PJH Designs

Hi blogland friends! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Today I'm sharing how the working end of my kitchen is holding up since my remodel nine months ago. But first I liked to thank Kathy at "Life on Lakeshore Drive" for featuring my post on the eat-in area of my kitchen at her link party, A Bouquet of Talent. Thank you Kathy.

You may see the post on the eat-in area here.

I'm going to give you an evaluation of all the finishes I chose for my kitchen. I'm not sponsored by anyone and I'm not trying to sell you anything so I'm going to be brutally honest.

I still love all the finishes I chose. For the budget I had I am very satisfied with everything. Let's look at my butcher block style counter-tops made from red oak flooring with a thick poly finish. You can see the tutorial on how to do them yourself here.

They are still pretty and shiny after nine months of use but they do scratch. Remember this is a thick polyurethane if you drag something across it with a rough base it will scratch the finish.

They are easy to clean and do not show stains. I was even able to wipe off Sharpie marks! About once a week I polish them with furniture polish. By the way this tutorial is the most viewed post on my blog with thousands of views.

I left one area by the stove bare to use as a butcher block. I love this and use it a lot.

Treat this as needed with mineral oil.

My stock kitchen cabinets were finished out with trim to give them the look of custom cabinets. You can see that tutorial here.

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint and gave the cabinets a distressed, vintage finish. I used different handles and painted some with chalk paint to give the look that they were added over time. To achieve this distressed look takes a three step painting process and you may see the tutorial here.

I finished the cabinets with a clear, soft wax and even though I have scrubbed them quite a bit have not needed to re-wax yet. I am very pleased with how they have held up.

I LOVE my apron front, farmhouse sink! I will say that if my budget had been a little more I would have chosen a stone or copper sink, instead of the oven-fired, clay sink.

One thing I do not like about it is that certain metals will mark it with a silver mark. Its not a scratch just a mark, but I have not found a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g that will remove it. I do have several of these marks on the inside where the dishes brush the sides of the sink.

A new stove was not in the budget and mine was not very old but it was almond in color and did not match. So I painted it with epoxy, appliance paint. I'm not satisfied with how this is holding up at all! To me, especially on the top, the paint is wearing off and now looks more almond than white. Also it has a slightly rough texture and does not clean easily.

I think a new stove is in the works soon. :-)

Finally I love, Love, LOVE my tin ceiling tiles! You can see how they were installed in this post.

I also love the back-splash of subway and glass tiles and you may see that tutorial here.

Over all I love my kitchen. It is small but just right for my husband and myself. When all the children are over the open concept into the dining room works great for visiting while I am cooking.

If you are planning a kitchen remodel and have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will be glad to give any help I can.