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" Midway through our DIY kitchen makeover, Rich and I are overloaded on takeout, have lungs coated with sawdust, and are realizing just how big a project we took on. But along the way, we&amp;#039;ve learned a lot, and that&amp;#039;s what I have to share today.  Get opinions\u2014then do what you want.We have pretty standard laminate countertops (you can see them in the above &amp;quot;before&amp;quot; photo). They&amp;#039;re probably at least 20 years old. But they are in remarkably good condition, and they are an unoffensive shade of cream. So when we decided to paint the cabinets rather than replace them, (because really, if we are going to spend the money to replace the cabinets, then I think we should bump out the back wall and expand the footprint of the house, and and and...) I thought: If we paint the cabinets the same shade of cream as the countertops, then the countertops will visually recede\u2014you won&amp;#039;t even notice them! Friends and family poo-pooed the idea, but you know what? I was right, and they were wrong. I trusted my gut (and Rich did too!), and it worked out. Don&amp;#039;t buy the lowest grade of a pricey material; buy a better grade of a mid-level one. I&amp;#039;ve wanted true linoleum flooring for my 1940&amp;#039;s home since I moved in. Not vinyl, mind you\u2014true linoleum, like, for instance, Forbo Marmoleum. It&amp;#039;s a natural resource, period-appropriate, and I dig the cool vintage feel. But in the end, it was too rich for our blood, since we had two rooms to cover. Next we explored bamboo\u2014sustainable, beautiful, supposedly as hard as hardwood flooring. Except I kept coming across warnings not to walk on bamboo floors with high heels. Uh-oh. Still we researched, and got samples\u2014and in the end, the one sample that looked to be durable and high-quality with a beautiful, rich finish was just as pricey as the linoleum. We also got less expensive samples, but guess what? You get what you pay for, because the cheaper samples were splintered and dull. Forget that! In the end, we got Pergo planks in a warm hickory color. They look beautiful, Rich was able to install them himself, and they are truly Wendy-proof (see photo of Wendy, below\u2014it&amp;#039;s from the winter, but you can catch a glimpse of the old sheet vinyl flooring).  Realize it will cost more money and take more time than you expected. You might recall that this all started with a combusting electric range. We figured as long as we were buying a new stove, we should also choose a new refrigerator, which we&amp;#039;d been wanting for a while. And while we were doing that, why not paint the cabinets? And we may as well replace the floor, too. Should take a coupla weekends, we figured. So we ordered the appliances and then took the cabinet doors off the hinges in order to wash, sand, and prime them before painting. Then we realized we also needed to replace the crown molding on the cabinets (ka-ching). And come to think of it, we hate the hinges and handles in the kitchen\u2014let&amp;#039;s buy new ones! (Ka-ching.) And may as well knock down that cheesy soffit and recessed light and replace with a pendant lamp (ka-ching times three, when we discovered the large hole in the ceiling and wall behind the soffit!). And wowza\u2014the forest green and pine tile-topped kitchen table sure looks outdated against our new colors and textures (that&amp;#039;s a ka-ching I can hear in the distance, as we are not quite ready to go kitchen table shopping just yet). Oh, and look: the subfloor by the back door (where some bozo handyman incorrectly installed Wendy&amp;#039;s doggie door during the rainy season) is completely wet and mildewed! We&amp;#039;ll need to replace that too (ka-ching!). I joked with the cashier at Lowes the other day that I may as well turn my paycheck over to the store! Anyway, we&amp;#039;re still saving money by doing all the labor ourselves (and borrowing the power tools we don&amp;#039;t already own), but this is definitely a pricier makeover than we anticipated. And in the end I think it will be a two-month project, at least.  However, today Rich is home guiding the refrigerator delivery guys into the kitchen as I type. And the stove (backordered) is due to arrive any day. And as you can see by the photo above, things are coming along quite nicely. The paint exactly matches the countertops, the floor looks beautiful, and if it&amp;#039;s sunny on Saturday, I&amp;#039;ll finish up the cabinet doors. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/home/decor/advice/a2977/kitchen-renovation-tips/>