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A year ago when I moved into this apartment I was so sure that I would replace the kitchen as soon as I had the money to do so. Now, I’m not so sure. I actually like it now. Like, a lot. It could be some type of interior based Stockholm syndrome where I like it just because I’ve gotten used to it. But it’s probably because I made a few small alterations that completely changed its look and actually made it look good!
When I first moved in I removed the microwave (I have a very developed hatred for those things), removed the lose laminate flooring, removed the panelled ceiling, painted the cabinet’s baseboard white, removed wallpaper and painted the walls mint green.
These changes left me with a kitchen that was liveable, but far from OK. I still had awful fake hardwood vinyl flooring and a gaping hole where the microwave used to be. Also the air vents for the fridge were just a little too generous.
The floor lasted until I couldn’t look at it any more. I ripped it out and was left with a pretty disgusting concrete floor for months before I decided what my next move should be. I decided on more vinyl flooring – they work when they’re done right, plus, they’re really easy to keep clean. I installed them and have never been so afraid of mucking something up in my life. Laying down vinyl carpeting was totally unfamiliar to me, but it turned out amazingly well.
Getting the 2×2 meter spool of floor was damn scary. It basically took over the entire apartment when I cut it. So hard to handle by yourself! Also, really scary to cut the carpet and then lay it down and just HOPE you didn’t cut it wrong. I made mine in ONE PIECE by the way! Kind of proud of that.
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Moving the stove and trying to put carpet underneath it while you do it? So many LOLs! I got some serious bruises on my arms. Oh, and I apparently really need to buy a new stove because the one I have now barely holds together when you move it. Like, the entire top just CAME OFF when I had to lift it!
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And let’s take a moment to soak in the greatness of how I managed to get around the radiator pipes without ruining everything. My god, I DID THAT THING. I can’t believe it. Haha!
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To hide the microwave space I decided to put up a curtain wire and some white fabric. I lowered the fridge and cut down the wents to a more normal size.
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The tiling in the kitchen was OK I guess, but looked really outdated. To freshen things up I decided to color the grey grout black.
This was how the grout looked before.
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First I had to give the tile a deep cleaning.
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Grout stain like the one I used is painted on and is sealant which apparently is supposed to protect the grout from dirt.
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After having wiped off the excess stain the grout looked new!
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And to match the black grout I switched out the hardware on the cabinets and drawers. I got these black plastic handles from IKEA. Also, look at the floor! :D
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