Inspired by all the other renovations mums have completed and shared to Facebook, Sarah Phelan decided to give her own kitchen a simple, cosmetic cover-up.
The mum-of-two spent no more than three weeks renovating the space for under $1500 and used stick-on tiles to fashion a stunning green splashback and PVC cut-outs to create Shaker-style cabinets.
Better Homes and Gardens Online caught up with Sarah to find out how she designed and completed the DIY.
What did your kitchen look like before the renovation?
My kitchen was getting to be quite outdated and although everything was usable, it didn’t look very appealing.
What inspired your renovation?
My main inspiration was seeing all the amazing renovations by other mums on Facebook DIY pages. It really inspired me to give it a go!
Have you done any renovations before?
This was my first go at renovating, but it has certainly got me in the mood for more renovating now!
What kind of look were you after?
I have always loved the Shaker-style kitchen cabinets, which is the look I was hoping to achieve by using the PVC cut-outs. I wanted a fresh and bright kitchen, which is why I went with both white cabinets and bench tops.
Biggest challenge?
Probably the biggest challenge was trying to get it all done in between looking after two young children! Aside from that, the bench tops were a little tricky to get a smooth result.
The renovation process
- Cleaned kitchen thoroughly.
- Took cabinets off hinges.
- Sanded cabinets, patched handle holes, and primed cabinets.
- Painted 2 x coats of Dulux renovation range in satin white.
- Painted PVC cut-outs and glued them onto cabinets using liquid nails.
- Put cabinets back on hinges and had a tradie (Hire a Hubby) drill new cabinet holes. I attached new handles.
- Sanded and painted benches using Rustoleum bench top paint in diamond white.
- Stuck tiles on top of existing tiles.
How long did it take you?
The whole process took just over two weeks.
How much did you roughly spend on the renovation?
All up I spent $1500 on this kitchen renovation.
Budget breakdown
- Cabinet paint/primer (dulux renovation range from Bunnings) and rollers/paint brushes, $300
- Bench top paint, Rustoleum bench top kit from Bunnings, $180
- Handles from igrab, $170
- Liquid nails, $50
- PVC cut outs, sourced from a local printing/design company – NB Design in Canberra, $550
- Stick on tiles, from Tic Tac tiles, around $300
Favourite part of your renovation?
My favourite part was putting the kitchen back together again and seeing the final result. It felt like such an achievement.
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