I literally spent all morning repainting my baseboards and window trim in my kitchen and eating area. I was expecting it to look refreshed and it does not. It only magnifies all of the OTHER things that need addressing! Is there anything that can be done to make hardwood floors look better (they need refinishing), anything to clean my windows and make my dingy, dated kitchen area look refreshed? I have no budget for contractors but it needs help!
Have you cleaned and waxed your hardwoods? That can help. Johnsons paste wax.
Also- are you up to painting the kitchen and possibly the cabinets too? Sometimes just painting a room will freshen things up. add some new curtains and accessories along with paint in the kitchen- you might feel like you have a new kitchen!
If you can get your hands on Butcher Bowling Alley Paste Wax, it's much more durable than Johnson's. Also, Home Trends Cabinet Grease Remover is a good product--although it does require some elbow grease. I used in on my painted cabinets even though it is for wood finish and I was pleased with the results.
yes, I can get the bowling wax product, but my floors have some water stain, in some area, the poly coating is still in place and worn off in others. The floors are a big problem! I think I will use the cabinet cleaning product and scour things as good as I can...seems the cleaner one area is, it magnifies all of the other things that need help! Any help you can suggest for the floors is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
What kind of lighting do you have & where is the placement? Some times added lighting will take away that "dingy" look...or switching to a different kind of bulb.
"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
Also- are you up to painting the kitchen and possibly the cabinets too? kitchen!
I've wondered about how difficult the process of painting cabinets is. I've read that all cabinet doors need to be removed, cleaned with a degreaser, sanded so the paint will adhere. Although I also read Rust-Oleum Transformations is a very good product, a lot less expensive than new cabinets.
Posts: 597 | Location: East Coast of Sunny Florida | Registered: Aug 22, 2003
Keep at it; lots of good ideas here. Also, maybe some coordinating placemats/napkins to match curtains...couple throw rugs? Check out Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc. It's amazing what you can find to 'doll' things up. GoodWill, etc. often has some fun basket to decorate with and how about a beautiful live houseplant to add freshness and life...could hang it by your kitchen window or make a centerpiece with it on your table.
Posts: 2423 | Location: North East Florida | Registered: Oct 19, 2003
We had an older apartment building, and to brighten the kitchens between renters, I would paint the cabinets white and put new handles and pulls on all. Scrub with tsp substitute, let dry, prime with oil-based primer, and paint. Yes, it is a lot of work taking the doors off, but it is so rewarding.
Posts: 1413 | Location: San Francisco, CA | Registered: Oct 30, 2002
Given the kinds of problems your floor has, I'd prime and paint it. If you search "painted floor", you'll find lots of ideas for patterns and techniques, but I think plain white is lovely. Just be sure to remove all the old wax before you start, and use a good primer and a paint meant for floors.
Also, if the edges of the floor are in pretty good shape and only the center has worn out, you might consider painting a faux rug over the part of the floor that you prefer not to see.
The best thing about painting your floor is that you can sand it off when you're ready to refinish the wood.
Let us know what you decide to do, and good luck!
Posts: 1314 | Location: Minnesota | Registered: Nov 28, 2004
