Re-Purposing #1

My favorite new word is "re-purposing", also known as "shopping your own house". I see this word a lot on blogs that I follow. It means taking something from one part of your home and using it somewhere else. Like taking an end table and turning it into a bedside table (like in Brennan's room). We did a little re-purposing this weekend as part of Spring Cleaning 2009.

Underneath the two sinks in the kitchen the cabinet floors are really beat up. Gross, in fact. When we had the cabinet exteriors painted 4 years ago we didn't paint the cabinet floors. Along with light bulbs, cleaning supplies, and other stuff, we keep our garbage under the sink in the island and the floor was impossible to clean. After more than 4 years, I needed to figure something out.

Water damage and years of neglect.
Under the island sink.
Mats don't help. They shift and bunch up.



Then I remembered I had some oil-based paint left over from when I painted the shelves in the pantry two years ago. With the weather allowing us to open the windows, David got to painting yesterday.


Under the long counter. Sooooo much better.

Glisteningly clean!


I even re-purposed some kitchen baskets I haven't used in forever to keep all the extra lightbulbs. Maybe not as practical as the beat up, dusty cardboard box we had been housing them in, but pretty nonetheless.


And this project was absolutely free! And the difference is so worth it - even if we are the only people who will ever see these cabinet floors.