Kitchen Island Makeover!

 Our kitchen currently has VERY little counter space, so

an island is a definite MUST HAVE! I purchased this

builder grade island when I first moved into our home-and it

has been a lifesaver ever since!

I do all of my cooking and baking here-and I often

use it to serve food buffet style for family gatherings.

It also provides extra storage space for items

I use on a daily basis-and up until recently-I loved

the fact that it had caster wheels, which offered mobility

if need be.

 But, that all changed when we tore down

the drop ceiling in the kitchen, and installed pendant

lights above the island.

It was then that I decided we needed something

more...permanent, unfortunately, our budget

didn't include a new island.

So..what's a girl to do?

Well, she get's out her tools and paint brush, of course!

Tearing apart the island was pretty simple-after all-I put it together, right?

Of course-I did need some help lifting the very HEAVY granite

top off. (Thanks hubby!)  Once that was done-I gave everything a light

sanding-and started painting!

For this project-

I chose Rust-Oleum Chalk Paint in Aged Gray.

It was the first time I've used this product-and I really

LOVED the consistency and how it covered.

It took a total of 3 coats-and then I allowed it to dry overnight, before

giving it two coats of wax.

Then it was time to change out the caster wheels to something more

permanent.

Although hubby wasn't too keen on removing the casters-he did

have very specific instructions if I wanted to replace them.

The 'feet' could be no wider than the legs for it to work.

That was easy enough-right?

Wrong!  I went to three stores in search of 3" feet and couldn't

find any!  I was just about to give up and order them on line-when

I passed by the decking material isle in Home Depot!

These finials for deck posts were the perfect size-and they were only $4 a piece!

SCORE!

I was feeling pretty smart for finding a solution, until I got

home and hubby advised that the ends were to thin

to screw into the hole at the base of the leg!

Our local hardware store didn't have the plates we needed
to fix the problem-so hubby took matters into his own
hand and created 4 of them out of some metal he had
in the garage! (Thanks again, hubby!)

So are you ready to see the updated and permanent version
of our kitchen island?
Okay...here it is!!

Isn't she pretty?

I made one final "adjustment" to the island-after it was all put back together.
There use to be a knife block on this side of the island-but since I never used it-I took it off!
I was going to fill in the holes-and then I tried to hang this cute basket-and the handles
fit perfectly!  It was meant to be, I tell ya-and now I have a place for seasonings!

There is also plenty of space for my baking supplies too!

And look at those pretty feet!  A perfect match!

And the best part is-the feet raised the island a bit-so now I no longer
have to bend over it! LOVE that-AND the fact that the island
is much more stable. (Don't get me started on all the many times
it moved while I was preparing a dish-even though the casters were locked!)

It wasn't easy- but  I decided to take my daughter, Mel's, advice this time- and not do too much distressing
on this piece. If you look closely-you can see a bit around the doors
and the drawer-but I kept it minimal.

It truly is awesome what a little paint and new feet can do!

No more builder grade island here!

I'd love to hear what you think about our kitchen island makeover! Would you have done
anything different?  Maybe left the casters on for mobility, or painted it a different color?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

I'll be sharing at these amazing parties this week-so stop on over and be inspired!

Blessings and hugs,