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So here is my outdated kitchen.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!):
{{gwi:1568599}}
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?
{{gwi:1568600}}
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 As talked about on another thread, I don't want to end up putting lipstick on a pig by putting granite over really outdated cabinets!)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)
16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
The 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
Related Discussions
Keep original plaster or install drywall?
Comments (50)We took a more conservative approach when renovating our 1928 Tudor, course our plaster was in fairly good condition. The house needed new wiring, plumbing, and we needed to remodel the kitchen and bathrooms as well. We decided to create arteries to get these new systems up to other floors. Think of potential opportunities for these arteries when you embark on a remodel. Example, when we gutted the kitchen, we used this artery to get the wiring up to the second floor. We gutted one wall in the bathroom to run our new copper plumbing up and some wiring. We did gut our basement entirely of 70's paneling and use that to help us channel the new systems up. So, with a good bit of planning and thinking, you can save the headache of removing the plaster. I for one believe the plaster and some of the cracks and repairs give the house it's age and character. I've seen houses that have been completely gutted and drywalled, they look a bit sterile to me. It freaks me out when I see people on tv and whatnot, bashing away at plaster without a respirator or something, you know they're sucking in tons of lead paint and possibly asbestos. Think people! Negatives of removing plaster: 1. The weight of all that plaster and lathe 2. The lead and asbestos dust, yuck! 3. The nails holding the lathe on take forever to remove, and they're rusty. 4. Removing the character of the old walls. That said, if the plaster is trashed, beyond repair, have a company come in and take it all down. If you want to insulate the exterior walls, you can have a company drill holes on the outside and force blow-in insulation in the cavities. Myself, I think it's better to have the house breathe a bit. I really think some of these new homes are over insulated. We insulated our attics to R38 and insulated the remodeled rooms we have done. So far the house is staying cooler with the AC and Warmer with the heating and our bills have gone down. We put new Marvin Infinity Fiberglass windows in and they've helped a ton. Hope these ideas help!...See MoreCorian or other solid surfaces?
Comments (22)Jdesign our project was about 20 miles north of NYC. My original impression was to much white, but when finished I will say the white Corian counter and island cabinets were unlike any kitchen I have ever seen. Normally we install the kitchens, but this was done by a Boffi installer. It took about 9 days including setting of appliances with help for 4 days. I will say that the installer was in no hurry and treated every cabinet install with the up-most care. Counter tops came with sink installs from Italy. Even the Gaggenau cooktop came installed in a stainless counter. I will say I was disappointed with their sinks which are stainless. As for as Corian being used for the counter it was the ultimate for this kitchen. The client had it seamed here rather than the Boffi install of butting it with visible seam. Like I posted earlier a 16' island with no seams is amazing! The client has large parties and it becomes a buffet table with tons of food on it. At the end of the day cleanup is a snap and the kitchen counters look as good as new. If stained or scatched a little buffing with pad and all is good. This is one kitchen that stone would not work in. Modern design in my opinion works better with solid surface. I think granite and marble work well in some kitchens, but not to the extent that I see on GW. It seems to be a must have upgrade or standard in new home construction. My take is install what makes you happy not what will impress others....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 MoreDesign Around 9: Keeping the Golden Oak
Comments (139)Before/after videos online so I wouldn't have to post so many pictures. (First two of grandson, skip to videos 3 & 4) Https://vimeo.com/user12732009/videos 1. Experimented (Mar. 2013) inside one door; days later it passed scratchtest. Eight months later cabinets like new. I had all materials from previous project so cabinet project cost nothing. 2. Removed doors, drawers, knobs, very light sanding outsides only, very little ebony stain, one coat semi gloss poly clear coat. Took 4 days, 3. Bought and stained oak molding for soffet, light oak, then ebony; perfect match. Cut scallops off the over-sink trim, and tossed the railing on hood vent and soffet. Spent money on labor and material to finish project. 4. Blue storm laminate FX180; large pieces were costly but I had no expensive corner cuts (so no seams), saved $$ using plain edges, more realistic anyway. PS got moving packet from postoffice and used the included Lowes 10% off coupon (on countertop). 5. A friend removed and repurposed old countertop (no removal or dump fees). 6. Designed my backsplash and had it put over old laminate back splash. Large tile over stove was $300 display, I paid $50. Plus I saved on glass tile that would have been used instead. My kitchen isn't as dark as it appears in videos. Hubby was very repentant for yelling that I would surely ruin the cabinets. Here is a link that might be useful: none...See MoreRelated Professionals
Knoxville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Montebello Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Saratoga Springs Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Verona Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Shamong Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Cocoa Beach Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Elk Grove Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Independence Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · York Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Lackawanna Cabinets & Cabinetry · Marco Island Cabinets & Cabinetry · North Massapequa Cabinets & Cabinetry · Rowland Heights Cabinets & Cabinetry · Wildomar Cabinets & Cabinetry · Spartanburg Tile and Stone Contractors- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
You 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
16 years agolast modified: 10 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.
BEFORE
AFTER
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 16 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
needsometips08Original Author