THE CABINETS ARE HERE THE CABINETS ARE HERE THE CABINETS ARE HERE. Thank you Home Depot.
I'd show you a picture of them but they look like pretty much anything else in a cardboard box.
So NOW the work begins. Oh my God. I can't believe I just said "the work begins". The work has been going on since about last April. That's when this whole ridiculous fiasco began. With me deciding, pretty much on a whim, that I was going to rip up my kitchen floor and install radiant heating and composite tiles.
The kitchen has been a mess since then. And so have my nails.
Even though the cabinets are here, I'm not ready to have them installed yet. I want to wait until the sink, stove and fridge are here, plus I still need to rip out the rest of the old kitchen, repair the floor and paint and repair the walls.
I couldn't do any of that until I knew when the cabinets were coming. And, as is often the case with renovating, I had no idea when they were coming until the delivery people called to tell me they were on their way.
One of the walls I need to paint and repair is this brick wall.
It's only the slightest bit of a mess. Compared to say, a port-a-potty beside a Mexican restaurant beside a construction site, it's positively pristine. I found the brick wall behind my old pantry. Well, behind the drywall that was behind the pantry actually. If you missed it, I highly suggest you watch the video of my mother Betty ripping out the drywall in her Fitflops.
My house was built around 1840 (I wish I knew the exact date and everyone who lived here and all that stuff, but I don't), and every 50 years or so someone puts on a little addition. Because of that the house has several brick walls inside, all which were the home's exterior wall at some point.
When we first unearthed, or unsheetrocked I suppose, the wall I was hoping I could maybe strip it and leave the brick. It's partly painted, partly stained and has big chunks of missing bricks. All the better to hide a body in I suppose. Or body parts at least.
After further consideration and consultation with my psychic, my social worker, letter carrier, neighbour, plumber, counsellor, councillor and cats, I've decided to paint the wall white. It will go better with the Scandinavian feel I'm going for AND it'll be easier. Pretty much everyone agreed, except the cats, but they're assholes.
My interior designer Carol Reed and my sister with the pink suede tool belt are walking me through the disaster of the brick wall.
Carol sent me these inspiration photos of a variety of painted brick wall finishes. Because there's more than one way to piss off a cat.
This wall is straight up, painted white. No distressing, no whitewashing. Just a beautiful, clean, white, brick wall.
And here, ladies and gentlemen, we have various brick walls in various stages of distress. I really, really love the middle one, but again, it isn't quite right for the space I'm envisioning. "The space I'm envisioning" Hah! I sound like a snot. The point is, I want it a little cleaner looking, something closer to the wall on the right. That wall looks fairly solid with a bit of shading and shadowing which looks very natural and authentic.
The wall on the right here is nice, but it's completely whitewashed and I can't really do that without stripping my entire brick wall. The one on the left looks pretty good though.
And this final wall is O.K. I'm not in love with it. I feel like I can actually see the person standing in front of it deciding which bricks to paint over and which bricks to keep natural. If I can actually see the thinking process in something that's a bad sign.
The cats liked it. They really are assholes.
The other problem I have to figure out is the big mess at the top of the wall where the bricks hit the ceiling. Or rather don't hit the ceiling. There's about a 4" strip between the bricks and the ceiling that's just a mishmash of wood. The crown moulding I have right now is no longer available so I have to figure out a way to disguise the wood near the ceiling or replace ALL of my crown moulding. Which I will fight doing tooth and nail. My sister with the pink tool belt came up with a partially ingenious, partially insane solution. I'm going to try it and if it works, I'll let you know.
So tonight and tomorrow I'll be tackling the brick wall with a can of paint and a paintbrush. I have a little bit of a plan in my head about how I'm going to go about it and how I want it to look, but for the most part I'll just start painting and figure it out as I go.
And when I'm finished no one will be able to see my thinking process. I think.
Barbie
Once you pointed it out I could totally see the thinking process too! And I had to giggle. I can't wait to see your wall....and see if I can see "your" thinking process....bet I won't be able to. So excited to see you kitchen all done! Not as excited as YOU I bet!
Debbie
Assholes, what can a person do? Good luck with the brick. I have a 1916 that has painted, white washed and natural brick. They all have good and bad. I will be interested in your choice.
Call Me Patty
I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to paint a brick wall. All the pictures you posted looked great. It just depends on the look you want. I do agree that your brick wall definitely needed to be painted though. Can't wait to see what you end up doing to the top by the ceiling and how it will all turn out. Have fun.
Amber
And, just a thought, you can get a woodworker or a mill to make a matched molding for you. Google crown molding match, there's usually a fee for shaping the knives, but they will match your molding if you really want that.
Amber
Hi Karen, from the pics it seems that the really distressed walls are not kitchen walls... and they mostly are in really really high ceiling rooms. Maybe a kitchen isn't the best place to have all the visual noise of distress? And I'm not talking about the noise when I make dinner. That's gastro-intestinal noise. There's just so much happening in the room with cabinets and black-and-white tile and everything...
They say Less is More. But I'm pretty sure that More is More.
Karen
Hi Amber. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing here. ;) ~ karen
Kristen
Hey Karen,
If your crown is no longer available, it may be easier/cheaper to have someone make you reproduction version that taking down all your current crown and putting up new. I know Central Fairbank lumber in Toronto does custom moldings. You pay for the cutting die, and then after that the molding isn't very expensive at all. The other option is plaster, which you COULD do yourself with some wood and a whole lot of patience, or you could get a professional plasterer to come and match the other crown.
danni
I know a top-secret secret that I want to share everyone (hey, it isn't MY secret). On your moulding.... *it doesn't matter if it matches the rest*. If you are painting it WHITE and do a nice job mitering your corners (and I know you will), and use a slightly more impressive moulding there, it will look GORGEOUS, and planned, and newsflash, bc you are you, the three humans that ever notice the difference will think you planned it that way to make the brick wall section special. And face it, no one will notice, except your asshole cats. They will talk.
And I hope you will use a warm white, not the stark (grey) white that in in few of those pictures. They remind me of Chernobyl.
Shawn
Karen, I know your pain. First of all, my cat is a supercat of assholes. One of those that demands attention is such a cute way that you must pet him, but that is where the black hole of despair begins. Once you pet him you are not allowed to stop. Stopping ensures that you will get nipped, repeatedly, until you learn to keep petting, rubbing belly and ears until he chooses to free you. This has been known to take a week before. Ever try to sleep with a 15 pound cat attached to your hand? Second, my home was built in 1853 and they no longer make my woodwork anymore. It seems somewhere around the 1950's someone added a small room to the back of our house but they did not trim it out. Leaving doors, windows, ceiling and floor rather bare. Do yourself a big favor, go online and check out home salvage companies. We found all but the last twenty five feet or so that we needed. The rest I faked. Our woodwork is 6 inches wide, convex, with each side half round. I bought 2x6 oak boards and 1 inch dowels to "make" my own. We routered the edges of the 2x6's down so the middle became convex and then had the dowels ripped in two so we could put half on each routered edge, then stained it to closely resemble the mahogany original. You really have to look closely to see the difference. It was not easy, nor was the salvaged trim cheap, but it did work.
I hope this helps some, and as for the cats, try Holy water in a squirt gun. I don't know if it was the Holy water or just being squirted but he did let go of my hand.
Robin Oswald
Good Morning, Karen.
I just completed a project on Vancouver Island. It too had brick walls, with similar 'issues'. I began the project wanting to partially strip them. Abject fail. Then decided to paint them black, then apply an overcoat of white. I wanted the black paint to highlight the 'holes' in the old brick. We came into the house one day and decided to keep some walls black and paint only one wall white.
I'll send you pic.s, if I can figure out how to do it!
Good luck. Robin
Karen
Thanks Robin! Just send the pics to [email protected] ~ karen!
Meghan
Okay I am lazy so if I missed this please direct me. The recessed lighting what type? Do you like it? How much light does it put off?
I say white wash.
Cats are so annoying!
karen l
I spy with my little eye a gorgeous beam that will look fabulous at the top of the wall! Good thinking. My crazy cat would tell me to use the vertical niche as a display space for some of my fun (weird) objects.
Super idea for the white painted brick. Can't wait to see the "after".
Jamie H.
In looking at your picture of your wall, could you possibly use some tool to make little grooves in the wood that would be where the mortar would be if the bricks continued up to the ceiling. then when you paint it, make it look as if the wood was brick? Might not work, but it might :)
NikiDee
I painted the brick backsplash in my kitchen a creamy off white using a satin. I'm not a lover of shiny surfaces (we also have an 1800's farmhouse). Somehow shiny walls don't scream farmhouse to me.... but I bet your cats love shiny - don't they.
NikiDee
Oh! I should give credit where credit is due... I saw Lynne Knowltons kitchen on her blog & the colors made my heart sing. A quick email later, Lynne was kind enough to share the colors with me. Yup, I'm a copy cat...but not an asshole.
Deb J
You realize that my patience for waiting for the reveal is pretty much non-existent. I want to see it all - and NOW! 'Course that ain't gonna happen but maybe you could set up the chicken cam and we impatients (in patients:)) could watch real time. However, I suspect that might have a negative impact on the creative juices. But I really can't wait to see your top of wall solution. And I want to know what the plans are for that big honking slab of board you have on the floor. If you don't want it, I'm sure I could find a use for it:)
Hurry, hurry!
Marti
I'm here for you, Karen. You know that, right? So… paint and then send a photo. You have my email address.
And you know I'm every bit as ready to mock you on private email as I am here on the blog. ;)
hahahahaha!
Uh, have the cats give me a call when they wake up.
korrine
I love the one in the first set of 2 pics, on the right. I am a jealous jellybean.
korrine
I meant the first set of 3 pics, not 2.
Jasmine
Hello!
I really like the first and second inspiration photos. I can suggest a technique if you like the third. Paint it white and in some spots dab black and mix it around, eh? I am not from Canadia but decided that eh? really works there. :)
Jasmine
Bols
@Kaela -
It is my understanding that exposed brick, if unpainted, needs to be sealed (I believe there is a special app, umm I mean sealant, for that).
@ Karen -
I love exposed brick in all variations - completely naked, partially stripped, painted (white). I think the only right paint for exposed brick is white.
I look forward to seeing the finished result BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me you are NOT one of those people (I actually have a name for those but I won't mention it here) who leaves unpainted strips of wall where the cabinets go. How hard is it to drag the roller all the way down? It drives me BONKERS on every Renovation Realities episode (and other similar shows).
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze?
~JackieVB
I really like to browse houzz.com for design/remodeling/decorating ideas. I know I've seen some interior brick ideas there. Sorry can't link to them though as I'm at work ;)
Kim from 3 peanuts
What are you going to do with the hole in the middle of the wall? Just curious.
Karen
You'll see. ;) ~ karen
Jake
Which loosely translated means "I don't have a clue yet". :)