For years, I have been envisioning a glamorous makeover of my antique kitchen (actually the house is an antique, the kitchen just was very tired and dated). I pictured the Viking Range, the stone counter tops, the custom made cabinets, the farmhouse sink. But, it became apparent, I was waiting for a day that was not coming any time soon. The reality dawned that maybe I didn’t need all that to make the place cheerful and functional. A distant memory of my dad painting the kitchen cabinets came to mind. Maybe I could do something myself…It started with a visit to Katonah Paint and Hardware. I can always count on Marty for good advice. Yes, he said, it was a lot of labor to do the job, but not much money. In a few days, the kitchen was immediately transformed as the dark wood cabinets metamorphosed to a soft white finish.

Taking down the ceiling the week before Thanksgiving was a bold move, but everyone works better with a deadline. While it would have been genius to address the sagging ceiling first, it didn’t happen that way. As it turned out the “supports” holding the second floor up were shot. After we got the four new beams (which were milled by our neighbor), we added shiplap (which costs about a dollar a foot) to create a new ceiling. I did not realize how much better lighting would change the utility of the kitchen. New lights, costing $10 each, were strategically placed over work areas points of egress and the kitchen table!

You probably would not be surprised to know that while installing the new beams some of the walls came down. Not enough time to start from the beginning with new sheet rock. Up went tongue and groove pine paneling in a matter of hours, which I painted a cheerful yellow. A pitch for Benjamin Moore Aura paint required NO priming, even over bare wood. No taping, no sanding, no dust, and a much more interesting finish… Not to mention, I could get this done in time.

Wait for my next installment called “painting the kitchen floor.”

Jacqueline Dzaluk