Kitchen Makeover – Part 4 The Big Reveal

This is it! The big moment, the one we’ve all been waiting for…it’s the big KITCHEN REVEAL!

Actually, it’s a little sad how long it’s taken me to post this final part of the series.  There are many reasons for that, but I won’t bore you with the details, and right into the nitty gritty. of the reveal.  Gone is the 70’s golden oak, the plastic uppers, and the bad counter-tops.  I even have a real, built in dishwasher now.  Oh glory!

The floor is laminate, with three different plank sizes to make it feel more hardwood, and less cardboard :). We picked a colour that was not too dark, but not too light, didn’t show scuffs, and most important of all, did not show dirt! Seriously, sometimes I have to practicality stick to the floor before I decide to clean it-it hides dirt that well.  I don’t know if this is awesome or disgusting…maybe both.

The crown moulding and MDF fronts that we added on top of the existing, terrible 70/s plastic on top of the cabinet look so nice.  Before, that top was a dark, dark brown, and that made the ceiling feel lower.  Amazing what a little white paint will do to make your ceiling feel higher!

The back-splash is sheathed in classic subway tile and the counter-tops have been replaced by gorgeous solid oak butcher block. Ikea butcher block counter-tops soften the clean, white lines of the subway tile.

The paint I used on the cabinets is wonderful. I would highly highly recommend this paint, since it has not shipped at all. I painted my old bathroom plywood cupboards with General Paint and all the edges of the drawers and cabinets are chipping where they rub. Even beside the pulls where your fingernails hit the wood has chipped. This Ben Moore paint has not budged.

I linked the paint I used above already. I really do love this paint. I’ll probably never paint with another brand again. It is more expensive then the regular Benjamin Moore stuff. Totally worth it though. 

The butcher block is oak from Ikea.  They were decently priced and you can find at least 1627 different reviews on them all over the internet. 

I will save you the time of going there and tell you: 5/5 stars. 

If you surf the internet anyways without believing me…good for you.  You should not base your decisions on just one review.

But I will give you some advice. Some people find butcher block to be a lot of work and talk about staining over and over, or wrecking their surface and then having to spend hours and hours refinishing again, and sanding them all down and then starting over again, etc.

If you want a perfect, shiny surface, don’t get butcher block.  If you don’t like the colour and try to stain them and then seal….you may run into issues down the road.  Butcher block is best left as natural as possible and then left to develop it’s own patina of wear and tear over time.  If you try and change the colour and/or keep it perfect….you will have a never ending battle.  I see lots of people staining their counter tops and then sealing to protect the colour.  That works….until you damage the protective sealer with something: acidic foods, stains, chemicals, knives.  now you have a littel spot, and good luck getting stain on that spot to match the rest, and then sealing it again.  Go read those 1627 reviews online that talk about trying that.  It’s a waste of your life.

You name it, I’ve probably had it on my counter-tops.  I don’t baby them.  I do whatever I need to do on them and whatever happens, happens.  And the still look good.  Honestly, I have very few serious marks and damage on them.  The secret is oil, specifically tung oil.  Oil them and oil them until they don’t suck up anymore oil.  Then use them and when they look dry, oil them again.  Got a few scratches?  Oil. Got a spot that got damaged…no problem! Layer on the oil.

On those 1627 reviews online, there is great debate on what is the best oil to seal butcher block with. My favourite is pure tung oil. I could write an entire blog post on tung oil and why I love it and why you should too. I probably will in the future, but for now, let me give you the cliff notes version.

Tung oil, unlike mineral oil, does not evaporate. It will harden once it is exposed to air.  That means that it will create an actual seal, not just over, but inside the wood grain.  It will absorb into the grain and harden. With time, it creates a wonderfully strong, waterproof barrier.  It is extremely durable. It builds over time into a beautiful, lustrous finish.

I hope you enjoyed this series of posts.  And I hope that you can find some inspiration here for yourself. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!