Our White Kitchen Makeover for Under $3,000

After we closed on our 1946 home in New York City, we immediately embarked on a gut renovation of the bathroom — taking walls down to the studs, floors down to the beams. A bathroom renovation of that magnitude back then ran about $20k-$30k, so I knew there'd not be a whole lot of budget left to upgrade the kitchen. I had to get creative and focus on things that could be most easily and most economically changed. Here's a look at it "before":

Tiling Over Tile: Subway Tile Backsplash

This weekend, I finally got around to tiling the kitchen backsplash. I tiled right over the existing tile, which was a beige stone-look porcelain. Even before I grouted you could already see the difference: 

The cream-painted cabinets and backsplash have muted the pinky undertones of the granite in a way that the old beige cabinets and backsplash didn't. Win!

Before                                                                                             After

The method I chose to use when I tiled over tile is unconventional, so I want to talk about that.