January 30, 2012 - End of the Kitchen Redo (almost)


With the exception of a few minor things, like new cupboard and drawer pulls and maybe a coat of fresh polyurethane on the cupboards, the kitchen is done. It looks so shiny and clean and so un-Harvest Gold! I must say, the beiges, browns and almond are much more restful to the eye.


I went for an old fashioned ceramic tiled back splash, 'cause I'm an old fashioned type of gal.


Remember how unhappy Mr. Granny was that I spent over $300 for a new sink, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with the old one? Now the sink is his favorite update in the kitchen! He didn't think he'd like the odd shaped tiles on the back splash, but now he likes those too. I have found I must dry off the counter after wiping it off, or it streaks. Each evening, when I clean up after dinner, I spray it (and the stove top) with an ammonia free glass cleaner and dry it with a micro fiber cloth, which leaves the surfaces sparkling clean.


I love the floor! If I had it to do over again, I'd pick one without knotholes, but I can live with it. It's so easy to keep clean. I wrap a terry cloth towel around the broom and sweep once a day, which does a much better job than the broom alone. Once a week I damp mop with white vinegar and warm water, squeezing the mop out really well.




I painted the six doors in the hallway white. It's so much brighter than those dark walnut stained doors! I still have to paint one hallway wall, where I removed and then replaced some door trim while John was installing the floor. Once that's done, I can start painting Mr. Granny's man-cave. I think son John and I will tackle installing new carpet in there once the painting is done. I have to hurry and get my inside chores done, as it will be time to garden before I know it.

25 comments:

  1. Granny it looks just wonderful!

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  2. Looks great, you did a great job. I really like the counter tops. I am in the processing of replacing interior doors in preparation for getting all my carpet replaced too.

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  3. Looks great Granny! I love it! You can come and sweep my kitchen floor...twice a week would be good :)

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  4. Your kitchen is absolutely stunning ..I love your counter tops and the new sink...everything looks beautiful and I wish they were my counter tops :o(..enjoy!

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  5. It looks wonderful. I'm feeling inspired to add painting my bedroom to my hectic schedule by you. Talk me down! My garden is already ramping up.

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  6. Thanks, Liisa, Kris, Robin and Ginny.

    Go for it Stefaneener! If old Granny can get a room or two painted, a young chick like you can do it! I have a lot that needs to be done, and wouldn't you know I got picked for jury duty for February :-( Do I dare pretend I can't hear a thing so they'll excuse me? LOL!

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  7. It's great to have a new kitchen! I am so impressed, it looks amazing. Congratulations!

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  8. It looks amazing! You must feel so inspired to cook up a storm all day now! We are currently saving up for a new kitchen to replace our existing and I can not wait!!

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  9. It looks lovely now Granny. I really ought to do some painting here just to change the paint. The house might be only a year and a half old, but they put the worst paint on the walls. It is flat paint. I hate that. It is impossible to clean.

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  10. Kitchen re do looks great.

    Don't for get to change your profile - no more winters in AZ right?

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  11. Happy Belated Birthday Granny!!

    The kitchen looks great. I can already picture the new counter loaded with canning jars, pots, canners, vacuum sealer and tons of veggies.

    (P.S. - thanks for the reply about the potting soil.)

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  12. You know, now that you have gotten rid of the old, Harvest Gold will come back into vogue! LOL, seriously though it looks fantastic! Just think how excited you will be to bring in all those baskets of garden stuff and preserve in that shiny new space! The doors/hallway looks really nice too, you and Mr. Granny did an excellent job!

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  13. It looks great! I should have invited you to come paint our farmhouse back in the summer, lol. Awesome!! Can't wait to see blog entries about all sorts of great food cooked in there.

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  14. Looks great Mom! I like the backsplash. HOPEFULLY mine will be done by the weekend.

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  15. Thank you, Meems & Alison.

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    Marissa....cook? And get it dirty? No way! ;-)

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    Daphne, definitely go for an eggshell finish. It doesn't have much of a sheen, but it washes beautifully and holds up well. Nothing I hate worse than flat, I always go for eggshell or semigloss.

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    Marcia, thanks. And thanks for the reminder...I'll do that right now! Done!

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    Spiderjohn, bring it on! I need some home canned tomatoes!

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    Erin, I know it won't come back for a while, because both of my bathroom still have Harvest Gold fixtures. But....look at those "almost avocado green" cups in my kitchen. And the "almost avocado green" recliners in Mr. Granny's man room. It's inevitable that the Harvest Gold will eventually return. I'm upset they went from "almond" to "biscuit". I'll probably regret special ordering the sink to match my refrigerator. Just watch, the refrigerator will die now and I'll have an obsolete new sink that won't match anything else.

    HA-HA-HA-HA-HA.....your last line almost made me wet my pants! No, son John and I did it all. Believe me, Mr. Granny did not lift one finger on the redo! He wasn't even a very good cheer leader. Mr. Granny does great jar lid removal and lawn mowing (riding mower). That's about it. In fact, he just said his back hurt today. Must have been from opening that jar of sauerkraut last night, LOL!

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    1st. Man, I've always done all of our painting. I let Mr. Granny paint a ceiling at our AZ place, back in '04, and that was the only time in our 50 years together that he's held a paint brush. Oh, I take that back. The last time I painted the exterior of this house, he did go up the ladder and do the highest spots for me. Now he gets woozy standing on a chair, so no more high places for him.

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    Amy, I like it.....but I didn't realize the grout lines were going to be that wide. Good thing we used the non-staining epoxy grout, or I'd probably be constantly scrubbing and bleaching it. I've learned a lot from our mistakes!

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  16. LOL! Well kudos to son John then!!

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  17. Looks great, so shiny clean and new! I love it that you have a window over the sink. I look at model kitchens a lot, daydreaming, and most of them don't have that window. I have a huge window here. If you open the curtains that cover the bottom of the window -- there are the sink pipes! Right there :-)

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  18. Dianefaith, it's not a model kitchen by any means, but it's a comfortable kitchen for my needs. I'm just not into all the stainless steel, and prefer softer, warmer tones. Just getting the new counter and sink make a lot of difference, and so far I'm loving the flooring. I do like my window over the sink, especially in the summer as it looks out over the garden.

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  19. It all looks amazing! And I am glad that Mr. Granny came around on the sink issue. For something that we use so often, I think that if you were to splurge on anything, a sink is a good way to go.

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  20. Looks wonderful! ALl the work sure paid of!

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  21. In my area you can be excused from service if you are 70 or older. I'm guessing you don't have this same rule where you live?

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  22. Prairie Cat, I think his main argument against the sink was that I paid $100 more to get it in a color that has already lost its popularity! I wanted it to match the refrigerator (almond), so it was either spend $300 for a special order sink or $1200 for a new fridge.

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    Thanks, David. It's nothing fancy, but I'm not a fancy lady. It's comfortable, and easy on my eyes. And I can accessorize with any color I want! All I have to do is change the color of my valance and my cups on the shelf.

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    Evidently not, Liisa. I get called every darned year, but I always get off because I'm in AZ. I'll know on Friday if I have to serve or not. I hope there are no big trials coming up. I only have to serve for two weeks unless I end up on a trial that goes longer than that.

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  23. Yeah I get called every year too. I just saw the "70" thing on the back of my notice the last time I got one. I didn't even know that rule was in place. I think you still get picked no matter your age but if you are 70 or older you can say no thanks :-)
    I have 20 years before that applies to me.

    Good luck! I hope you don't get picked.

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  24. Wow! That really turned out nice. I love getting inside projects done in January and February so everything is in great shape for my annual dissappearance into the great outdoors when spring arrives.

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