Painted Kitchen Makeover: a $350 Kitchen Transformation

You won’t believe this $350 painted kitchen makeover! I completely transformed our small kitchen, mostly with paint, on a tiny budget.

I’m so happy with how I transformed my kitchen, using paint!

Ok, I’m going to go all full on preacher for a minute and ask you a question: Do YOU believe? Do you believe in the power of paint? Keep reading…

When we first moved into our home, less than a year ago, I knew that one of the first things I would need to tackle is the kitchen. I just can’t deal with golden oak. It does the opposite of bring me joy, and I spend a LOT of time in our kitchen.

The problem: I didn’t have the budget (or willingness to deal with a contractor) for a full kitchen renovation. There are SO many other things that are WAY higher on the priority list for this house. So, I turned to paint to transform my kitchen from a golden oak nightmare to a refreshing cottage-feel space that makes me look forward to cooking dinner.

My BIG Kitchen Before and After shots:

Budget Kitchen Makeover, Breakdown:

Keep in mind: many of the other supplies not listed below I already had on hand, like rollers and brushes, hand tools, power tools, and wood filler. I also used various leftover paints from different projects, but I accounted for this in a line item.

• Raising the Kitchen Cabinets up to the ceiling: FREE (and SO easy!)
• Cabinet paint (Sherwin Williams ProClassic Satin in Patience) purchased on sale for $60
• Miscellaneous cabinet painting supplies (caulk, primer, tape, roller covers) – $40
• Spray paint for cabinet hardware (this one) – $7
• Wood for backsplash (1/2×4 boards, more expensive, but less cutting and sanding) – $65
• Paint and clear sealer for backsplash – leftovers from other projects, but I’ll put it at $20
• Brackets for floating shelf (4 from Ikea) – $28
• Unfinished 12″ boards for floating shelf – $35
• Peg rail under floating shelf (this one) – $15
• Countertop Paint Kit (this one) – $80

Grand Total: $350. Do you believe in the power of paint now?!?!

How I  Inexpensively Transformed my Kitchen

I’m not going to lie. There was some serious work involved. It wasn’t particularly difficult (no special skills or strength), but it was time-consuming. I spent many hours watching The Office on Netflix with a paintbrush in my hand.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing in-depth tutorials and videos showing exactly how I updated our kitchen:

• Raise upper kitchen cabinets to the ceiling, add a floating shelf under
• Paint cabinets
• Paint hardware
• Add a shiplap backsplash
• Paint countertops

Until then, I’m just going to sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy our new kitchen. Cheers!

Here’s where we started (The Before)

And here’s where we ended up (The After)