Kitchen Remodel: After Pictures and Details of our White and Gray Kitchen

Our original goals for the kitchen remodel:

• Granite Countertops
• White Cabinets (we were going to paint them ourselves)
• New Sink and Faucet

What we ended up doing:

• Granite Countertops
• White Cabinets (we hired a painter)
• New Sink and Faucet
• Leveled Our Existing Bar – Made a Larger Counter Space
• New Pulls on the Drawers
• New Tile Backsplash

We first picked the granite.  It took a while to get to this step, but we ended up finding a granite installation company (Granite Works for Charlotte locals).  They work with several granite distributors in the area.  Granite Works came and measured our counter space.  They also brought a contractor to discuss leveling our bar area.  At this point, we were not going to change the tile backsplash, but our existing laminate countertops were uneven.  The best solution was to redo the backsplash after the granite was installed.  They were willing to have their contractor handle the tile and the leveling of the bar, and they gave us a very fair price, so we added the new tile backsplash to the project list.

We went (several times) to pick out our actual stone.  After touring several granite distribution warehouses, we put a stone on hold, then went back another day to make sure we still liked it.  The distribution company gets it to the installation company, who cuts it to fit your kitchen.  Granite Works sent us a picture with an outline of where on the granite they were going to cut.  This was great, because there were certain parts of the stone that had more pattern – we wanted this to be a focal point!  Another major perk of this company is that they did not put any seams in our granite!  Each section is a solid piece.

The demolition, which I discussed in this post, was the first big step in getting the process rolling.  Once the old counters and tile were removed, the new sink (just the basin and faucet – not the actual plumbing) and granite were installed.  We Todd finished the plumbing.  It was quite an ordeal, but our sink and disposal works!

Next came the backsplash.  We bought the tiles, grout, and mortar from Home Depot.  The tiles were only around $1.76 per square foot, which is very cheap!  The grout was around $15 – we bought one of the larger bags of sanded grout.  The color is Oyster Gray.  The tile process took longer than expected.  It ended up taking about 2 days, rather than just one.  Also, we had to use some corner tiles and bullnose tiles on the sides that didn’t meet up with a cabinet or appliance.  We really love the result, though!

For our cabinets we hired a painter who had painted some of our house several years ago.  We bought the paint – he recommended oil-based Sherwin Williams paint in a semi-gloss.  Our color is Alabaster.  He and another guy who works for him came and took all of the doors off (we removed the pulls).  They took the doors and drawers and painted them at his shop, and painted the frame in our kitchen.  They started on Friday, came back on Monday, then finished on Tuesday.  Oil based paint takes a long time to dry, and it took him about 4 coats, plus primer.

We bought our drawer cup pulls from Home Depot.  The brand is Hickory.  Once the paint was dry, we were able to put everything back in the drawers and cabinets.

We started the demo on a Sunday, and it was finished the following Tuesday.  A total of 10 days.  Our kitchen was a disaster for awhile, but it was totally worth it!  We are really loving our white and gray kitchen!!