Kitchen Counters on a Budget - Concrete Counters

When we were looking at houses online, I skimmed right over our house at first because I was like 'woof, that kitchen.'

But eventually I started to dream and imagine it not yellow.

And then we set out to do the work. Which started with painting. We used the same pretty light gray that we chose for our living room and hallways. 

And that helped a ton. But then we were left with the retro boomerang counters.

Which were kinda fun and made us feel like we were really in a diner when when

would sit in the booth but they just weren't our style.

So, Josh and I went and priced out counters.

And promptly came home and started researching alternate routes. 

Because the cheapest option was gonna cost about $1500 just for our small space and we weren't even in love with it.

So when I saw Young House Love's concrete counters, I showed Josh the tutorial and asked

 him what he thought. It was by far our cheapest option at only about $150 all in with materials but

it would definitely require the most man-hours on his part.

But that has never scared him.

Since the kitchen would be unusable for several days, I took the boys and headed to NY to stay with my best friend so that Josh could get the work done without worrying about us in the way and the boys getting into stuff! 

He followed the YHL tutorial using the feathering concrete.

So if you're wanting to try your hand at this, I suggest following their detailed and step by step tutorial because that's what we did.

We did take the extra step and remove the appliances and sink while doing the work though.

The sanding was the messiest part of the project.

And the drying times in between coats of concrete and then coats of sealer took the longest.

And when we got home the sealer was still drying, so we erred on the side of caution 

and didn't set anything on them for several days.

But once they were dry, I was beyond thrilled with how they looked!

The sealer gave them a nice sheen that made them look even more like a stone.

I can't tell you how much more I like this kitchen without yellow walls and blue counters.

After several months of using them, they have held up really well.

I chalk that up to the good job Josh did on them.

We do have some discolored spots behind our sink where it gets wet a lot and

also where I sit our butter dish, it seems some of the oils have seeped through.

But because of the variated look of the concrete anyways, it blends really well and even adds to the character and charm. 

And we've gotten to enjoy so many good times and great food in our feels-like-new kitchen!

Overall, we are super happy with our decision, they way they look, 

and the money that's still in our pockets. :)

Next up, new kitchen flooring!

Our Cottage Craftsman

Hi guys!! It's been, what? 2 years?! I tell ya what that jump from 1 to 2 kids will really kill a blog, hah! No, it was an intentional killing in order to focus on being the very best mama while my boys are little and need me the most. But luckily, I have the ability to revive this little blog of mine and now that my boys are getting older and don't need me quuuuuite as much, I think I'll be back to sharing a bit more on this platform that I love!

So, I'll start with our current state. We've moved to the Midwest - Indiana to be exact. A small farm town to be even more exact but still kinda vague. ;)

And we bought a house! A cute little 1920's craftsman style with cottage-y details that we are lovingly calling #ourcottagecraftsman.

And we're giving it some upgrades to make it perfectly suited to us. We still have lots of projects up our sleeves but I'd say we're Phase 1 complete.

So if these first photos will show you anything it is: THE POWER OF PAINT.

Living Room/Dining Room Before:

Living Room/Dining Room Progress:

Let me tell you, dark brown is not a fun color to cover. So the walls all got primed first.

And then I had the hard task of trying to find my perfect shade of gray. 

You know, what that's not too dark, not to light, doesn't look beige, and looks good with my other paint colors. You'd think it wouldn't be that hard, but it was. 

I probably tried about 5 gray samples before I landed on one I loved.

I had to be picky because I was buying a 5 gallon bucket of whatever gray I chose and using it through the entirety of my house.

This color did NOT win. Too dark.

And it looked a little beige in some lights.

So then I tested more grays, but ultimately landed on Valspar's Modern Gray.

Not too light, not too dark, not beige and I love it.

And I better because this color went in the dining room/living room, kitchen, mudroom, bathroom, and hallways

And Living Room/Dining Room after:

We didn't do anything major to the space except for paint and put up nice blinds.

So the lesson of the day is, paint changes everything! 

p.s. It feels good to be back. :)