More Sweet Kitchen/Bathroom Transformations

Please send your renovation/transformation photos to [email protected]  A reader writes:

“The first is a traditional bathroom redo. I hired a handyman to do the work and bought all the fixtures myself – a lot online on Overstock.com (including the vanity which was shipped to me for $1). The bathroom used to include separate shower and a tub. If one person was at the sink, no one could pass by them. This made for difficulty getting ready in the morning. We took out the shower and added a double sink where it used to be. We put the shower back into the tub which was challenging due to the large window in the tub area. All-in-all it is a much more peaceful space and leads to much more peaceful mornings as my husband and I endeavor to get to work on time.

The second update may be interesting to readers given the times. I would not characterize this as a renovation, but rather a way to deal with bad choices that someone else made in your home when you have run out of renovation money. For the cost of 4 gallons of paint, hardware and a light fixture, I transformed my kitchen. I painted the cabinets, added new hardware and replaced the ugly ceiling fan (that was dangerous because it was above my gas stove) with a light fixture from home depot. Yawn – right. But what I did next is something I think that few people consider and it made a huge difference – I painted the countertops.

The countertops were light blue. Not only were they the same color as the walls – which I wanted to keep because there is a nice mural of dogwood branches – but they were a nightmare to keep clean. Everything stained the light color, every watermark, glass ring, etc. showed. I though about tiling them and then read something about painting them for a fraction of the cost. So, I sanded them lightly using an orbital sander, wiped them down with a liquid sander and painted them. I used a heavy duty primer and two coats of Ralph Lauren River Rock paint – lightly sanding in between coats and leaving plenty of drying time. I then coated with three coats of water-based polyurethane (again lightly sanding between coats). The result is countertops that look like a warm concrete or stone. They have been done for about 6 months now and are holding up very well – no dings, no chips, no problems.”

Before pictures after the jump.

Before kitchen:

Before bathroom:

Before shower: