T&T EXPERTS

CONVERSATIONS WITH WOMEN WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS

THE EXPERT

Nedra of Brick End Haus | DIY Guru

You recently completed your beautiful DIY kitchen renovation. What inspired you to take on this project?

Since I’ve been working from home for the past year due to the pandemic, I found myself sitting in the dining room to work. The dining room is connected to the kitchen and seeing the outdated, not-my-style kitchen design began to wear on me. Through the power of Instagram, I’ve truly been empowered to take matters into my own hands when it comes to changing something in your home you no longer like. I knew that I could make a series of changes to completely change the look and feel of the space and I couldn’t be more prouder of the outcome.

Can you walk us through your planning process before you started?

I started with thinking through how I wanted the kitchen to feel. The previous owners made some design changes that made the kitchen feel very dark, dated, and crowded. While I knew in a few short years that I wanted to make bigger changes, I knew that there were some updates that I could do to make it feel lighter and more accurately reflect my style. As most people do, I began with collecting inspiration! I knew there were three major changes I wanted to make to the kitchen to include, painting the cabinets and changing the color of the tile floors and countertops. I then created a design board using the inspiration photos to help me visualize the overall look of the kitchen. After I completed that step, I then began sourcing products that would help me achieve the desired look.

You chose a beautiful green color for your cabinets. How did you decide on your cabinet paint color?

When I was looking for inspiration photos, I came across this kitchen designed by Emily Henderson with this gorgeous cabinet color, Sherwin Williams Pewter Green, and I instantly knew that was it. I didn’t even swatch the color to see how it looked in the kitchen, I bought the paint and went for it!

What part of the process was easier than you’d anticipated?

Minus the prep work to get the cabinets ready for painting, the actual process of painting the cabinets was incredibly easy and satisfying. Painting cabinets is one of the easiest, beginner-friendly, DIY’s you can do to create immediate and dramatic impact.

What part of the process was harder than you had anticipated?

Painting the floor and creating the checkerboard pattern was way harder than I anticipated! The 2” x 2” tile floor in my kitchen mimics a cobblestone street so I used a small roller to paint the tiles to ensure I was getting in between each tile piece. That first coat took me over 3 hours to complete! After the base coat was done, my knees were killing me (I had neglected to purchase knee pads) so I took a couple of days (ok, more like two weeks) to recover before I painted the second coat. Next up, was creating the diamond pattern. Due to the way the tile was laid, I couldn’t use the grout lines as a guide. After three tries to get equal squares that lined up correctly in the pattern, it was finally time to paint the two-tones pattern. I absolutely love the way it turned out and I learned a lot from this DIY.

THE BEFORE

I’ve loved following along on this DIY, but the epoxy countertop gave me a bit of a heart attack. Were you as nervous as me? It turned out beautifully but I had second hand anxiety watching you start the painting!

I was incredibly nervous to paint the countertops! I stalled for almost two weeks until I got the nerve up to begin this part of this project. While I am very comfortable with a paint brush, painting epoxy on the existing countertops was scary. But I pushed through and made it happen! Since it was my first time, it’s not quite a perfect application, but the result is beautiful and absolutely helped lighten the kitchen.

Do you have any tips for someone looking to budget out a similar DIY project?

One thing I did was plan my supply purchases around sales. I wanted to use Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel since it's quality paint and durable especially in a space such as the kitchen that is used all the time. I waited to purchase the paint during Sherwin Williams to get 20% off. Also, make sure to

What products or services would you recommend splurging on?

I am a strong believer in splurging on at least one item when completing a room makeover on a budget. For a kitchen, spend a bit more on kitchen hardware from your dream retail store. Another splurge is an upgraded faucet or vintage runner.

What products or services would you recommend saving on?

Reuse your paint brushes by thoroughly washing them after each use. At the start of this project, I only needed to buy the paint because I had quality paint brushes and paint trays from other projects.

THE AFTER

On a scale of 0-10, how would you rate the difficulty of this project?

I would rate this project at a 6 for difficulty due to the epoxy faux marble countertop and the diamond pattern floor.

Did you have to enlist any outside help?

I had a tile backsplash that I wanted to remove, so I hired a drywall contractor for that job. I didn't remove it myself because I knew the drywall would need to be repaired, and drywall is one thing I’ve decided I will always hire out for. Also, the recessed lights in the kitchen had a very odd layout, so I brought in my electrician to reconfigure the layout that made more sense for the scale of the space. While this was not necessary, I went ahead and did this step so I wouldn't have to do this later when I do a full kitchen renovation down the road.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

Honestly, there isn’t anything I would do differently except maybe to have finished it in one month instead of two!

What’s the biggest piece of advice you would give someone who is looking to start a DIY kitchen renovation?

You don’t have to do everything at once. While I challenged myself to completely transform my kitchen mainly using paint, it's totally okay to complete projects in phases especially as it relates to your time, budget, and available resources.

Are there any resources (books, blogs, YouTube channels) that you would recommend?

I would recommend the Young House Love blog. They have so many good tutorials. I followed their painting kitchen cabinets tutorial to ensure I had the best paint finish possible.

Can you give us a sneak peek of your next DIY?

Absolutely! For my son’s fifteenth birthday, I’m giving him a room makeover and challenging myself to complete it in 3 days. He requested that I include two design elements, the color black and LED lights. Two things that are definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m excited for the challenge to flex my creative muscle and to give him a space that he is proud of.

ABOUT NEDRA

Communications pro by day and home design & DIY enthusiast at night, Nedra, founder of Brick End Haus, is on a mission to create, connect, inspire, and share the journey of creating and cultivating a home that brings joy. Nedra currently shares her home with her football playing 15 year-old son and competitive cheerleading 13 year-old daughter.

FIND NEDRA

//INSTAGRAM (Be sure to check out all her highlights of the renovation!)

Photos used courtesy of Nedra of Brick End Haus