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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
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  1. Home
  2. Renovating

Reader reno: It only cost $110 to transform this mum’s kitchen

An amazing facelift. - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 09 Jun 2020

When you consider that kitchen renovations can cost anywhere from $10,000 upwards, it’s amazing just how far a mere $110 went to transform Nichole Menzies’ kitchen. But that’s how much it cost in paint, new knobs and screws to give her space a much-needed facelift.

WATCH: Tara transforms a kitchen for under $1500

Before the makeover, the kitchen was a predominantly brown ‘90s colonial-style kitchen.

“Everything was functional but it was time to say goodbye to the timber,” the mother of three explains.

Kitchen before facelift

Before: A '90s colonial-style kitchen

Nichole Menzies

After being stood down from her job because of the Coronavirus, Nichole found that she had a bit more time on her hands and wanted to tackle the job herself and "create a beautiful, fresher space in our house."

After: A classic Hamptons' look

After: A gorgeous contemporary take on Hamptons' style

Nichole Menzies

Here, we caught up with Nichole about the details of her kitchen makeover.

What kind of look were you after?

I was after more of a Hamptons look with the white timber cupboards and a simple black knob.

What was the biggest challenge?

Getting the doors dried enough so they didn’t get smudge marks when I flipped them, as well as the 3.5 day time frame I gave myself. 

The renovation process

  • Removed all the doors using my AEG cordless drill from the door hinge as well as the old knobs.
  • Removed all the items from the drawers and placed into washing baskets so we could have easy access while the refurb was happening.
  • I did a light sand on all the surfaces with my Ozito orbital sander with a 120 grit, then used sugar soap to clean it down. There was built-up scum so I had to scrape that off with a paint scrapper.
  • I did all the drawers fronts first using 2 coats for 123Bin Zinsser as I found that one coat wasn't enough for a super smooth finish.Then I applied 3 coats of H2O enamel using a Small Uniden foam roller and a fine angle paint brush for the fiddly bits. 
  • While this was drying between coats, I tackled the shell, sides and kick boards in the kitchen. Every surface got a wipe down, light sand, 2 zinsser and 3 enamel coats. 
  • Next was the undercoat primer for the splash back tiles using a microfibre roller. This needed to dry for 8 hours before the top coat could be applied. I then did 3 top coats with the tile paint over the next two days so it had enough time to dry between coats. I used Black Knight products for this. 
  • The drawers were put back in place with new knobs attached.
  • Next were the doors, which took the longest as both sides needed to be painted. I set up a painting and drying flipping station. I repeated the sanding, scraping and cleaning process along with 2 Zinsser coats and three top coats on one side. The small brush was my lifesaver when doing the edges! 
  • With everything dry I screwed the doors back on again with my cordless drill and attached the new black knobs. 
  • With the kitchen looking all fresh and white, my not-so-white window sills were next!
Kitchen makeover

The doors get their first coat of paint

Nichole Menzies
Painting the doors

Nichole set up a painting and drying station

Nichole Menzies

How much did you spend?

This was a face lift on a very tight budget being (1.) my husband didn’t know I was doing it; (2.) I’d been stood down from my job reducing our household income; and (3.) there wasn’t really anything wrong with our kitchen in the first place. But I can proudly say that it cost me $110 in paint (as we already had some half tins in our garage, as well as rollers, roller trays, paint brushes, new knobs and screws!

Budget breakdown

Zinsser Bin123 - $29

British paints H2O enamel - $30 (it’s water base so it washes up easily and has very low odour)

Screws - $2.50

Uniden foam roller 2pack - $5

4 packs of 6 black knobs - $42

All items were from Bunnings except for the screws which I got from the Nut and Bolt Factory.

Kitchen makeover

Result? A fresh new look!

Nichole Menzies

Favourite part?

I had total satisfaction that I did the entire thing myself, without any help or guidance – and my favourite part was getting a beautifully finished white modern kitchen!

You might also like:

How to refit a kitchen

3 kitchen renovation mistakes to avoid

Before and after: a budget kitchen renovation

  • DIY
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca is the Digital Managing Editor of Better Homes and Gardens.

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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

How much does a new kitchen cost?

How much does a new kitchen cost?

How much does a new kitchen benchtop cost?

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Reader reno: A white, Scandi-style kitchen with a navy VJ wall

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Before & After: How an interior stylist renovated her own kitchen

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{headline}

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Tara's industrial kitchen makeover

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Give your kitchen a slimming makeover!

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10 of the best galley kitchen ideas

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{headline}

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The pros and cons of a timber benchtop

The pros and cons of a timber benchtop

Kitchen in the wrong room? Here's how to move it

Kitchen in the wrong room? Here's how to move it

Three kitchen renovation mistakes to avoid

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The $5 smiley sponge sending shoppers into a frenzy

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6 best-rated non-stick fry pans in Australia

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Everything you need to know about fan forced ovens

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Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

Reader reno: A Scandi-style budget laundry makeover for $1300

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