Affordable Kitchen Updates with Quartz and Paint

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been working hard on some affordable kitchen updates and today I want to share them with you! By selecting beautiful marble-look quartz from HanStone Quartz for our island, and repainting our kitchen cabinets, we were able to refresh and brighten the space without spending a lot of money or time.

I partnered with HanStone Quartz for this post and kitchen refresh. I fell in love with the look and quality of the quartz before our partnership even finalized and beyond excited to finally share with you my favorite EVER addition to this kitchen! We selected the Montauk color from HanStone’s Boutique Collection because of the beautiful veining which looks strikingly similar to marble (a less durable and more expensive counter alternative). Bottom line– we were excited to get something this beautiful that would be virtually worry-free and maintenance-free for years to come!

You maybe remember a few years ago when I completely made over our kitchen with painted cabinets, new backsplash, new butcher block counters, building an island, and adding a farmhouse sink. Over the years we have seen both positives and negatives to wood counters, and our island in particular took a toll for the worse. It got the most use and the finish had slowly worn off (making it feel sticky sometimes). There were several stains, nicks and marks, which really bugged me over time. We had been thinking about quartz for almost a year before we finally got these beauties in.

We plan on replacing the rest of our counters with this same Montauk quartz toward the beginning of next year, because we plan on selling our house eventually and quartz throughout will have a greater appeal to most buyers. Because quartz is a bit more of an investment than formica or butcher block, if you have an island, I recommend updating slowly and replacing the island countertop. It is a great way to refresh your space without the hassle, expense, and mess of tearing out old counters. You also can ask your HanStone Dealer if they have remnant pieces that you can get at a discount price (great for islands, or bathroom vanities)!

Whether you wait to swap out the rest of your kitchen counters in a few months (like we plan on doing), a couple years, or never, you will love the addition of quartz!

It is non-porous, scratch resistant, stain resistant, heat resistant, etch resistant, AND eco-friendly!

We chose a straight edge profile because of the simple and modern look it has.

Not sure if you can see, but in the Montauk color, there are subtle and natural-looking variations of color including gray, light brown, and pure white, all against a very light gray (almost white) background.

So once the counter was in place I realized how desperately the cabinets needed to be painted. We originally painted them with BM Satin Impervo in Bright White but over time the paint yellowed a bit. Additionally, I had never painted the inside of the cabinet doors, so that needed to be done anyways.  I wanted to get it done right so after some research I chose to repainted them with:

BM Advance in off-the-shelf Satin Bright White applied with a sprayer.

Because they were painted before, I didn’t need a primer coat. I thoroughly cleaned all the dirt and grime off with TSP, then  sanded the edges and and all the flat surfaces with 120 grit sandpaper (not down to the wood, just to take the sheen off). I cleaned the dust off with a damp microfiber cloth, then applied 2 coats of paint (with the sprayer) on each side, letting each coat dry 16 hours (manufacturer’s instructions).

I added a new valance! And it’s a no-sew one to boot! Fabric is Hudson 43 Upholstery Fabric in Pepper Devol sold at Joann.

I folded the edges over, ironed a crease, then glued it down with fabric glue. The safety pin was there until the glued dried completely (24 hours), because it was a thicker fold.

To see sources for all my little shelf styling items, see my fall kitchen post!

I love this island with pull-out trash storage so much more with the fresh, bright white paint and new counters from HanStone Quartz! 

You can see how my kitchen was decorated last fall…

… And how it looks now!

Source list:

Striped hand-towel

Black wire basket

Teal footed bowl

Blue/Gray Soapstone Salt jar with lid

Brass Rimmed Frame

Faux succulent

Mini Wooden Prep Bowls

Gray Ceramic Bowls

Oil Bottle with Gold Stopper

Olive Wood Mortar and Pestle