keeping original oak cabinets and mixing granite/other surfaces
So here is my outdated kitchen. After much deliberation, Ive decided to do only a minor renovation, considering budget and neighborhood.
Thanks to all your ideas, I will be taking all clutter off cabinet tops, adding crown molding, redoing window treatments, ALL new hardware (sink, cabinet knobs/pulls, 3 pendants over island, new chandelier), new ss appliances, fixing the fridge/cabinet not-flush discrepancy, new flooring, travetine backsplash, and new counters. Will strip and stain cabinets if needed.
And thanks to busybme for her fabulous idea of enlarging the island, and her photoshopping skills, the general idea is to make it like this pic below. I will put beadboard to match the cabinets under the new island and with the new space, on each side will be garbage pull out cabinets with footpedal (notice busybme even added in the other updates I'd described!):
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I saw this photo on the finished kitchens blog, where they kept the original oak cabinets like ours, and it was very helpful in deciding to keep our oak kitchen cabinets. I know it's not popular, but I like the look. It "feels like home" to me. Does anyone else have any photos where they kept their original oak cabinets in their reno?
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So here are my questions:
1.Do my planned updates sound OK? Will they help in updating the look? Do they sound from description like they would improve it?
2.Do our cabinets look as good as the ones in the bottom pic? (I donÂt want them to be ramshackle and I am just not seeing it cause I am used to them!) The doors are secured well and the finish is pretty good. As talked about on another thread, I don't want to end up putting lipstick on a pig by putting granite over really outdated cabinets!) One option I've really been considering is putting granite (slab) on just my island, and something else on the counter behind it. That way it would be cheaper, and I also wouldn't be TOO committed if 5-10 yrs down the line I do want to change out cabinets, I won't have an entire kitchen locked down with granite. I can deal with the island being locked down. Tearing out one slab isn't the end of the earth should it ever come to that! So can I pull off granite mixed with something else? If so, what? The idea would be to go cheaper than granite and as durable as possible. Can I do Formica? I don't like how I can't cut or put hot pots on it, but are there really any other inexpensive options? I would like to go dark for both the granite and the counter behind it. I wouldn't mind at all if the counter behind it is really boring and solid color in comparison to the granite. Is that best? I definately want some black in granite for sure. What colors of granite hold up best to water since the sink is there? Is it possible I would end up creating a beautiful granite island with an obviously cheaper backdrop that looks mismatched? Can anyone show me pics of their granite and formica (or something else) combo?
3. Lastly, do you have to have a certain "type" of house to have a stainless steel farmhouse sink? I really want one, but my house was built in 1998 - not exactly a farmhouse? From the pics, can I pull of that style sink?
Comments (14)
jessie21
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agocheri127
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoThe beauty of a stainless steel farm sink is that you can make it fit into any decor, tradtional, contemporary or even period. It would look great in your kitchen. Kohler makes a very nice, reasonably priced stainless apron sink. Take a look at the kitchen in the link below. It's really nice. There's one that's even less expensive made by Schon but the interior width is only 14" which I thought was a bit narrow.
Your cabinets look great but I agree that they need hardware and I like the pulls better too.
I wouldn't mix laminate with granite. I'd be afraid it will end up looking like you couldn't afford to redo all of the counters. How good are you at DIY? Could you possibly fabricate stainless counters for the perimeter (I have no idea how difficult this is; just throwing it out there)? Or butcher block on the perimeter, something really dark perhaps? Maybe you could find some granite remnants that would be big enough to do your perimeter (or some prefab pieces), and put a contrasting stone on the island.
Kohler
Schon
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Can you mix natural oak cabinets with transitional styling?
Comments (7)Your cabinets are on the traditional side, though not strongly so. Raised panel always says traditional first, and only really goes "transitional" if it's dark. So, you need to up the ante on the modern elements in the kitchen. Maybe one of those beautiful modern glass and stainless island hoods instead of the more traditional pot rack. Maybe some Ikea stainless appliance garages cut to fit under your cabinets to hide the small appliance clutter. A free standing stainless pedestal paper towel holder instead of the undercabinet one. A tall pre-rinse style faucet with a large single sink. Modern "colors" are perceived to be grays, blues, and others in the cool tone family. That's not always so! You can have "modern natural" with natural wood tones (like yours) stone (your granite) and other natural colors like earthy browns, grassy greens, and sky blues. The colors to stay away from would be anything that echoed orange. Reds would be tricky, as would some yellows. I can see a "modern green" working well. Something this side of lime, but NOT sage. You want it to have a strong yellow component, but not overwhelming....See MoreUpdate, from oak & tile to white painted cabinets & granite
Comments (24)Thanks! So far the feedback from real estate agents who've seen the house has been positive. We're still not ready to sell though, perhaps in the fall. Meanwhile we've been enjoying the kitchen, except for an issue with the granite seam at the sink, argh! I really didn't want the seam there but I realize it's standard, and better to have a couple of small seams than one long one running front to back on the counter. The seam at the front of the sink is cracked and crumbling. I've posted for advice on the Stone Advice forum and am getting the fabricator to come out & fix it. Otherwise things are great and I'm loving the double oven. The top oven seems to take forever to heat up when it's in "regular" mode, but in convection mode things move a lot faster. I'm still experimenting, but so far it's been useful to have the 2 ovens....See MoreHow to Restore & Take Care of Original Oak Woodwork
Comments (10)My first thought whjle looking at the pictures was the wood deserves carful restoration. If you are near a large city with large paint stores,it's worth a try getting a manufacture's rep to help you with decisions and products. Consider sending pictures to the rep. If you are lucky he will come see your house next time he is in town. In part I'm in agreement with lazygardens as how tedious the job is. I worry the laquer thinner and alcohol will act like stripper on what is likly shellac. cceclim's advis on testing everything on concealed surface is good. Dab once to wet the finish with a cloth saturated in lacquer thinner then alow it to dry. If finish blisters/crinkles it's varnish or shellac. If it dries looking freasher than srounding finish it's lacquer. Shellac or varnish? Wet surfac with denatured alcohol and watch for blistering as it drys. If it drys looking better than surounding finish,it's shellac. Lacquer and shellac require no sanding before or between coats. Just clean all dirt and other nasties off and apply the finish. Both melt old finish and combin it with new finish. Varnish can be renewed with natural oil or oil/varnish combination rubbed on. I think soap and water followed with cheap paint thinner might be best for cleaning. Think long and ask experts before using anything with the term urathane or poly in the discription. Did I mention how much I like the wood in your home?...See MoreShow me your non-granite countertops with Oak cabinets
Comments (7)Hello, I don't have oak cabinets, mine are maple in a medium tone. But here is my kitchen with Wilsonarte HD laminate counters. I have corian on my island. I think about later upgrading the laminate to another surface, however I've had laminate for years and I love how easy it is to care for. It always looks nice and never stains. I love the look of granite, soapstone, etc...but I love how easy my counters are to care for. Replacing my laminate counters is way down on the priority list for me, if ever. Elaine...See Morebusybme
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoYou have put together a great plan. And the execution shouldn't be too painful either.
Do you plan to get all new cabinets for the island? A farmhouse sink takes a different type of sink base:
Actually, I thought most farmhouse sink bases were made with extra supoort in the front, but maybe I'm wrong. Hopefully someone who knows will clarify this.
Jessie's idea of the gel stain is a good one, if you want to darken your cabinets. I'll bet you could scuff them up with a little sand paper, then wipe on the gel for a whole new look. Be sure to test this on an extra or hidden door though, so that you can get the technique down before moving on to the kitchen.
Have you checked out Ikea butcher block for your perimeter cabinets? Not too expensive and, if you got it in a color that was darker or lighter than your cabinets it would look great!
Shop for remnant pieces of granite for your island...you can get a deal. Also, were you the one who had a friend with extra granite tiles? Maybe use those for the perimeter. Just some random thoughts.
Can't wait to see you get started! It can be gorgeous when you are done.
Sandy
3katz4me
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoWe did a minor update at our weekend lake place and kept the original oak cabinets. I like oak cabinets too and mine were in pretty good shape and very functional with pullouts, etc. We got new counters, cabinet hardware and appliances and a short tile backsplash - wood ceiling since it's a "cabin" and we painted. I'm quite happy with the results. Here are a couple pics.
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needsometips08Original Author