As I Said...: Finally! The 2019 Kitchen Makeover Update

Way back, at the end of 2019, I updated my dad's kitchen in the house I grew up in. I realized I never wrote about it here, even though the research and planning took up most of my time and energy. I guess it took me all of last year to process!

Our kitchen has always been a project because it was subject to my father's whims. He would "makeover" the cabinets, backsplash, countertop, and appliances whenever he spied a bargain at a retail or thrift store. Oh, the memories; the silver tin backsplash, mismatched cabinets in different wood grains, awkward cabinet placement that limited accessibility, replacing two useful dish cabinets with a wine rack, and lots of kitschy knick-knacks, many of them depictions of roosters!

The sole survivor of kitsch!

While my dad agreed to my plan to start over and have a complete redesign, there were tense negotiations on almost everything. Some of them:

I would work with a Home Depot consultant* to design the kitchen, get measurements, and order the cabinets.
His handyman would install the cabinets and not Home Depot.
I could order unfinished cabinets that will be painted to lighten up the wood-paneled kitchen.
I could choose the color because it needed to be warmer than the white prepainted ones available.
I could choose ALL of the design components, cabinet layout, door style, backsplash, and flooring.
Everything (but the cabinets) must be available in the store, nothing could need to be shipped.*
I could personally sanded, primed, painted, and polyurethaned all of the cabinet components.
I could install the tile backsplash by myself.

The picture above shows how it looks now, and below is a rundown of almost everything we purchased to change it and make the kitchen look cohesive and much more functional. If you want, take a deep breath, and scroll to the bottom to see how it was.

Hampton Bay Assembled kitchen cabinets Unfinished Beech, $926.59

One gallon Behr Marquee in Cocoa Malt satin enamel low-odor paint & primer, $44.98
32 oz. Kilz-2 All Purpose Interior/Exterior water-based multi-surface primer/sealer/stain blocker, $8.48
32 oz. Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Satin, $17.97 (I SWEAR by this stuff!)

*I actually wanted to order this flooring in gray, but that was nixed. It's my one regret, and I often think of it, especially after something spills on the lighter floor.