June 12, 2023 

​

Our latest kitchen reno!

 

This was the first reno where we could use the existing cabinetry, countertops, kitchen sink AND appliances! What a win!

 

The appliances were in good shape, needed a little cleaning & TLC but they work well!

​

​

Here is our list of updates:

​

 

- Added soft close hinges, which was an inexpensive upgrade

 

- Removed the vinyl flooring & carpet, swapping for a kid/cat proof LVP!

 

- Replaced old rusty brass door hardware (hinges and handles) throughout the home, in favour of black!

 

- Replaced almond colour light switches/outlets/faceplates with white. Also added dimmers in most areas of the home!

 

- Replaced all floor registers with a nice matte black! Any ceiling registers were replaced with white!

 

- Swapped light fixtures for a farmhouse country feel! All old pot lights were updated to white flush mount led

 

- Used led “daylight” Edison bulbs which got rid of the orange colour in the home produced by the existing bulbs

 

- Replaced the kitchen faucet

 

- Painted the cabinets white!

​

​

​

​

The cabinets were well made & well cared for, which allowed us to keep them! The cabinets were sanded, sprayed two coats of primer, then painted using a sprayer, which gave them a “dipped” look, as if they came straight from the factory this way!

 

The process is tedious! Each cabinet door was removed. Let each coat dry, flip the cabinet door and repeat!

​

​

​

The light colour of the flooring paired with the white cabinets... and of course the daylight white light bulbs... really helped brighten the whole house 😍

​

​

​

So...

Some impactful updates you can do to your home, that are budget friendly... paired with some of my product recommendations!

 

I am not affiliated with any of these companies or products, but I have personally used them and love them!

​

​

-Soft close hinges

Add soft close hinges on all cabinet doors. It seems like a small upgrade, but it is well worth the time! Be sure you measure your existing hinges

We used these by Ravinte and love them! 

​

​

​

-Upgrade light fixtures!

If you buy light fixtures online and put them together yourself, you will save a TON of money! That is what we opted to do on our last two reno projects and seeing the savings add up was so worth it!

 

We also watched for sales at home hardware stores like Lowes and Homedepot! We always avoid the expensive light shops!

 

Don't forget to update pot lights!

Some people call these pot lights, recessed lighting, can lights... but they all mean the same thing! Swap old pot lights for led flush mounts!

 

These led flush mount lights are a game changer

-affordable

-dimmable

-give off a nice amount of light!

-come in black and white

​

These pot light/can lights are awesome!

We use the 3000k/4000k/5000k selectable colour option! 

-easy to install

-dimmable

-brightened and modernized our home

​

​

 

-Replace old light bulbs!

with a led “daylight” (5000k) or a "natural white" (4000k) bulb to change the colour and brightness of your space! Its such a simple and impactful updated!

Here are some of my favs, depending on your style preference and what kind you need:

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

-Replace faceplates

The best tip I can give any diy'er! If your outlet is an off white colour and you are wanting to update to white, you can buy these sneaky faceplates that cover the outlet. They are a money saver and a time saver! They fit right over the outlet, covering the colour they used to be, leaving you with a fancy new white outlet and faceplate! No rewiring required! 

​

But shhhh this is my sneaky home hack,

don't tell anyone!!!! 

You can pick these up at lowes or

order online through Amazon. 

Check them out here

​

​

​

​

 

-Replace door handles & hinges

This can be time consuming, yet so impactful!

We have used lever handles on renos in the past, but this time we opted for a round knob as they were substantially cheaper! At the end of the day, both a knob and a lever will get the job done! So pick what ever fits into your budget!

​

For exterior doors, we don't mess around! You want a good quality door handle, so you'll want to pay a bit more for exterior vs interior. You want something weather and fade resistant and of course there is the security factor! You can get smart key exterior handles, which simplifies your life! One key for all your exterior doors!

Defiant, Kwikset and Schlage are great reliable companies! 

​

Here is what we use for interior door knobs!

​

Here is what we use for exterior door hinges! (be sure to measure your existing hinges to ensure a good fit! Keep in mind the shape as well!

​

​

​

-Replace door stoppers

Door stoppers can get nasty over time. They rust, collect dust, dirt, hair... yuck! You will either replace them to match the colour of your baseboards (since that is where they will sit, which often ends up being white), or to match the colour of your door handles.

 

We have done a mix of both black and white throughout our renos, but we love the look of black the best, especially when you have black floor registers and black door handles/hinges!

Here is what we often use!

​

​

​

-Replace old floor registers/ceiling registers

A matte black or a white will update and modernize your home! This also helps with air quality if your current registers are covered in dust, mould, rust etc. You'll want something that is a heavy duty all steel construction!

We love Rocky Mountain and Decor Grates! We also wait for sales at HomeDepot or Lowes and purchase everything we need when there is a sale, since these are the last things you will install during a home reno! 

​

​

​

-New knobs and pulls

We still need to add knobs/pulls to the cabinets, these have hidden handles, but we prefer decorative exterior handles. We are going to do a black stainless finish to compliment our appliances!

Check out Ravinte on Amazon

​

​

​

-Leanne

​