My Jadeite Kitchen

DIY: Remodeling A Vintage Kitchen With No Experience

Have you ever remodeled a vintage kitchen? If the answer is yes, you know what “labor of love” means. My husband and I remodeled our kitchen a few years ago and it is still our favorite room in the house. It wasn’t easy, but we loved every minute of it. Our renovation was not planned. It all started with me pulling up the old grungy linoleum to find this amazing Permatile floor underneath. Please keep in mind that this was our first remodel and we had no idea what we were doing, but we had a vision and we were ready to execute.

Once we decided to remodel, I knew that I wanted vintage steel cabinets. The first place I searched was Craigslist and I found some. They were in great condition and also local. What a find! Soon after purchasing the steel cabinets, we needed to figure out what our color scheme was going to be. My husband left that part up to me. I had recently started collecting Jadeite, so I thought…why not a Jadeite Kitchen? Off I went to get some paint.

My husband and I wanted a tile counter and we already had an almond colored cast iron sink that we loved. We were able to find matching almond tile and jadeite green tiles locally. Once the paint and tile were that were purchased, it was time to get started on the remodel. We were going to be taking on-the-job training to a new level because there wasn’t anyone to train us.

The first project on my list was sanding the steel cabinets with a fine-grit sandpaper. After lightly sanding them, I applied jade green oil-based paint with a small roller. The painting was completed outdoors because the fumes were a bit harsh. Meanwhile, my husband was pulling out the old cabinets, repairing the walls, and fixing the plumbing. For the kitchen walls, I chose a green color that was one shade lighter than the cabinets. Once the paint was dry, we installed our beautiful jadeite green steel cabinets. My husband borrowed a tile cutter from a neighbor, so he could cut the tiles to size and create patterns for the counter and back-splashes. He did an amazing job!

Everything finally came together and we have a kitchen that we love. It is our favorite room in the house and we did it together. It took four months to complete, but we did it! You can do it too. All you need is the vision, time, and the will to see it through. Stay tuned! There’s more to come.