Kitchen Upgrade

May 28, 2016

Kitchen Upgrade

Corbels for the Island - unpainted

Our 17 year old home has served us well. However, my poor kitchen is showing its age. With our high ceilings in the kitchen, I dreamed of having cabinets that went to the ceiling. It seemed such a waste of space not to. Well, the Lord sent the best carpenter EVER, Chris Wells. He is more than a carpenter, he is a WOOD MAGICIAN. He didn't look at me crazy when I told him my dream. He made it happen and within our budget. If I didn't know what I wanted, he suggested ideas until we hit on something good. A little teamwork made for a great kitchen remodel.

There is the master at work!
Ignore the dirty dishes

At first, we thought that he would have to build the cabinets from scratch. It ended up that our exact cabinets in unpainted form were still being sold at Home Depot. He was able to find in-stock cabinets that fit the space perfectly and were far cheaper than building them custom. We added a little crown moulding to the top and ta-da, instant custom look. I won't tell you how many trips I made to Home Depot and Lowes. I like home improvement stores, so it wasn't a chore for me. In total, we spent $1,637.06 in materials to do all the woodwork seen here. This does not include the painting or labor costs. You should have Chris give you a quote. After we got his quote, my husband and I jumped on it. It was an excellent price and we couldn't pass it up. I am so glad we went with him. He was easy to work with and very professional.

Island before

For the most part, these cabinets are real wood. However the ends were a laminate. No problem. Chris found unfinished veneer panels with the unfinished cabinets. A little glue and trim and we had real wood at the end of the cabinets.

The island was another story. It was mostly laminate. I wanted the island to look different from the other cabinets. We slapped on more veneer panels and tons of trim. What a difference! We will paint it a darker grey and glaze it. The cabinets will be a shade of white with glaze.

Island unpainted

The next step is painting everything. I bought a spray gun for the job. It was cheaper than renting one and I get to keep it for other projects. I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared about this step. Painting the cabinets is a huge. Once I do this, there is no going back. I have read tons of articles. I am taping everything and hanging plastic everywhere. More pictures to come.