MORE KITCHEN LOVE

I absolutely love this kitchen!  Borrowed from Desire to Inspire.  I'm starting on my own kitchen this week.  I don't think I will be able to achieve this look, or even close to it, but I am doing a little repainting, and re-doing the tile work on the backsplash, and a new light fixture.  I will definitely take pictures. 

 The girls were in Chicago all weekend attending their cousin Ben's wedding.  I stayed behind and had some nice alone time.  One of things I did this weekend was watch episodes of Curb Appeal on Hulu,--I'm completely addicted to this show.  I love seeing what they can do to change the appearance of older homes.  My home was built in the 70's, and it definitely needs a little curb appeal.  The yard looks pretty okay, but I have yucky 70's sandy colored brick.  I'm going to take the plunge and paint my brick.  I think it will really help increase the value of my house overall--does anyone have any brick painting experiences they would like to share?  Don't be shy--let's hear your thoughts!!

 

Comments

[.:Heather:.]

That kitchen is gorgeous. I can't wait to see your kitchen.

http://behindthelashes.com

[Stephanie]

me too! I love all the white.

http://lachicmenagerie.blogspot.com

[kaye i]

I've seen so many white/bright kitchens online and the ones you've posted before, but I think this is the one that is just right. I saved it in my folder already as an inspiration for my "future" kitchen.

[Style Odyssey]

First- I love a long-ish kitchen layout w/ counters on both sides, plus island. All work spaces are easily reached, which is important.

As for painting brick, I've been admiring a lot of houses here where that's been done successfully. It's a great way to modernize, so why not. :)

Looking forward to your kitchen re-do!

[Diane]

I adore painted brick houses! In fact, I have built two homes and had the brick painted on both. The only caution is painting new brick because it has to "cure" for a few months. You should not have any problem given the age of your home. It will dramatically improve the appearance. Please show us before and after pictures!

[sarah]

My brother just painted his brick home charcoal gray with white trim. Looks fantastic. I can't remember that much about the process, but I know he had someone power-wash the entire exterior before the painting stage. It ensured an even application and, I have to say, the house looks incredible. A very nice update for a ranch-style home in Houston.

Love the kitchen posts! I've cooked the zucchini fritters about four times now!

[C. W.]

Hi Judy - I like your kitchen inspiration posts, but all the kitchens you feature tend to be spacious. Do you have any inspiring pics of small/tiny kitchens? Thanks!!!

[jan tuckerman]

judy, check out farrow and ball colors online..they are incredible and yummy!

[Julia]

I think the kitchen stove (plus the oven and/or storage space below) will fit wonderfully with your 70's house mixed with the light fixture and modern furniture you already have.

I have also tried the zucchini fritters, and it is amazing. Living in China doesn't always make cooking western food easy!! Since I do not like diary products, I changed the sauce to a mixture of lemon & crushed garlic juice.

Here is a little passage about painting bricks from doityourself.com
"A brick wall may be painted provided the correct preparation is done, the proper paint is selected, and the paint is applied correctly. Generally, new brick walls are not painted. However, if you desire to paint a recently constructed brick wall, it should be allowed to fully cure 28 days and should not be cleaned or treated with acid solutions. Alkali-resistant paints should be used and a zinc chloride or zinc sulfate solution may need to be applied to the wall to neutralize the surface.
Painting brick does not preclude good construction and detailing practices. Any deficiencies such as surface deposits; broken brick; cracked, loose or missing mortar; or inadequate flashing and weep holes should be corrected prior to painting. In addition, the brick should be thoroughly cleaned and given ample time to dry before application of paint. See Technical Notes 7F and 20 for more information.
For brickwork to function properly, the wall must resist moisture penetration and be permeable to vapor from the structure. Consequently, any paint applied to the wall must also have these same characteristics. In addition, the inherent features of a brick wall which channel water out, such as weep holes and vents, must not be clogged by paint or caulk to inhibit the flow of water.
Latex and portland cement-based paints perform well on brick walls. Oil-based, alkyd, rubber and epoxy paints do not allow any vapor in the wall to escape and consequently should not be applied to brick. Prior to painting, the brick should receive a prime coat suitable for the paint application per manufacturer's instructions."

[kajsa]

I cant wait until me and my dear dear boyfriend move in together in our first apartment together in just a few weeks. Im sooo exited over decorating, painting and putting all my things, mostly bought second hand, into place. Espoecially the kitchen will be fun. Its so small and we really need to do some clever things to make everything fit (bofriend thinks that as long his espresso machine is placed in a corner everything is fiiiiiine). Im gonna hung a big mushroomshaped lamp in the ceiling no matter what that boy say though!

But but, about the brickpainting. I dont know how to do it but something that im gonna do, and that should work kinda cool on your brickfloors too, is to paint rugs on the floor. Just the shape of a rug with the fringe or the whole thing with pattern, colours and all. Kinda fun, kinda different.

[The Whippy Curly Tails]

Hire an expert brick painter ... Julia is right about all the requirements. Your house needs to breathe!

Last thought ... I was house shopping last year in DFW. A few houses that stood out with painted brick did not sell very fast. It wasn't the paint color, it was the fact that no other house in the neighborhood/block was painted. Buyers were hesitant to buy. Even me.

Good luck with your kitchen project! Great Outdoors has a special on CaesarStone quartz ... My favorite white/Organic White countertop material!