Three Boys: Kitchen Makeover For 50 Dollars- Before, Middle, & After

1 gallon of Zinsser's low VOC primer and 2 gallons of Valspar's antique white semi- gloss. Add in many, many hours of painting and you can change this...

(please excuse the crazy pictures they were taken before I embarked on my blogging career.)

Into this.

After living with it for about 6 months I knew what needed to happen. So I grabbed the leftover paint and... painted the tile... I know crazy, right? But look! I have the kitchen I have always wanted. To see how I made the window treatment for FREE, click here.

Lets recap...

Before

After

And the painted tile holds! I was very careful with it for about 2 days. Then after I was sure it had set, I grabbed a sponge and gave it a good cleaning. No chipping or peeling, yay! I think I lucked out, this tile was pretty porous, It was not shiny at all. Had it been, I'm not sure I could have gotten away with it.

36 comments:

Lisa {grey luster girl}July 9, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Well done! I wish I could snap my fingers and my cabinets would be painted :). Your kitchen gave me the itch to start though!
RitaJuly 9, 2011 at 10:20 PM
wow! well done! i need to tackle my cabinets to, but fear it will take forever while taking care of the kids.
Megandvd@Beauty in the AttemptJuly 9, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Magazine worthy my dear....you should feel so proud for creating such a fabulous space. Love the painted tile...it makes the rooms even more breathtaking.

Cheers~
e
Michelle @ Delicate ConstructionJuly 10, 2011 at 2:36 AM
L-O-V-E your kitchen!!! It looks great!
UnknownJuly 10, 2011 at 7:39 AM
Looks great! Painting tile makes such a difference!
DinaJuly 10, 2011 at 7:51 AM
Great idea with the tile! Now do you have any ideas for a painted drywall backsplash done on the C.H.E.A.P? We live in a lake and with the changing water table we get cracking in drywall add that to the house being over 40 years old and I constantly battle u sightly cracks and repairs.
Jen@BigBrownChairJuly 10, 2011 at 7:55 AM
very nice! so rewarding to do it yourself and get such fabulous results for such a good price!!
JessicaJuly 10, 2011 at 8:51 AM
It looks amazing! So bright and cheerful now.
AllieJuly 10, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Really beautiful transformation! The kitchen is gorgeous, love the color. The room appears to be much brighter now. Nicely done.
ShannonJuly 10, 2011 at 8:56 AM
It looks great! I had that same itch and painted my tile a few years ago. I only have one little nick in the paint that needs touched up! I love that your tile isn't smooth! I think it really adds to the whole room!
GREAT WORK!
Pine Tree HomeJuly 10, 2011 at 11:30 AM
What continues to amaze me is that paint can change just about anything. Once one gets over the fear of using it. I've been telling myself --better to paint it than pitch it. If it still isn't what I want, then I can replace.

Your kitchen is stunningly beautiful!
franJuly 10, 2011 at 12:57 PM
Beautiful. Looks like a fun place to cook.
Cassie @ Live.Laugh.L0ve.July 10, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Beautiful! You did a great job! =D
A Whole Lotta MagicJuly 10, 2011 at 9:17 PM
Light and airy; love it!

Sue
xo
Allison ShopsJuly 10, 2011 at 9:20 PM
I don't blame you! If you didn't like the tile, why not?! Looks great.
Dropping by from Met Monday. I'll hope you'll come see the nursery I helped create for my first grandchild.

Allison
Atticmag
Patti @ Pandoras BoxJuly 10, 2011 at 9:21 PM
Kitchen looks fabulous...I love the white cupboards!
Stop over for a last chance to enter a vintage linen giveaway!
DawnJuly 10, 2011 at 9:32 PM
Love the look:)
Alice @ Farewell, Office.July 10, 2011 at 10:07 PM
I'm very inspired by this post as well as the
"free" blinds one. We bought a house that I adore but that has not been updated since 1976. We are redoing it and while we can invest some money in big items, most of it is coming from paint and new fixtures. This encourages me that we can make a BIG difference on a LITTLE budget. Thanks!
ValereeJuly 10, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Such a great makeover! Everything looks so much brighter. Absolutely love it!!
Handy Man, Crafty WomanJuly 10, 2011 at 10:18 PM
That came out great! I just love really low cost makeovers.
Joselyn @ The DIY SpotJuly 10, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Visiting from BNOP. What a big difference for so little money. It looks great! Inviting you to stop by for a visit and enter my summer giveaway.
Miss CharJuly 11, 2011 at 8:01 AM
Your makeover looks fantastic. Its amazing what a gallon of paint can do to change the feeling of a room. Thanks so much for sharing as I am about to embark on the same project.
Kristen Eleni ShellenbargerJuly 11, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Looks very nice :)
Holly GruszkaJuly 11, 2011 at 1:09 PM
That's quite the project to take on but the result is awesome! You must be so happy with your update. It looks very fresh.
AnonymousJuly 11, 2011 at 3:20 PM
maybe I should do that - we've got some dated looking tile beneath the cupboard and I keep thinking we're going to replace it with something much nicer. But that's probably not going to happen anytime soon. your painted tile looks pretty darned good! Sort of resembles painted brick. Great job all around and your kitchen really does look wonderful now. Light filled. Thank you for dropping by and for your kind comment :)
Ann from On Sutton PlaceJuly 11, 2011 at 9:19 PM
Saw your link at Met Monday and am a new follower. This is incredible. Can't believe you only spent 50 bucks! The tile turned out great and you were gutsy to try it. Well done.
by AmyJuly 11, 2011 at 10:52 PM
JUST getting the courage to get serious about painting my kitchen cabinets that I loathe. Would love to hear more about the process.
KimMalkJuly 12, 2011 at 9:02 AM
Your kitchen looks eerily similar to mine (there is a small photo in my sidebar). The granite looks identical. I have been itching to paint it. Did you take all of your cabinet doors down? Use a roller? do it by yourself? I guess I really know all of the steps I would/should take, but I guess I'm hoping to hear a "magic formula." This a project I'd like to tackle when our weather gets cooler.
KimJuly 12, 2011 at 11:29 AM
Absolutely stunning! You totally rocked that budget makeover. I am in awe. I'm a new follower. Hope you stop by for a visit some time!
xoxo,
Kim
UnknownJuly 12, 2011 at 3:02 PM
I never get tired of a white kitchen! Looks great lady!
Ivy and ElephantsJuly 12, 2011 at 9:00 PM
That is just fabulous. I forwarded your blog to my mom. I think we will redo my grandmother's kitchen. This was an amazing redo.

Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
Angie@Echoes of LaughterJuly 12, 2011 at 9:45 PM
I love it! It looks wonderful! Great transformation! Angie xo
AmyshkaJuly 12, 2011 at 11:31 PM
Just found this post via a link party. Your kitchen turned out awesome. :) From Amyshka @ www.kiwi-chic.blogspot.com
abeachcottageJuly 13, 2011 at 6:40 AM
Lovely transformation, the painted tiles looks great! Well done.
Korrie@RedHenHomeJuly 13, 2011 at 3:00 PM
$50 well spent! It's beautiful.
newcombhomeJuly 13, 2011 at 6:23 PM
What an amazing transformation! I LOVE the look of the new cabinet color. Your kitchen is so light and welcoming now!

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