Small Kitchen Renovation! Start to Finish

Home Projects
Written By Erin Longfellow

Check out the video above to see the renovation, start to finish!

The kitchen in our Fixer Upper house is tiny! We have big plans to open it up by taking down a wall, moving appliances and building a dream kitchen. But we are not quite ready for that big project.

In the meantime, we need to make this kitchen work. And by work, I mean update it so I don’t want to pull my hair out every time I walk in here. I like to think of this project as the botox and fillers renovation instead of the big facelift renovation to come. We need to be able to live with it for a couple more years.

Someone in the past did a renovation on this kitchen but not very well. It looks okay at a glance. But if you look closer, things are a mess.

They used beadboard for the backsplash, which is not waterproof and not good for a wet area so it’s swelling. The walls have this dated texture and someone did some terrible patch jobs. The light fixtures are just not our style and this window is single pane, aluminum and very old. The cabinetry is well built but the paint job is really bad. We can do better. 

And maybe the worst are these countertops. This butcher block wasn’t finished appropriately so they are peeling and sticky. And if they are wet, good luck if you lay a grocery receipt down… it’s stuck there forever. 

A kitchen renovation can make a big impact on the overall functionality and aesthetic appeal of a home. It’s not just about improving functionality, it's also about enhancing the overall culinary experience and making the heart of the home a place where we actually enjoy spending time.

Because this renovation isn’t for the long-term, I decided to reuse and update what I could… and add some new things along the way.

Here is the moodboard that I came up with for this project:

Click on the build video above to see the process, start to finish!

Here is an overview of what I included:

  • refinishing the butcher block countertops (check out my full tutorial here!)

  • taking down the bad drywall

  • replacing the kitchen window

  • hanging floating shelves with concealed floating shelf hardware

  • enclosing the refrigerator to give it a built in look

  • how to spray paint your cabinets like a pro!

  • adding new solid white oak window trim, new cabinet pulls, new sink faucet, new light fixtures

  • tiling the backsplash and wall

  • skim coating the walls to get rid of the terrible texture

I’m excited to show you how much better this kitchen can look!

Spoiler: we encountered a problem with our cabinet paint, discovering that the old owners painted them incorrectly, causing the top most recent coat of paint to start peeling off 😳 Check out the video to see how we handled that.

Refinishing the butcher block counters

Taking out the bad drywall

Replacing the old window

Adding a “built in” look to our refrigerator

Spray painting all of the cabinets, doors and drawers

Tiling the backsplash and wall

Skim coating the old textured drywall

Adding solid wood floating shelves

And here is how the kitchen looks now. We love love it! I feel like this space is finally something I can live with for awhile.

The cabinet color is Waterloo by Sherwin Williams in their Emerald Paint. I’m so in love with the color! I used this project to break out of my neutrals tendency and I’m positive I made the right choice.

Here are some of the before and after shots:

I’m loving this cute countertop lamp. Lamps are one of my most favorite (and I think necessary) room additions. This one fits on the counter perfectly. Find it here

I wanted a touch of red warmth in the kitchen and this oriental rug does the trick perfectly

Brass cabinet knobs on all of the cabinets and drawers. I contemplated black instead. I still haven’t decided which I prefer! I do really like these. They are a heavy weight and good quality.

Happy to answer any questions below, or in the comment section of the video. See you on the next project!

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Erin Longfellow
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