Love it! My husband and I have something similar planned for our kitchen next month. What product was used to dye the grout on the floor? We have this terrible light grey tile (and two boys, and three dogs), and the grout is awful. No matter what, we can't seem to keep it clean OR sealed. Any tips? Thanks!!!

When I was looking at the before and after, the "After" looked instantly better to me, but at first I couldn't quite figure out what you had changed. The remodel is really minor, but those small changes make a tremendous difference. Well done!

Oooh, I would also love to know about the grout dye. Someone who used to live here decided that a white ceramic tile floor was a great idea for a kitchen, but they never sealed the grout and it is filthy. (Seriously, that Someone was a total moron.) I think dyeing the grout white again -- and sealing it -- would make a big difference in how clean our floor looks.

The rest of the kitchen makeover looks great. How did Cathy repair the cabinet doors? Looks like the new pulls don't always use the same holes as they old pulls, and the new hinges certainly don't match up with the old ones. Just curious what kind of effort it takes to patch up those holes. (That same moronic Someone also put up clumpy, dark, ugly pulls all over the kitchen.)

Looks great - it really highlights how important the little details actually are! I think the only thing I would have done different is perhaps paint the walls a brown one shade darker than the trim tiles - to make the cabinets stand out more and look even fresher. I don't know where they got their cabinet pulls, but I've seen very similar ones at Home Depot in contractor 10-packs for super cheap, if anyone is interested in replicating.

Also, floor grout often isn't white to begin with. It's common to use a grey or tan on a floor with the assumption it's going to get grungy looking pretty quickly.

For $276, this is truly amazing!!!! Good work!

Good choices, nice job! Subtle improvements that make a big difference.

Wow, what a difference those little changes made!

Daffodil, I believe you can use wood putty to fill the old holes. Once the putty in the filled hole is dry, you sand it and then prime and paint.

its a classic case of: 'may i see the before again?!'... sorry

I could tell something was different as it looked so much better but it took me a while to figure out what exactly you did! Very subtle but a huge improvement!

I agree! These small changes can make a HUGE difference!

Please share more about the grout dye. I see "Grout Renew" under the price list. Is that the brand name of the product you used?

...running off to Google to check this out!

I liked the old hinges better, but that grout die is pretty cool. Looks much cleaner.

hey! I have that same tile & trim in our bathroom. Mine, however does not look as stellar as this.

I too would be interested to learn about grout dye - Mine are very similar to the before picture (a creamish-brown tile with brown grout) and it would really liven up my space.

You can see our grout in the corner of the first picture - and my bright and cheerful bathroom!
http://www.abbeycatchat.com/search/label/Our%20Kitchen

OMG! I looked up Grout Renew - supposedly it sells at Home Depot. I have hideous grout in my bathroom - I was going to tear up the tile floor and replace it. But I may just use this. Thanks for this info! (And the kitchen looks great.)

I like the old hardware better too - It had more character...
...and the white grout is gonna be a nightmare to keep white (My poor mother obsessed over the white grout in the house I grew up in for YEARS)
I'd have chosen to make the grout cream or brown to match the tiles of the countertops.

I have similar cabinets - would love to know where the door pulls are from.

HeyJoanne, we found identical drawer pulls at Home Depot. I can't remember the cost, but I don't think it was outrageous.

Would you all say to someone who just had a nose job, "I liked your old nose better?"

Is it because this is all semi-anonymous that criticism comes so easily? OBVIOUSLY, someone is proud enough of a budget remodel/tables turned to entry bench/Ikea hack to share it with the world... and once it's an "After," what's the point in saying, "Hey, you effed up. But now it's done!"

I just don't get it.

Cathy--

A stellar example of how much new cabinet hardware and some elbow grease can make kitchen look like new. Enjoy your success!

Thank you, patrick (the other one). The new drawer pulls are not to my taste, but you know what? I don't live there. Cathy does. The new hardware looks great, no holes from the old hardware, as noted above. Very nice work.

Well, I have to take the opposite view--I think the old pulls were hideous: Provence-lite. Subtle change, but it looks much better. Ditto the suggestion about contrast paint.

I'm so glad to see our little kitchen makeover here on AT! While it might not be terribly dramatic, it's a huge improvement, and we love it.

I was getting so many emails and comments about the grout dye and other products I used, so I finally posted a quick rundown: http://www.waldorfmodern.com/2010/01/kitchen-makeover-tools.html

Thanks again! ...Cath

I am not fond of any kind of drawer and cabinet hardware. I prefer a smooth finish. Our housing division was built with flat cabinets, but I'm always seeing kitchens where they have tried to "decorate" by using hardware. A few kitchens even have more than one style because one homeowner started and someone else finished the work. Ugh.

There's no point in criticizing Cathy for using hardware: that style of cabinet requires it if one is to get the drawers and doors open at all, and the point of a budget remodel is that she didn't have to replace the cabinets.

It looks lovely, and I'll bet the residents smile every time they see their clean-lined new hardware.

i like that she kept the whole look subtle. It was alot of work and having to re-paint a kitchen is a major pain, I just did mine. Some times the wow factor of big redos and changes like major contrasting paint grows old after you live with it. She will be happy here for a while, good job. all white is always classic.

Nice job! I recently came accros these sites. I think it's great when homeowners restore their own tile.

http://www.groutdye.com or

http://www.tile-grout.net