$1000 kitchen remodel

thefed

thefed

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Oct 29, 2005
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We've been toying with the idea of a full kitchen remodel for years, but I finally decided to spend a few bucks that should satisfy us for another 10 years or more.

$500- new tile floor -HDepot
$90 - Faux granite countertop- Menards
$170 - Granite composite sink...xtra deep
$0.01 - Moen Faucet....mis-marked at Home Depot
$60- Cabinet hardware- IKEA
$40- Stainless backsplash- IKEA
$60- New baseboards, chair rail
$100- Paint
$10 - Modern Light fixture- IKEA
$0 LABOR by me!


Here's a pic of the countertop and sink...you will notice a few things still undone...like the endcaps which I did last night, some exposed wood uner the counter (furring strips to attain proper height...will be covered with decorative trim), a 4" piece of cove base MIA thanks to 2 kids. We also got rid of that ugly scalloped trim above the sink....makes a big difference!

kitchen pictures by thefed17 - Photobucket
 
Looks nice. Our kitchen was the same era as yours (late 50's) before we redid the floor, cabinets and countertops, we even had the same scalopped thang over the sink. I'm still not done with the doors and drawer fronts.

That's a good use of $1000, I'm sure it makes the room a lot nicer to be in. And, if/when you decide to do more stuff, the floor, faucet, pulls, and maybe the sink will all be usable.
 
Fed, Very nice job on a small amount . I would get rid of that scalloped thing as it dates the room .
 
I'm always trying to decide what t keep and what to get rid of when we do work in the house. When we moved in, the whole place was like a time capsule sealed up in 1960, no one had changed anything since the house was built. I think some of the "Atomic Age" stuff is cool and very period-specific (we have a hanging light like P4121 below over our kitchen table that is probably something most people wouldn't like, but which I do).



We have lots of interesting light fixtures, and I think I'll try t keep them. On the other hand, I didn't salvage much of the kitchen--the groovy Formica countertops with the newly re-fashionable aqua boomerangs:
aqua_boomerang.Specifications.0006.LargeImage.Image.gif

6959 AQUA BOOMERANG
went away in favor of dark green Corain and the framed painted cabinets yielded to frameless Euro-style units with drawers everywhere below the countertops. Not very "Mid-century Modern", but we have to live in this house and the changes have made the kitchen much more functional. Since it is tiny, that's important.

Anyway, thefed, good job.
 
samclem said:
I'm always trying to decide what t keep and what to get rid of when we do work in the house. When we moved in, the whole place was like a time capsule sealed up in 1960, no one had changed anything since the house was built.
Click to expand...

Frank has the same problem. The decor in his house hasn't been changed at all since the house was built in 1962. He even has the original furniture, so it is exactly as you say - - like a time capsule. None of this has mattered to him during the five years that he has lived there, but now that we will be selling and moving in the next year or two he is uncertain about what to change or improve.

If he really does a full update, it would cost a bundle. Some of the stuff is good, like real, thick hardwood kitchen cabinets and wrought ironwork holding up the bar-like counter between the kitchen and living room, but some is not so good. So far he has replaced two light fixtures that were no longer working, but that is about it.
 
Fed,

Nice work.

What is the purpose of the stainless steel plate on the wall behind the sink? I think that has an industrial feel that takes away from homey aspect. If I couldn't have tile there, I'd consider some wood paneling type thing.

Is that a mirror above that?
 
TromboneAl said:
Fed,

Nice work.

What is the purpose of the stainless steel plate on the wall behind the sink? I think that has an industrial feel that takes away from homey aspect. If I couldn't have tile there, I'd consider some wood paneling type thing.

Is that a mirror above that?
Click to expand...


My wife wanted it...and i actually like the look. She hangs her washing stuff there ....but it doesnt really serve a purpose. There is tile behind it which i drilled thru to put that. I've gotten nothing but complements on that thing...everyone asks where we got it. I'm not really enthused, but i like it nonetheless.The tile itself was pink but i painted it the same color as the portion below the chair rail around the entire room.

Yes, it's a mirror.
 
Moemg said:
Fed, Very nice job on a small amount . I would get rid of that scalloped thing as it dates the room .
Click to expand...
oh it's gone already...lol. wife has hated that thing forever...i was to lazy to remove but did it last nite. makes a big difference actually.
 
samclem said:
Looks nice. Our kitchen was the same era as yours (late 50's) before we redid the floor, cabinets and countertops, we even had the same scalopped thang over the sink. I'm still not done with the doors and drawer fronts.

That's a good use of $1000, I'm sure it makes the room a lot nicer to be in. And, if/when you decide to do more stuff, the floor, faucet, pulls, and maybe the sink will all be usable.
Click to expand...


yes, this was our plan on the sink....and the faucet and even hardware. but we are soooo torn on a color of cabinet i dont know if we'll ever pull the trigger.

i go to all kinds of nice homes in my line of work and see soooo many ideas....so my ideas of whats really nice always change. i''m still partial to a nice red-toned cherry cabinet with a more moder shaker style door and stainless or brushed alumnum accents....dark counter like we have....

but then again i love the contrast between white cabinets and a dark counter...and our kitchen isnt too big so i dont want to make it feel small with dark cabinets....

and THAT's why we decided to stick with what we've got....i'm doing a full bathroom remodel this winter instead...removing one of 2 doors, relocating tub, toilet, and (larger) vanity, new cast iron tub, tile to ceiling in bath, ceramic tile floor, perhaps one wall 1/2 way up of tile as well, badass fan, heated toilet seat,, heated towel rack, electric heated mat below tile, all new sheetrock on walls and ceiling...EVERYTHING
 
Wow. It doesn't look $1K.

Very nice.
 
tmm99 said:
Wow. It doesn't look $1K.

Very nice.
Click to expand...


thanks. and i guess i didnt mention some of that paint went on the cabinets...they used to be an orange-ish shellac
 
Tell me more about faucets for a penny.:cool:
 
I like certain things THE FED. However, I find the stainless steel back splash is not my thing. Oh good work etc etc. :)
 
samclem said:
I'm always trying to decide what t keep and what to get rid of when we do work in the house. When we moved in, the whole place was like a time capsule sealed up in 1960, no one had changed anything since the house was built

We have lots of interesting light fixtures, and I think I'll try t keep them. On the other hand, I didn't salvage much of the kitchen--the groovy Formica countertops with the newly re-fashionable aqua boomerangs:
6959 AQUA BOOMERANG
.
Click to expand...

Same with my aunt's old house I inherited. Nothing, I mean nothing has been done since the 60's, other than having the trim work painted. Next week I'm having a new heating and air system installed. No choice, furnace finally bombed and never had air. Just window units. I've got a guy lined up to take the gutters down and replace fascia boards as needed. And next year I'm planning on updating the kitchen a little. The flooring is some god awful green print job and the stove is from the 60's with only the oven and one stove top eye working. Good thing I don't cook much.:LOL: But I'm going to paint the kitchen(I can't do much but I can do that), put some new vinyl flooring down and replace the stove. The counter tops not so bad considering how old. A solid green color but not a lime green, on the neutral side. The cabinets are oak and still OK. Light fixtures I've already replaced.

Old house in a not so good neighborhood. I hate putting this much into it but it should make it easier to sell. And I will probably be here another 3-5 years so might as well make it better while I'm here.
 
travelover said:
Tell me more about faucets for a penny.:cool:
Click to expand...

keep an eye on slickdeals and fatwallet...this happens quite a bit at the big box stores...it gets into their computers wrong and if u snag em b4 they find out, they will honor the price it rings up as....
 
Nice job, thefed.

Samclem, our house is from 1955. Someone before us changed one of the countertops when they added a dishwasher but we still have some of the boomerangs in another color scheme.

2llg4f6.jpg


I like the aqua that was posted. We also have a light fixture above the kitchen table that is like the graphic that was posted. Ours is black but basically the same design. We have CFLs in it now.

We also have a scalloped thingy above the sink. Ours is a different pattern, all the neighbors have similar trim.
 
Great job. We finished our kitchen remodel a few months ago. I didn't know a thing when we first started but used this forum to get me up to speed: Kitchen Forum - GardenWeb

Now that its done and I can sit back and enjoy it, my wife talked me into buying a larger condo down the hall. Looks like I get to do it again. Grrrrrrrrr
 
Want2retire said:
Frank has the same problem. The decor in his house hasn't been changed at all since the house was built in 1962. He even has the original furniture, so it is exactly as you say - - like a time capsule. None of this has mattered to him during the five years that he has lived there, but now that we will be selling and moving in the next year or two he is uncertain about what to change or improve.

If he really does a full update, it would cost a bundle. Some of the stuff is good, like real, thick hardwood kitchen cabinets and wrought ironwork holding up the bar-like counter between the kitchen and living room, but some is not so good. So far he has replaced two light fixtures that were no longer working, but that is about it.
Click to expand...

Frank's house sounds really neat. I would leave it just as it is, maybe repaint in colors popular during the era and add some 60's stuff from thrift shops. People would go nuts for his place in CA. I recently went to a show at the Carnegie Museum here in Pittsburgh on Palm Springs style...lots of retro post-war modern.
 
WhoDaresWins said:
Frank's house sounds really neat. I would leave it just as it is, maybe repaint in colors popular during the era and add some 60's stuff from thrift shops. People would go nuts for his place in CA. I recently went to a show at the Carnegie Museum here in Pittsburgh on Palm Springs style...lots of retro post-war modern.
Click to expand...

He loves it that way - - reminds him of days gone by, and I agree that it is really neat! Even the very few pieces of furniture that he has bought and added to the home, are in the same retro style.

I read my post (that you quoted) to him, and due to the expense he agrees with RonBoyd that it would be best not to try updating. We just hope that a buyer with those tastes sees the house once it is on the market.
 
There is retro cool and there is down right awful . Where I used to live the house across the street still had the shag carpeting , olive green appliances and the fake panelling. It sat on the market forever until a young couple saw the potential and completely redid it . They bought the house way under the original price so in that case a few updates would have been worth the money.
 
Fed-nice job. I would love to be able to get my kitchen updated for $1000.00. Yours looks real nice. I am another one that has my kitchen stuck in the 60's look and has the scalloped thingy.
 
thefed said:
...The tile itself was pink but i painted it the same color as the portion below the chair rail around the entire room...
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on this? I really dislike the back splash tile in our kitchen, but I thought replacing it would be the only option... How did you prep the surface (did you use the standard primer/latex paint)? I would love to do the same, but I worry that the paint will peal/chip.

Oh yeah, nice job!
 
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