Kitchen Reno · Chatfield Court

Kristi / Monday,May 9, 2016

Where to Find Pre-Primed Tongue and Groove Planks

Since we installed the pre-primed tongue and groove planks on the kitchen ceiling during our remodel, I have been getting so many comments and emails asking about the source for the planks, so I thought I would update the post a bit and share the info on where we got ours.

Before we started working on the ceiling I did a lot of research, as per usual for me, on what would be best to use for the kitchen ceiling. The biggest takeaway I got from all that research was to use pre-primed tongue and groove planks and I’m so glad that we followed that advice. Not only did it save our necks and backs, but it also saved us a ton of time.

Getting the info online proved to be the easy part because finding it in a store was almost impossible. We went to every store in our area that sold lumber until we walked into our local Home Depot (*affiliate link) and hit the jackpot.

They had primed tongue and groove pine planks in 8 and 12-foot lengths…exactly what we were hoping to find. For all of you that have been asking, here is what the display looked like in the store. You’ll note that the side showing in the store display looks different that the plain sided planks on the ceiling. I’ve been questioned a ton over this (and actually accused of lying) and it is, in fact, the same board. It simply has two sides (I talked more about it in this post). We went with the plain side for our ceiling because it was just the look I was going for.

I’ve heard from several people that the tongue and groove planks that they have been able to find have been very expensive. I thought the ones that we got were very reasonable. We spent about $275 just for the planks for our 13’x 8′ kitchen.

Painting it was literally a pain in the neck, but it wasn’t the worst job ever. The whole time we painted, though, we kept saying that we were so happy that we spent the extra money on the pre-primed. We’re both ~~cheap~~ frugal when it comes to buying stuff like wood or other building supplies that will get painted, so that’s saying something.

A little extra tidbit…I did find a few spots where a small amount of sap seeped through but I just added an extra coat of paint over it and it looked fine. It may seep through again but, honestly, you can’t tell. I just noticed because…well, I’m weird like that. I would stand there and practically stand on my head to look at spots on the ceiling at different angles and in certain light but a normal person walking in there probably wouldn’t notice. The mister didn’t, but I could shave my eyebrows off and he probably wouldn’t notice. Ok, bad example. Seriously, it wasn’t really an issue, I just wanted to let you know that it could happen.

The ceiling turned out so much better than we thought. I would love to do another one in our new house in North Carolina….fingers crossed.

I hope that this little bit of info helps you out. Let me know if you’re able to find any pre-primed tongue and groove planks in your area. I’d love to pass the info on.

UPDATE 3/2018 – I still get a ton of emails and questions about the tongue and groove planks that we used. I just wanted to update you and let you know that these planks are still available in our local Home Depot stores. We are actually getting ready to use them again and our local stores had plenty of inventory. I hope you find this useful.

You can find the tutorial on the tongue and groove plank ceiling here…

Tongue and Groove Plank Ceiling Tutorial

Or see the whole kitchen remodel reveal here…

Kitchen Remodel Reveal

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Kristi / Friday,March 4, 2016

Kitchen Remodel Details

Before I share all of the kitchen remodel details, I want to take a moment to thank you for all of the sweet comments and emails from the reveal. I’ve always known that I had the best readers and you all proved it again and again during this whole process, by sharing words of encouragement and cheering us on when we felt like we would never get done. I am truly grateful.

This is a long one so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy. If you make it through to the end you’ll find all of my sources and projects with links, along with an announcement.

I shared the reveal a few days ago and only showed a few before shots and a lot of afters, so today I wanted to give you a quick summary of the projects that we did and try to answer some of the questions I’ve gotten.

When we started the remodel on our small galley kitchen in January 2015, we had 3 main goals we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to lighten up the space, add more storage and do it all on a budget. Our plan was to complete everything in 6 months but…yeah, that didn’t happen.

The project that started it all off was the removal of the two soffits. A messy and dirty job but it really opened the space up.

After we patched the ceiling and walls, we installed a plank ceiling. A couple of coats of paint later and our first big project was complete. Wow, talk about changing a room. I love it!

The next project to get tackled was the custom cabinet we built around the refrigerator. It added a ton of extra storage and toned down the look of the fridge (if that’s even possible when you have a large gray box in a small room).

Once the fridge was done we worked on the DIY range hood. I wanted to change the small stainless steel one that was there, so we took it apart and used the insides to make our own custom hood. I think the one that we built is a much better fit in our new kitchen.

The other side of the kitchen got some attention when we raised the window sill and built a custom cabinet that would give us more countertop space and more storage, which is what we needed most in here.

I had a few items on my “wish” list for the kitchen and built-in garbage/recycle bins was at the top. Now they are hidden away and I’m so happy with the way it turned out.

While all of the cabinet building was going on, I was working on the one thing that made the biggest difference in this small space, painting all of the kitchen cabinets. If you’ve ever done this then you know that it’s a monumental task. I will admit that, because of my back injury, it took me almost a year to finish, but I did it.

The kitchen sink was the next project. We had a double stainless steel sink before and I wanted a change so we went with the DOMSJÖ from IKEA. It’s just a single bowl but it’s nice and big to work in and I love it!

Once the sink was installed and all of the cabinets were built, it was time to choose tile and countertops. I always knew that we would have a subway backsplash but choosing the countertops was a more difficult decision. We finally decided on granite and began the most difficult project of the whole remodel, cutting and installing the granite. We were on a budget with this whole remodel so we chose to do it all on our own, a job we’ve never done before…ever. It took us two weekends to finish and it was nerve-wracking until the end. All we kept thinking about was all the money that would be wasted if we cut wrong or cracked it while working on it. Thankfully it all worked out and we got beautiful countertops on a budget.

The subway tile backsplash with gray grout was next and, once it was all done, we knew that the end was in sight.

One thing that we did that really opened the space was to remove a cabinet between the two windows on the sink wall. We added a barn wood shelf, for a little texture and to break up the white, subway tiled wall, and I think it may be my favorite thing in the kitchen.

Because this is a small space there are only 2 walls that we can paint to add a little bit of color. After much debate, and a lot of swatches, I went with the same color I used in the adjoining living/dining area, BM Gray Owl at 50% strength. I also painted the back door a pretty dark gray, BM Wrought Iron. There’s a little gray in the countertops that I loved and the wall and door colors really bring it out.

We still had a couple of big projects to finish though and one of them was lighting. The only working light in the room before the remodel was a center ceiling light. It took me 3 tries to find the perfect one but, in the end, I found a beautiful pendant light.

One pendant light was not enough for this space so we added recessed lighting. This project was the one that the hubs dreaded most, and kept putting off, but they really look great and made a huge difference, especially when we’re working in the kitchen at night.

The final project was to add new cabinet doors to the custom cabinet we built on the sink side of the kitchen. Months ago we were lucky enough to find 2 similar cabinet doors, at the right size at a local ReStore, but we needed 3 more. We discussed making them but, by the time we bought the correct tools and wood to make them, we could order 3 already made and ready to paint. So we went the least expensive route and ordered them. Once they arrived I did a quick sanding, a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint and they were ready to hang.

After 418 days and a ton of projects, our remodel is complete and I truly love it all!

One more before and after, because this post isn’t long enough already. 😉

Phew, that took almost as long as the remodel did (almost). Thanks for sticking with me through this long post and the last 418 days of our remodel. If you have any questions about anything we did, feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Now go take a nap, you earned it. 😉

Sources

ceiling paint – BM White Dove, pearl finish
cabinet paint – BM White Dove Advance, satin finish
wall paint – BM Gray Owl, 50% strength
back door paint – BM Wrought Iron
pendant light – West Elm; love this one too! (affiliate link)*
recessed lights – Lowes
subway tile – Floor & Decor
granite countertops – Floor & Decor
kitchen sink – IKEA DOMSJÖ
cabinet hardware – Pottery Barn; similar (affiliate link)*
chalkboard w/ calendar – a DIY project by me
Mason jar lamp – a DIY project by me
wall brackets for shelf – Signature Hardware
barn wood for shelf – local flea market
cutting boards on shelf – HomeGoods

In case you missed it, here is the reveal…

Kitchen Remodel Reveal

Two days after we finished the remodel we put the house on the market and sold it to move to North Carolina (totally unexpected). You can see our new house, with a video tour, here.

New House Reveal (with a video)

*You can find my disclosure here.

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Kristi / Monday,February 29, 2016

Kitchen Remodel Reveal

The day is here! After a ton of projects, a lot of hard work and a few disagreements, I can finally say that the kitchen remodel is done! It took a ~~little~~ lot longer than either one of us thought it would but it’s totally done and I can’t wait to finally give you the tour.

We started the remodel on our small galley kitchen in January 2015 with a plan to lighten up the space and create more storage. Here it is before we moved in, red cabinets and all.

And the after. Such a huge difference, don’t you think?

The 2 things that didn’t change in the kitchen were the appliances and the tile floor.

Before we installed the cabinet that we built.

We love all of the prep space that we have now and the hubs uses every inch. This is how it looks every day, not styled and ready to use.

This house was built in 1956 and had enough space for a small refrigerator from that era. To give it more of a custom look, we built a cabinet around it to help disguise it. There’s no denying though, that it is huge.

I won’t subject you to any more bad “before” pictures.

The end cabinet, where I store all of our dry goods, was our final project. It’s the first time I’ve been able to store all of my food in one place. It truly feels like a luxury.

It still feels strange to walk into such a bright space. Even though we didn’t add any square footage, and added a cabinet on an empty wall, it actually feels bigger. It’s the first white kitchen that I’ve ever had and I love it. I think it was the right thing to do in this small space.

I have to say that I’ve loved the whole process of doing this remodel. Yeah, it was difficult at times and sometimes the mess was hard to handle, but I really enjoyed it. Now the hubs…I’m not so sure he would say the same. 😉

If you have any questions about the kitchen, feel free to comment or email me and I’d be happy to answer.

Thanks so much for sticking with me through the 418 days of this kitchen remodel and for all of your encouragement when I was feeling down. I can’t tell you how much your support and comments have meant to me.

I’ve also shared a post on all of the projects we did, including sources of all the products we used, if you want to check it out.

Small Kitchen Remodel Details

Tongue & Groove Plank Ceiling in the Kitchen

In case you missed it, I also shared a tour of my small home with tips on making the most of your small space.

Small House Tour

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Kristi / Friday,February 19, 2016

Kitchen Recessed Lighting

It’s an exciting day at Chatfield Court. We’re only one project away from finishing the kitchen renovation…woohoo! Lately, I’ve been feeling like it would never be done but we finally got our act together and tackled the last of the big jobs, the recessed lighting.

We’ve been living without proper lighting in the kitchen for over a year so finally having it all in, and working, is a huge deal. There was only one, lonely hanging light in this space when we started the renovation and it always seemed dark, especially with the dark wood cabinets.

When we put the plank ceiling up (you can read about that here), I thought about covering the light hole and only using recessed lighting but, at the last minute, we decided to keep it.

If you’ve been following along on our renovation journey, then you know that I tried several lights here before I found a winner.

Nope…

No quite right…

The winner!!!

With the ceiling done, the pendant light up and everything else nearing completion, it was time to think about the recessed lighting, the project that the hubs has been dreading most. It wasn’t the messy install he was dreading but the trip up in the attic to make all the connections. It had to be done though and, since he’s the electrical genius of the family, this was all him.

The one very important step we took when we planked the ceiling was to document where all the beams were so that, when it came time to install the lights, we would know where we could put them. This really saved us a lot of aggravation.

Another thing we did, before we cut one hole in the ceiling, was to put copied pictures of the lights up on the ceiling to see where we wanted the final placement. Strange? Maybe, but it was a huge help.

Don’t they look real? The hubs wanted to keep these but we needed real light and, well…paper lights don’t actually light up (believe it or not).

We installed 5 LED lights, 4 in the stove/sink area and 1 by the back door.

Do you see that beautiful cabinet door? We needed to have 3 custom-made and they just arrived. Guess who will be priming and painting this weekend?

The hubs also installed a dimmer switch for the recessed lights, the pendant light has a separate switch on another wall. He wasn’t thrilled about chiseling the wall but you know what they say? “Happy wife…” . We are both loving the dimmer though.

Three more cabinet doors to paint and install and we are done! The big reveal is almost here. Can you tell I’m excited?

Some of our other kitchen renovation projects…

New Kitchen Sink

DIY Granite Kitchen Countertop Installation

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Kristi / Friday,February 5, 2016

Painting the Kitchen

Sometimes real life gets in the way and that’s exactly what’s been happening here.

I was really, really hoping that this post would be a kitchen reveal but no such luck. December and January turned out to be a bust, as far as the kitchen renovation goes. Right after the New Year the hubs’ truck broke down and the week after that mine went, which meant he spent 3 weekends in a row in the cold garage fixing our cars instead of working in the kitchen. The weekend after both cars were fixed, our youngest daughter was in a horrible car accident. All is well now but that terrible weekend was spent on the phone, the kitchen far from our minds. With all of that going on, plus the holidays, we were never able to get to the bigger projects that are left on the list.

Even though we had no time on the weekends to work on the big stuff, I was able to finish up a few painting projects on my own. We have two walls in our small space and I finally finished painting them. It wasn’t like it took me long to paint but it did take forever for me to decide on a color. In the end I went with BM Gray Owl, at 50%, the same color that’s in the living room and back hallway.

I also gave the back door a fresh coat of paint, BM Wrought Iron. It’s not black but a pretty dark gray and I love it. You can clearly see that the lighter gray of the door did not go with the Gray Owl on the walls and I couldn’t paint over it fast enough.

Finn was warming himself in the sun and would not budge. He must have been cold because he usually turns away from me as soon as I pick up my camera.

I’ve painted this door 3 times and this one will be my last. I found a beautiful wooden door at ReStore for $8 and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get the mister to hang it for me in the spring. It will take some convincing but I’m up for the challenge.

My magnolia wreath is still hanging from Christmas and, even though the leaves have dried, it still looks beautiful.

I’m trying to share pictures of the painted walls without giving you a complete reveal but it’s not an easy task when your kitchen is as small as mine.

Just a few more projects and I’ll be able to show you every inch. On the list is the installation of the recessed lights, painting the ceiling, painting the cabinet kicks and adding 3 cabinet doors (that are on order). Hopefully February will be a more productive month.

Have you been able to finish any projects since the holidays?

Here’s a few other projects that we’ve done in the kitchen.

Vintage Mirror to Kitchen Chalkboard

Kitchen Lighting Ideas

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Kristi / Friday,January 8, 2016

Rustic Kitchen Shelf

I’ve been waiting to install our barn wood shelf since we started the kitchen last January and we finally finished it the day before Christmas. It’s not exactly the way I pictured it would be but when you’re doing a renovation in any room, you need to be open to changing plans and doing what’s best for the space (not what you’ve been picturing in your mind). That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned through this whole process.

Originally, I wanted two barn wood shelves on the window wall of the kitchen, in place of a cabinet that was up pre-renovation, but once we installed the first one it was pretty clear that two would be too much. Well…if truth be told, it was more clear to the hubs (who didn’t want to do more work on Christmas Eve day) than it was to me but I’m not sure if I was trying to hang on to my vision or if one shelf really looked best.

There are two problems with all of this. Problem number one is that we have a small kitchen and I’m afraid that having two big shelves on that wall will make the room look closed in. The other problem is that the top shelf would only be used for decor, since it would be out of my reach. I’m not one for having things out in the kitchen that aren’t used regularly (who wants to clean that stuff all the time anyway?) so the idea of hanging a shelf just for extra “stuff” didn’t really appeal to me.

Ok, all of that aside, the installation of the shelf was pretty easy, once we got past the fear of drilling into our beautiful, newly tiled backsplash. We did a few test holes in an extra tile to see what would happen and the bit went right through every time…no chipping or cracking.

As for the stability of the shelves, there were no studs to drill into so we had to use very long screws and drill all the way into the outer brick wall.

Once the holes were carefully measured, marked and drilled, attaching the shelf brackets was a piece of cake.

I’ve read a lot of discussions online about open shelving in the kitchen and I never thought that I would even consider it, let alone have them, but after having my dishes sit out for most of last year, I knew that we could have our everyday dishes out and it wouldn’t be a problem.

We still have to add our recessed lights and then the ceiling will get it’s final coat of paint.

And, just for fun, this is how the wall looked way back in 2014, just before we started. Such a huge difference right? I feel like I’ve walked into a different house every time I go into the kitchen. I love it!

So what do you think about having an open shelf in the kitchen? Yay or no way?

Where to Find Pre-Primed Tongue and Groove Planks

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Kitchen Remodel Details

Projects (with links to the posts)

Sources

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Kitchen Remodel Reveal

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Kitchen Recessed Lighting

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Painting the Kitchen

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Rustic Kitchen Shelf

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