so we can take the doors down and paint them. And then we will actually be done.
Update: Finally painted!
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Painting the doors with the Critter
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Finished Painted Doors
I’m really fond of drum rolls, so let’s do that again. Here’s a shot with the doors on and DONE!
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update: Doors On And Ready To Hide The TV
And one with the doors painted, on, and CLOSED. WOOT! (Can’t see the TV, can ya, Russ?)
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update; Doors Painted, On, and CLOSED
It may seem like a small thing to other people, but this project has been on the list for a long time. It’s just a matter of making it a priority and having the time to do it. But, of course, that makes each little change that much more awesome!
Here is the breakdown:
Project Cost:
Benjamin Moore Paint and supplies: $96.66
Two Cabinet doors: $149.57 (delivered)
House of Antique Hardware 2X Pair of 9″ Smooth Iron Flush Mount Spear Strap Hinges: $43.94
Total: $290.17
And just for fun, let’s see that before and after one more time:
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Before We StartedThe Dark and Moody Fireplace Update: The After: Doors above the fireplace, fresh paint, and a new light fixture
It sure is amazing what some doors, paint, and a light fixture can do to a room, right??? And, here’s a shot with what it looks like with the dining table and chairs (which will soon be replaced, but that’s a story for another day!).
The Dark and Moody Fireplace Update, Dining Room With Updated Fireplace and Light Fixture
I would love to see before and afters on your own paint projects! Thanks for playing with us and, of course, cheers to all of your updates in the New Year and check out more project awesomeness on our blog.
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
I’ve been sneaking Christmas decor out of the closet, but I guess I’m not super stealthy. The thing is, I don’t have a lot a lot of energy, and I really have to pace myself. So, if everything but the tree is up before Thanksgiving, so be it. This is my favorite time of the year, and the little white twinkling lights just give me the Christmas feels! So, here is what I have done so far:
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
The exterior: If it was up to me, we’d be done. I have wreaths with red ribbons and window candles with automatic light sensors and flickering flames (for about $5 each, I thought these were a steal). Okay, maybe some lighted garland around the porch would be cool, but, we’ll see. Clark Griswold is already harassing me about adding more lights, but I’m standing my ground.
Classic Christmas Decor: Wreaths with red ribbons in the windows and window candles
This is a great example of the unpredictable weather in Coastal NC: My roses are still blooming, my hydrangea leaves haven’t wilted yet, my Christmas stuff is out, and there are still tons of leaves falling.
Classic Christmas Decor: Individual window wreaths with red velvet ribbon, pink roses, and a stacked stone garden.
This is a close up of the basic wreaths: Very basic but should hold up well outdoors, and they were cheap enough that it won’t break my heart if they’re ruined. They’re perfectly matched with the window candles!
Classic Christmas Decor: Window Wreaths and Flickering Window Candles
This is a great example of “be where you are.” I am not in love with my fireplace set up currently, but it’s where we are, so I just decorated the crap out of it. I am REALLY proud of my garland I put together, with a willow/eucalyptus garland combined with a basic fir garland (if you don’t have any of these, go to Michael’s after Christmas when they’re pretty much giving them away. They’re on racks on the wall and I got the basic lighted garlands for about $5 each. The faux silver dollar eucalyptus and preserved roses arrangement I added as an afterthought and I love the combo. (Check out our great post on how to preserve roses!)
Classic Christmas Decor: Eucalyptus/Willow Lighted Garland, Christmas Eucalyptus and Preserved Roses Arrangement, Classic Candlesticks and Candlebra, and Classic Oversized Ethan Allen Vase with Faux Cranberries
This awesome Ethan Allen Vase I use for every season with different stems because I ADORE it! The faux cranberries make a gorgeous, simple seasonal arrangement (tip: open them outside and let them air out a little… they have a heavy chemical scent but are beautiful once they’ve breathed a little they’re great!).
For the story of why our turtle inspires us, check out the story on Our Instagram!
Classic Christmas Decor: Our Ethan Allen Vase with a faux cranberry arrangement and our trusty Mr. Turtle the tortoise feeling festive!
And finally, I’m still in work on these faux eucalyptus mixed garlands, and there is a great garland tutorial on our blog so you can make your own much more cheaply than buying them! And I’m just loving the cool led cork-bottle fairy lights, if you’re looking for what to do with all those bottles you saved.
How To Make Your Own Eucalyptus-Fir Mixed Christmas Garland For A Fraction Of The Price
I would love to hear what you think about our Christmas style in the comments below! Do you have any Christmas decor traditions at your house?
Check out more of our decor and project inspiration over on our blog. Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
I am super excited to be sharing our completed living room with you!!! It’s hard to believe that it’s come this far from where we started, but one of the reasons we bought this place was its overall improvability. I like everything customized MY way, and it’s nice not have to make any structural changes to achieve results, or to pay a higher price for a home that’s finished, but not necessarily what you would have chosen. So, now we have EXACTLY what I wanted and it turned out even better than I dreamed. See the complete source list below each photo!
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
So, here’s a flashback to what this place looked like before we moved in (eeeeek!). But, with the high ceilings and great windows, it was ripe for an elegant update. The house was super clean and ready for a facelift.
It is difficult to believe that this is the same room, but I am completely in love. Check out the incredible results:
Classic living room with Pottery Barn Chesterfield sofa, RH 19th Century Rococo Iron & Crystal Round Chandelier, and RH knock off (DIY) velvet curtains
The fantastic light fixture from RH is the crown jewel of the space and really takes it to another level. It is the 19th Century Rococo Iron & Crystal Round Chandelier in Matte Natural Iron/Smoke Crystal and it is breathtaking.
I started out with a great foundation piece from Pottery Barn, this Grand Chesterfield Sofa in Vintage Cocoa Leather that has held up great to kids, two cats, and a dog that occasional jumps up when we’re not looking.
The side tables are from wally-world and are decent (they’re not show-stoppers because they are playing a support role here).
The customized Bourbon Barrel top is from Etsy and the shop name is KYBourbonBarrel. This was a gift for my husband for Christmas and we just love it.
The velvet curtains were sewn by my mother and you can find the source links and project tutorial here.
The rug is from Home Depot and it’s one of my favorite finds. It doesn’t feel cheapy and it wasn’t a small fortune like similar ones I like from Pottery Barn. I wish I had a sourced a few others from there that I got online and didn’t totally love.
The beautiful, solid (and did I mention heavy) dough bowl is from Pottery Barn, although I’m not totally sure they have this dark wood one anymore. In it are found driftwood, a starfish, and Japanese Fishing Floats.
The room was designed around the curved television so that it can be viewed well from almost any angle. Rainman researched and decided on the LG 4H in a curved model. It’s pretty awesome.
Classic Living Room with black builtins, leather chesterfield sofa from Pottery Barn, and Chandelier from Restoration Hardware
Most of the items in the builtins are things that I’ve collected over the years but there are a few that I’ve purchased recently to fill in just a few areas. I believe in builtins because you need them, not to arbitrarily spend money for storage and display space that you don’t need.
IKEA black builtins, brick veneer, custom wood shelves flanking the builtins, RH Chandelier
The little punches of green are super important on the builtins and I love getting REAL preserved boxwood. My artisan of choice is on Amazon and Etsy, Door and Decor. The wreath below is from her, also, and her work is stunning. The prices are slightly less than West Elm or other online vendors and her creations are far superior.
Rainman’s chair, with Kim Taylor Reece photography in Koa wood frames, Preserved Boxwood Wreath from DoorandDecor (Etsy)
To match the chesterfield sofa, we purchased the Lansing Leather Recliner in Vintage Cocoa from Pottery Barn.
The tutorial for the dried rose arrangement is here and the table is an antique hand me down from my mom.
The Octopus Pillow Cover and Compass Rose Pillow cover are both from Amazon. The lantern looks very nice but I wasn’t super excited about the construction, so I won’t recommend it.
So glad you came to check out our finished adult living room! Thanks for stopping by and check out our other updates, projects, and design inspiration on our Blog. Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
For those of you have been following our progress, you know I was mortified that we hadn’t completed the front garden project. We did a massive, beautiful stacked stone garden around the front porch but the garden along the walk leading from the driveway to the front door was still sad, neglected, and downright awful.
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.
This is the “after,” but it took a few weeks to get there, working a little bit each day:
So, this is what that “garden” looked like before I finally insisted Rainman go buy me some rocks (like we didn’t already have enough on our plates). We had already cleared for the future patio and had deposited excess dirt into it, piled up around the bushes, with the bonus of random pavers that braced Christmas lights. Just beautiful. Sigh.
Before. Awful, unfinished landscaping project.
Ugh. It’s really bad. Please look away.
View from the porch of the bad garden.
The sand-base is the home of the future brick patio. This is another “before” photo. So, I’m not going to go into the project as exhaustively as I did on the last one, this is sort of an abbreviated photo tutorial. For detailed instructions (totally the same process!) check out A Classic Stacked Stone Garden Wall, Phase One and Classic Stacked Stone Garden, Phase Two. As for this guy, here goes.
Base layer for dry stacked stone garden with gravel and stone.
First we did the base to make sure we had a stable foundation. We mimicked the curve coming off the steps so the future patio will be the right shape. We used the bricks since that side will be higher (a step up to the brick patio) and that way we didn’t waste any stone.
Another shot of the base layer in on the dry stacked stone garden.
It didn’t occur to me at this point what was really bothering me. But, I’ll get to that.
The curve around the Crepe Myrtle with stacked stone garden base
I really love this gentle curve around the end of the garden. It’s a great shape.
Another shot of the rock base for the dry stack stone garden wall.
This shows how the base took shape.
Dry Stacked Stone Garden wall going in.
So, I was standing there looking at it: this future garden and Rainman asks me a simple question. “You don’t like those bushes do you?” And, of course, that was exactly what was bothering me. It would’ve been WAY more simple if I had asked him to remove them BEFORE I began the wall installation, but he didn’t even fuss at me.
Dry Stacked Stone Garden wall taking shape.
So, the deal with the garden wall installations is that Rainman can’t help. It’s sort of like playing tetris, except that the pieces aren’t the same and you have to be a little creative. It’s an art, really. So, he did what he could: he broke up the weeds and filled in gravel where I needed it. He also lugged rocks of various sizes over to where I was working so that I could build faster. He’s really very awesome, this Rainman of mine.
Leveling the dry stacked stone garden
When we get to this stage of the game, where final leveling is happening, his help, and his eye are essential. I still don’t let him touch any rocks, but he gets me a line so we can get the wall ready for capstones.
Topsoil going in on the dry stacked stone garden
In order to get the garden ready for capstones and landscaping fabric I needed the rest of the topsoil in so I put the teenagers on duty, running back and forth to the topsoil and mulch place.
Getting dry stacked stone garden levelled and ready for landscaping fabric and mulch.
So, we finally got it mounded where I wanted it, and let it rest overnight with a good soaking rain so we were sure it was good and settled and the levels were where I wanted them.
Dry stacked stone garden with landscaping fabric and capstones going in.
Once the soil was in and mounded the way I wanted, we added landscaping fabric and capstones. Don’t EVER skip the landscaping fabric. You’ll be sorry you did.
Dry stacked stone garden complete with mulch and ready to plant!
Once we had the landscaping fabric and capstones in, it only took two scoops of mulch to get a nice thick layer. Now I could really look at my blank palette and make plant decisions.
Enter a caption
This little tree frog took up residence on one of the porch columns and kept us company almost the whole project.
Dry stacked stone garden from the driveway.
This is a shot of the garden from the driveway.
Both dry stacked field stone gardens together and finished!
For the tutorial on step-by-step stacked stone garden wall installation see our blog post here.
Landscaping Fabric Pins (leftover from another project)
Two Scoops Mulch: $74.72
Four Incrediball Hydrangea and a Rose Bush from Spring Hill Nurseries: $147.55
Seven Scoops Topsoil: $134.54
Total: $1074.17
Can you imagine how much it would’ve cost to hire someone to do this? I’m not saying it’s easy, but it IS a project you can do one afternoon at a time. And it’s VERY, VERY satisfying and rewarding to see what a beautiful thing you created.
Thanks for reading along and check out more of our projects on our blog. Cheers!
*Legal stuff:
I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.
Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links. Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.
If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale. Amazon links are not “pay per click.” If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.
Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.
