Hola amigos, I'm finally back with the second installment of the update on how my cheaper than cheap kitchen makeover is holding up six months down the line (you can find the first installment here) Woo-fricking-hoo!!!!
I have two small children and therefore no social life. I am easily excited.
So, generally I have to say I'm very happy with how everything is holding up.....with one exception. More on that later.
First up, the painted tile backsplash! This was something that I really didn't think would go the distance. On a whim I slapped on a coat of primer and one (yes one!) coat of white gloss and called it a day, and more than six months later there isn't a single mark on it.
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| The kettle sits against this part of the backsplash and blasts it with steam several times a day. Still perfect. |
I scrub any splashes with a scouring pad and honestly there isn't a mark on the tiles. It worked so well that I painted the backsplash in the bathroom makeover in the exact same way.
On to the counter tops! And once again, they are exactly the same as the day I did them, with the exception of one tiny mark made by a tube of glue that someone put down here when he was trying to fix his hat band. I could pull it up and replace it with another piece but honestly it's not very noticeable, so the work involved wouldn't be worth the result in my opinion.
I'm honestly so surprised at how well these are holding up. I really don't try to look after them, they get scrubbed, have water sitting on them, get splashed with a lot of tomato-y,stain-y foods, and yet they are still perfect. I at least thought the edges would start peeling up, or it would start to bubble around the cooker or sink, but nope! There isn't even any marks on it from the feet of the tray that the coffee machine is on, and I've dragged that around several times when I've been too lazy to lift it, so there should definitely be marks. In fact, I'd say I've mistreated this almost on purpose, because I thought it wouldn't last, so I kind of felt like "there's no point trying to save it at all".
I'm impressed. Very impressed.
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| Out damned spot! |
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| The mark is just under the butter dish, very hard to see right? Marble effect is very forgiving! |
So, to recap: floor=awesome, backsplash=awesome, counter tops=awesome.
I would do all of these things again in a heartbeat and I'm planning on using the same methods in other parts of the house like the utility room and en suite when I get around to tackling them. If you are in the same position as me, with a kitchen you hate and no money to do a proper re-fit in the foreseeable future I would absolutely recommend you try some of these to make your kitchen a lot more livable while you save up for the real deal. Who knows, you might even decide that you'd rather stick with the patch job for good! I personally am so happy with the counters that I can't ever see myself buying new ones!
Now, on to the not so great part of the update. The cupboard doors. These were the part I was most confident about when we originally decided to do this makeover. I'd read a million tutorials, seen the hoards of pictures of beautifully painted kitchens on pinterest. I did my research, I thought I knew what I was doing, and then a couple of months later this started happening......
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| What even is that?!!! Why?!! I'm a good person!!! |
So yeah, not ideal. This weird cracking is happening on some cupboards, but not others, and on some the paint has started to flake off a bit, like in the pic below...
I'm sure what's happened here is we made some rookie error in the painting that's causing this weird cracking, and I'm betting some of you guys can enlighten me! It's not so noticeable when you stand back, but I know it's there and it's driving me crazy, so these will have to be re-done, soon!
I've heard good things about Farrow and Ball paint for cupboards, has anyone used it? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments! I wouldn't usually splash out for such expensive paint, but if it gets me the result I'm looking for it would be worth it.
So there you have it, more than six months down the line and my €200/one week kitchen makeover is holding up really well overall! I would definitely do it all again (if I can figure out what went wrong with the cupboards!) and I would definitely recommend it to you too!
If you would like to read about the other projects in my kitchen makeover:
