Yard Sale Table: Trash to Treasure

I mentioned last week (here) that I found a table at a yard sale down the street.  I had been looking for a pedestal-style table for the kitchen/mudroom area ever since we renovated the kitchen (more on that here, here and here).  It certainly wasn't for lack of options that we were left table-less.....I just didn't want to pay $500 or more for it.

Here are some of the ones I have been eyeing over the last two years...

Ballard Designs - Augusta Dining Table ($499)

Pottery Barn - Sumner Pedestal Table  ($1499)

West Elm - Arc Base Pedestal Table ($499)

I also saw a few here and there on craigslist, but they were always snatched up before I could get them....or they were more than I wanted to pay, which was $100.

So I put it on the backburner for a while and decided that it would happen when I least expected it.  And it did.  As I was driving to the grocery store the other day, I passed by a yard sale down the street and lo and behold, my table was waiting for me....and for only $75!!! 

I apologize for the slew of before pictures.  The table was disassembled when I bought it so in my laziness eagerness to get started, I didn't put it together for a good before shot.  As you can see though, it was in pretty decent shape, just a few water marks and scratches.  And since I was planning to paint it white to match the cabinets anyway, it wasn't a big deal that I had to sand down the minor defects.  I used 100 grit sandpaper (which I had on hand) and went over the surface a few times to remove the poly coating and smooth it out.  Then I rubbed it down with some tack cloth and started to paint! 

I used Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Plus Primer for the first two coats.  I already had this can (as you can see by the paint drips all over it) from a project in the basement, so I didn't need to run out and buy something special for this project.  I have used it a few times in the past, and it works really well to seal in stains or wood knots.

I gave it another quick sand after the prime to make sure there were no bumps or bubbles and then applied one coat of Sherwin Williams Super Paint in Pure White.  This is the paint that we used to redo the cabinets in the kitchen, so I wanted to be consistent.

And here she is....

The legs are definitely not as shapely or fancy as the PB or Ballard Designs tables, but I think it works for the space....and for a lot less money!  It also came with two leaves, so I refinished those as well in case we have a party and need a buffet-type table.  And since I had the sandpaper and primer and paint on hand already, the whole table transformation only cost $75.

Here is a look at the before and after:

I shoved a few chairs that I already had at the desk area in the kitchen underneath the table but they are a bit too tall.  I am thinking about trying to cut them down a little so that I don't have to buy new ones, I'm just nervous that they won't be as sturdy if I do that.  Has anyone had experience shaving chair legs?  :)

I am also on the hunt for a pendant light to hang down (p.s., so glad we left the electrical up there when we added recessed lighting) over the table and some placemats or a cute runner).  And even though the bench seat looks relatively put together in these photos, I just wrapped a piece of fabric around foam and stuck it there for the time being.  There is some sewing to be done around here soon!  Maybe that is my project for next week.  I am trying to do one project a week (whether it be changing photos in frames or re-painting something), which feels like a reasonable goal to me.  And usually if I set that goal, I am able to get way more done.  It's when I expect to accomplish five projects in a week that I end up disappointing myself.  Reasonable expectations......

Oh, and you might have noticed in the shots above that I changed the photo in the frame on the shelf.  I took some 9-10 month shots of Pace the other day and this is my favorite.
 

And here are a few more since I can't resist....

Linking up to Lil' Luna and Sew Much Ado

Lessons Learned: Kitchen Renovation

After doing a total recap post on my kitchen renovation back in January, I started thinking a lot about the renovation process in general.  There are some things that I would definitely do differently next time, but there are also a lot of things that I'm incredibly happy with, so I thought it would be helpful to share with you a short list of the things I learned during my kitchen renovation last year.

Lesson #1: Do Your Homework 

This was by far the most beneficial part of the renovation process, at least for me.  I scoured online forums for recommendations, read through countless kitchen magazines, and printed or cut out every inspiration photo I could find along the way.  I even checked out a hundred or more blogs that were going through the same thing, and listened to their tales of triumph or words of warning.  It may seem like information overload to you, but it was the only way that I could boil down exactly what I wanted out of my future kitchen.  It is the same way that I approach any big decision....see all possible options before I make my decision.  Granted, it takes a lot longer, but in the end, I know that I have done my due diligence and feel confident in my choices. 

The second part of the homework piece was to contact different contractors or vendors that I would potentially be working with (even though we did a lot of the work ourselves, we left some of the harder things to professions, like re-wiring and installing recessed lights).  It not only helped me to become acquainted with the cost of certain projects, but also helped broaden my perspective of what could be done in the space.  For instance, we were under the impression that we would have to keep some of the original baseboard heaters to maintain a decent temperature in the winter, which would mean that we couldn't put in a sliding glass door for access to a deck.  After meeting with a few different contractors, though, we learned that they could re-route the plumbing to some new kick-space heaters under the tall built-in cabinets in our mudroom area.  Brilliant!!!  It is worth all the effort just to know what all of your options are before you start to jump into the project.

And finally, although we ended up repurposing our old cabinets, I HIGHLY recommend meeting with 3-4 different kitchen design specialists (we went to two local places, as well as Lowe's and Home Depot for quotes) to see what your options are.  Our gut instinct was to rip out the old cabinets and start fresh, but the further along we got in the process, the more we realized that we could save a lot of money if we just had our original ones refinished since they were well-kept solid pine.  Although we may have wasted our time and the kitchen design specialists time by doing this, we wouldn't have known how much money we could save unless we did this.  I felt a little guilty not going with any of the new cabinets, but ultimately we did what was best for our budget.  So, bottom line, do as much research as possible before diving into a big renovation like this!

Lesson #2: To Save or to Splurge....that is the question?

Another important lesson I learned along the way was to categorize things into "must-haves" and "could-do-withouts".  I did this for my wedding and it really helped me prioritize what we wanted to spend money on and where we could afford to save a little.  For example, we aren't big cake people (I know, crazy right? We are more ice cream people) so we decided to forego a big fancy one and went with something simple (which is my motto anyway) and tasty.  Instead of paying $800 for the cake (which is what we were quoted on one of the fancy fondant decorated ones, we paid $250 or so and everyone was happy with it.  Since we saved a little money there, we decided to spend what we had originally budgeted on the centerpieces, which were important to me at the time (although now that I look back, they just died the next day anyway).....but long story short, we saved a little to spend a little. 

So when it came to our kitchen renovation, we applied the same concept.  Since we were able to save a lot of money on the cabinets.....we're talking $9,000 - $12,000 (depending on the brand and since we only spent about $1,800 on painting the old ones), we were able to go with the appliances we wanted (read more about that choice here).  Same situation goes for the kitchen island.  Since B was able to build it on his own (and we didn't have to pay the contractors $1,500 or more to do it) we went with the granite that we wanted (read more about that choice here).  It goes on and on like that, but at the end of the day, we stayed within our budget and still got all of the things that we really wanted out of our new kitchcen.

Lesson #3: Form over Function??

One of the best recommendations I received during my research on kitchens was to stow the microwave in the island.  At first, a lot of people thought I was CRAZY to put a microwave below eye level requiring you to bend down for access.  Honestly though, after almost 9 months of utilizing this, I have never once regretted it.  Even now that I'm pregnant and my back aches all the time, it doesn't bother me to lean over a little for a second and pop something in there.  Plus, for the number of times that we use a microwave in a weeks time, it is so nice to not have it taking up counterspace in my kitchen.  Some people may still disagree with me, and perhaps it is personal preference, but I can say without any reservations that it is the best thing since sliced bread!!  Hehe.

Another feature that we included in our island, which has been a TOTAL lifesaver is the pull-out double-barrel trash can!!  One of the kitchen design specialists recommended this to us, and B was able to make it happen on his own (by the way, I still need to get him to write a post about building the island and the farm sink supports, etc, etc.)  Having the trash hidden away is the second best thing since sliced bread.  We pull it out if we need to toss something, and its out of sight when we don't.  LOVE IT!  I think you will too!  So, if you are considering installing an island in your new kitchen, please consider this in your plans.  I can't remember how much it cost when we were thinking about buying the cabinets new, but it wasn't a lot different than the price of a regular door cabinet or a cabinet with a few drawers in it.  Highly, highly recommend this! 

Lesson #4: Farm Sinks

Even before we started planning the kitchen remodel, I knew that I wanted a farm sink.  I had seen this photo years ago and kept it on my computer until I was able to incorporate it in to my new home.....

It still makes me smile when I see it.  Weird, right?  But never the less, I knew I had to have it and we found a way to incorporate it into our design (even though B was cursing me as he spent hours trying to retrofit our current cabinet base to accommodate the 300 lb. monster).  Thanks, honey!!  I just love the look of it and the old rustic charm of it.  You can see it from every angle in the kitchen and it makes me happy every day when I see it.  Now that is money well spent, if I do say so myself!

But nothing that wonderful comes without a few setbacks.  First of all, it is not indestructible.  When my mom and I were cooking thanksgiving dinner together at my house this past year, we slid a pot over the edge of it and the silver came off on the porcelain.  EEK!!!  It is not the end of the world.  It's just a small scratch and I've read that you can remove it with toothpaste or some other product that is on the market.  Not a tragedy, but I wanted to be honest about the pros and cons.  I haven't seen any scratches on the inside of it even after piling pots and dishes and knives in there every day.  So, on the whole, it is very durable, just be careful with stainless steel pots and pans on the edges.....

Another thing about the farm sinks is that you will ABSOLUTELY need to get a faucet with a pull-down sprayer.  We chose the Delta Leland Faucet for this purpose and it was one of the best decisions we made.  Since the drain is typically on the left or right side of the sink, gunk may (although not always) gather in the opposite corner (and honestly it tends to happen more when I have a lot of dishes in the sink).  In that case, you want to be able to use the sprayer to clean the sides and the corners to get rid of the gunk.  This faucet has been a lifesaver.  And it has an aweseome magnetic feature in the head that ensures the pull-down sprayer will always go back up where it belongs....and most importantly....STAY THERE!!  You can check it out here.

Lesson #5: Flooring

We had a lot of conversations about what to do for floowing in the kitchen.....and I mean A LOT!  We also got a lot of opinions on the matter, interestingly enough.  Everyone seemed to want to give their two cents.....so after a while, we stopped telling people what we were thinking about or planning to do since it was ultimately our decision anyway!  I'm pretty sure that is why people keep their baby names secret until the child is born.....but I'm just guessing. 

So when it came to flooring, our first instinct was to do slate.  I had seen it in a number of photos with the white wood cabinets and thought it was a really nice contrast, especially since we were going to be using cool tones on the walls of the kitchen and dining room.  We picked out a nice dark grey-blue slate tile and fell in love.  But then we learned of the problems we might have in the future.  Our house was built in 1963-1964, so the flooring is not 100% even anymore.  With that being said, over time, the slate would eventually crack in those uneven areas and we would constantly be replacing tiles here and there.  Change of plans!!  We could have added support beams to the flooring through the basement (since its unfinished currently) but that would have been more money and more of a hassle.  No thank you!  So that also ruled out ceramic or porcelain tile.  Although it is a little less expensive than the slate, we would still have to keep replacing broken ones every once in a while....and that just didn't sound like a good idea.

So we moved on to a more durable surface; wood.  We already have wood throughout the rest of our house, so why not continue it all the way through?  Right?  Well, I was worried about having wood in a space that sees a decent amount of water (sink area, entryway, etc.), plus I thought it would be boring to have the same floor EVERYWHERE.  But ultimately, it was our best option.  I read a lot of mixed reviews online (and received some in person as well) on wood flooring in the kitchen, but decided to go with it anyway and face the music down the road if we had a bad experience. 

In the end though, it is the best thing we could have done.  It is so easy to clean, just wipe up spills as you normally would and sweep and mop them once a week or so.  They have seen A LOT of foot traffic over the last 6-9 months and they look none the worse for wear.  So despite what you read about online or hear about from your neighbors or relatives, wood is a GREAT option for your kitchen.  Not only are they durable, but I absolutely love the contrast of the warm color in the room and the fluidity of the flooring throughout the house.  It doesn't look boring at all, in my opinion, in fact I think it provides a really nice flow throughout the first floor.  Who knew?  So bottom line, don't worry if your first choice isn't available or it won't work in your space, there are so many options out there for flooring, you just have to keep looking.  And if you are considering wood flooring in your kitchen, I 100% recommend it (for whatever that's worth).

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So....I think that's it for lessons learned at the moment.  I guess the moral of the story is that you won't always come out of a project with everything done EXACTLY the way that you originally wanted it, but if you work with the right people and do your homework you will be able to find something that works just as well for your space.  Just try to be flexible and keep in mind that not EVERYTHING has to be top of the line.  Save a little on the things that don't matter much to you so that you can splurge on your "must-haves".  It is totally worth it! 

If I think of any more lessons though, I will definitely add on here or update you in a new post.  I am always thinking about ways to improve on what we have done in the past and to share with you any knowledge we have gleaned from it all.  And of course, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Kitchen Renovation: Total Recap

With the recent house crashing post, it got me thinking about my own kitchen renovation.  And although I kept you updated on the steps throughout the process, I noticed that I had never done a full start-to-finish post; a true before and after.  [GASP]  I know, I know.  I'm a slacker.  I guess I'm still new at this whole blogging thing.  Rookie mistake....
So without further ado, here is a quick recap of the full kitchen transformation:

February: Here is what our kitchen looked like on move-in day.  Purdy, huh?

March/April: It wasn't long before we were tearing out the floor, ripping out the faux ceiling beams, pulling up countertops, and knocking down walls (between the kitchen and dining room).  We also removed all of the cabinet doors in anticipation of painting (which we decided to do after weeks of pricing out brand-new cabinets at several different stores.....but ultimately, we didn't want to give up perfectly good all-wood cabinets if we didn't have to).  In lieu of spending $10,000+ on cabinets, we splurged and spent $1,500 to have someone come and professionally paint the cabinets (since they were pine and I was worried that the white wouldn't cover well).  Best decision I ever made.  Yes, I could have done it myself, but it saved me SO MUCH time. 
Note: the painting package didn't include the INSIDE of the cabinets, so I decided to paint them myself since I didn't want to see the yellow walls every time I opened up a cabinet. 

May/June: It was already looking SO much better, but we still had a long way to go.  We decided to install recessed lighting since our ultimate goal was to brighten up the space.  We brought in an electrician for this job, but it was pretty inexpensive considering we installed a total of 7 recessed lights, had them re-wire the lighting over the future island for two pendants and put in place wiring for undercabinet lighting (which we still haven't done yet....oops).  I can't remember the total cost of this update, but I remember it being very reasonable.  Also, during this time, B (and our dads) built the island.  I included some of the during shots, but I should really have B do a separate post on how he did this exactly. I was honestly gone for a few hours that day and when I came back it was done.  TA-DA!  We also decided to have some cabinets built along the entry way wall for extra storage and a future mudroom.  In hindsight, I would have definitely had B install them rather than paying a carpenter to do it, but ultimately we wanted to make sure they they would be able to hold a lot of pantry items since we are big Costco people!!  Better safe than sorry!

May/June cont'd: Another big project during this time was to build a sink base that could accomodate a 300 lb. farm sink (YAY)!!  I definitely need to have B do a post on how to build one of these, since we googled it for quite some time and couldn't really find any awe-inspiring tutorials.  Most people probably buy new cabinets when they are doing this sort of renovation which already come equipped to handle the weight of a huge sink, but ours certainly didn't.  B pretty much took the whole cabinet apart and started from scratch.  See the photos below for a quick step-by-step on the process (and click here for more information on choosing a farm sink).   



July/August:  5 months into this project and we still don't have a working sink, actual floors, or a stove....but we are getting there!!!  Our next step is to cut a whole in the side of the house and install a slider.





July/August cont'd: As you can see in the photos above, we had to bring our new fridge into the house through the rough opening in the wall.  It wouldn't fit through any of the other doors, so this was the only way in.....even with the doors off!!  This baby is never leaving!!  And you can also see in the photos above that the painting process had begun and our cabinets were transforming before our very eyes!!  Once the painting was finished, everything seemed to fall into place.  The granite was installed the next day and the floors came in a few days after that.  Things were really starting to move along (see here for more details)....

July/August cont'd: And as soon as the floors were dry, we installed the appliances and light fixtures.  It was a FUNCTIONING KITCHEN!!!  YAY!

August/September: Our next steps were to add the cabinet knobs and handles, paint the walls, and install the vent hood...

  

October/November: This probably could have been done a lot sooner, but as soon as the kitchen was functioning I lost all motivation to tile the backsplash.  It was just such a daunting task for me that I waited and waited until it was almost too cold to use the wet saw outside.  On one nice weekend, I tackled it (see here and here for more details).....

December: After all was said and done, there was still one lingering project that I wanted to complete.  So on one Saturday morning, I decided to buy some materials to finish up the mudroom.  I brought them home and begged B to install it.  Without expecting him to jump right on it, I ran out for a few more errands and came back to this.....

YAY!!  The kitchen was officially done.  8 months later, but EXACTLY the way we wanted it (and in the price range we wanted as well)!!!  If I had to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing.....well, except for maybe choosing to get pizza most nights rather than salads when we were ordering takeout.  Ugh....maybe we worked off the extra pounds with all the work we did though....haha.

So there you have it, a full recap of the biggest transformation in our new house.  And just to satisfy some before and after cravings, I will throw some in before I go.  Enjoy!!



So what do you think?  Have any of you done a big kitchen renovation as well and lived to tell the tale?  I would love to see or hear all about it.  Any thoughts, advice or wisdom to those considering a kitchen renovation would also be wonderful!! 

Oh, and I'm linking up to these parties:

DIY Showoff DIY Project Parade
Remodelaholic Anonymous 55 Blog Link
Thrifty Decor Chick's March Before and After Party
Element Interiors Whassup Wednesday Party