How do you remove the ugly '70s raised trim on the cabinet door (looks like one that Irmaly posted above)? A chisel? I don't know if I have it in me to do this big job, but the kitchen cabinets I have are hideous. They look just like some of the examples shown, including that skinny trim, so I'm considering taking on the project. The insides are awful and feel like rough plywood. Anyone have any suggestions on freshening up the insides without sanding and doing multiple coats of paint? Thank you! -Ruth

I'm not sure if you mentioned if these are being made by custom cabinet maker or not, but it might make a difference. We have custom creamy painted cabs on the perimeter & cherry island. When it came time to order the doors the cabinet maker then told me that the original sample which we showed us (which was stained not painted) was hard maple, but that b/c we were painting, that using the more expensive hard maple was not necessary & we could use paint grade maple. The paint grade maple seemed rather light to me & I felt that it might feel flimsy when used on large doors. I asked about cost for upgrade to hard maple and it was $800 for the whole kitchen. I know $800 sounds like a lot when you're hemorrhaging $ in remodel, but in the scheme of the kitchen it really was little. To me, it gives the kitchen a nice sturdy feel that feels like it will really hold up over the years. Can't hurt to ask- I figured the upgrade would have cost much more. Glad I did it.

Pillog, you are right on. The other half of "we" is DH. He immediately got on board, no hesitation, when I told him I was thinking of woodgrain instead of white. You're also right that whatever makes a "happy wife" is good by him. ("Happy wife, happy life" -- something a husband on "Househunters" said.) I like your way of thinking on including him. Jenny, I'm so glad you mentioned no oil base on the floor because I was planning to have them use oil-based Duraseal this time, thinking it would look richer. Thanks again to all. I/"we" are still sorting this out and will let you know what we decide. Still have to learn to post pictures. I'm not comfortable with the fact that my photos apparently have to be available on the general internet, as in photobucket. Correct me if I'm wrong about this.

Thanks, Joe and Vith - If I go this route, I'd need to guesstimate where the cabinet feet/sides will touch bottom -- or just overestimate and go wider w/ the plywood? So if I went with plywood, just strips underneath the cabinet sides? Or would I need to place a strip underneath the cabinet back? klem - Hmmm, thanks. Had not read this could be an issue, but now you've got me rethinking/worrying about plywood. I guess wood sitting on slab gets moist, right? We did give tile some thought for a little while, but thought even with cheap tile, it'd be overkill to cover the entire expanse of slab. We do have all the tiling paraphernalia, though.