Condo kitchen remodel: Picking the palette

Here's an update on the condo kitchen remodel being done, girlfriend style, by fellow nurses Patti and Joni.

The two spent a few hours in surgical bonnets and surgical masks sanding the boxes of Joni's cabinets. Patti took the doors home and sanded and primed them, laying them out on her kitchen counters to dry. Patti said the "sanding/prep work is the most time-consuming with the least immediate reward." It's the painting and glazing that is real fun.

At the beginning of the project, Joni struggled to find time for it. Now, though, she's "on fire," as Patti put it.

One day after work, the two headed out to peruse three tile stores. Joni has settled on the backsplash tile you see here to achieve the funky, arty, coffeehouse look she wants. The tile is called Petrified Forest in the Geologie line of Oceanside Glasstile of Carlsbad. It's a blend of these tiles: Harvest Matte, Olive IridSlate: Copper Quartz and Indian Autumn. Here's another view of it. Joni loves it. They are also considering medallions like you see here, in 2-inch and 4-inch sizes, with the larger ones above the stove area.

The two friends were planning on cutting the 12-inch squares of 1-inch glass tiles in half and installing rows of six tiles each above existing 4-inch laminate backsplash. But these squares have 11 tiles, not 12, so Patti said that's a head-scratcher. As for installing the tile, Patti attended a tile-laying clinic at Home Depot and doesn't think it would be too hard to do the backsplash. Joni's not so sure, and she's getting a price from a pro.

Joni polished a few of her existing pulls and decided they looked great with the glazed green doors and the tile.

Next steps, finishing the cabinet painting and choosing the wall color.

The project so far:

1. Watch a video of Patti explaining the remodel goals
2. Check out Joni's lighting choices
3. See a slide show of the track light going up and the cabinet coming down
4. Choosing cabinet color and considering backsplash tile
5. Getting started on the painting
6. Loving the glazed green top coat

The budget so far:

Expenditures:

Sanding sponge: $5.38
OSH track lighting: $54.65
Paint: $48.44
Paint containers: $6.02
Polyurethane and brush: $36.61
Sandpaper: $11.45

Balance of $1,000 left to spend: $837.45