I just realized I copied the link to page 2, so you need to click page 1 to view those pictures. Click the picture to view it bigger. Thank you so much again for your help.

Here is my kitchen before I painted it in 2006, before I changed the mini blinds on the sliding door window, and before I added all three new stainless steel appliances and the stainless steel hood. These pictures also do not have the small rugs in them and some of the other decorating I tried to do. Click each picture to view the picture bigger and to see the date stamp on it for when the picture was taken.

Here is a link that might be useful: My kitchen before any changes were made

Here is my kitchen before I painted it in 2006, before I changed the mini blinds on the sliding door window, and before I added all three new stainless steel appliances and the stainless steel hood. These pictures also do not have the small rugs in them and some of the other decorating I tried to do. Click each picture to view the picture bigger and to see the date stamp on it for when the picture was taken.

Here is a link that might be useful: My kitchen before any changes were made

Sorry! I better take a break.

I just posted this to the kitchen forum again when I was trying to copy and paste it to the Appliance forum. Everyone was so helpful that I knew I had to take out the time to share.

It takes me so long to download the picture and to post them on a forum so I am tired from all this work. I am home since I could not drive with my foot and leg hurting so I thought I would stay in to work but instead I took a break to finally share.

Bumping up the thread for others to read after their holiday time off. I am now looking for a counter, floors and deciding what to do about the kitchen cabinets and hardware. Hence, any suggestions will be welcomed. I really love my new gas range so much.

With SS appliances you can do so many things for the rest of your kitchen. What colors do you like?? What style do you want??

Thinking about getting the stove you just got but concerned about the ease of cleaning the ss cooktop without leaving a million scratches even if using only a sponge or non scratch scrubber pad. How is it working out for you? Also love the FD ref.-is it counter depth and how do you like it??

Hi Chris45ny, thanks for posting and making my morning. I may not have a huge kitchen but I live in Northern NJ where square footage is at a premium and you get less for your money with high real estate taxes. I actually chose the townhouse over a few houses that were around the same price 12 years ago due to the location, the safe surrounding towns, the great school system (good for resale value), the style and square footage of the townhouse (three bedrooms and 2.5 baths with two linen closets), and the fact that I am single and would not have a lot of time to do the maintenance. But I am finding that I wish I bought an end unit for more windows. I would have loved a window above the sink in the kitchen and a window in the master bathroom.

I am finding out that Stainless Steel appliances really are a nice neutral and I love how they improved the look of my kitchen. I have a lot of colors I like and styles I like I am finding out since joining this forum so maybe I should start printing in color the kitchens that I find very nice that would not be that much bigger than my kitchen to give me ideas.

My GE Cafe Range is not only beautiful but is so far easy to clean. I only use WD40 (the installer used to clean the stainless steel and it was wonderful so I must buy some) and Stainless Steel Magic in a can with microfiber clothes. But then again, I only had the range and hood being used now for a week so it so far is easy to clean if I am careful. The outside of the range cleans so beautiful and the top gets so nice with these products. I also love my hood since I am petite and the controls are easy to reach for me.

I wish the LG refrigerator had no water on the door (despite using it all the time to fill the dog's dishes and coffee mugs that I microwave) since I like that look better and I wish it was counter depth. But I LOVE having a French Door with the freezer on the bottom. I only have to open the right door to get milk for my coffee and I love the layout of the LG inside (that is why I chose it for the layout of the refrigerator and freezer and I loved the handles on it when I bought it 4 years ago) and the layout of the freezer. I never have spoiled food anymore since I can see everything. I never have to move the chairs out of the way to open the refrigerator door either.

Now that dishwasher is the only appliance hard to clean since it smudges easy having a magnetic stainless steel but I LOVE the features of the dishwasher with the extra cutlery rack drawer, the knife holder,the little netting area for my plastic small lids that will not hold down with those holders that they have on the above rack that I use for bigger lids, and how well it is cleaning and drying so far. I also like how it looks and now that I have all stainless steel appliances, it blends rather than matches and no longer bothers me.

I'll try to leave more updates when I use the appliances more but so far I love having appliances that not only look great but work so well.

Lynn thanks for sharing your updates. Your appliances are beautiful. And your enthusiasm is uplifting. You're a wonderful example of how we all need to remember to be grateful for our blessings! So what advice specifically are you looking for now? Or are you just sharing at the moment?

I also love my french door bottom freezer! Wouldn't have it any other way. We had a regular door bottom freezer before our new one for 21 years. Love having the refrigerator at eye level. The french doors are great aren't they! The swing radius is so much easier to deal with.

I haven't taken the plastic film off of our refrigerator yet! I'm waiting for the cabinets to be installed above and around it before taking off the protection. Once I do, I hope I can clean it up nice. I've never had SS appliances before either.

Judydel, thank you for the compliments on my appliances. I really love each one I chose for the features and for the look. I also never had stainless steel appliances except for my blender, microwave oven and toaster oven before buying the LG Refrigerator 3 years ago (I think I mentioned it was 4 years old but now I see it is 3 years old). I love having stainless steel appliances and love maintaining their beauty making me proud of my kitchen and ideas of how to improve the rest of my kitchen's looks.

Judydel, I am glad that you are also enjoying your new French Door Refrigerator and I know you will enjoy it more once you get the plastic off of it. Which refrigerator did you go with?

I wanted to share my happiness at how much better my home now looks and how happy I am thanks to all of you for your help. I also am wanting to change the floors out and maybe do something about the cabinets and counter after my busy season ends in the next few months. I thought ideas would motivate me to work harder and save.

Judydel, please send in pictures of your new cabinets and your kitchen changes when you are completed and are able to.

Yes, I am always grateful for what I have and I count my blessings that I was able to buy this home by myself with my own saved money and I am able to have such nice appliances. I may get disappointed that I can't renovate all of my home all at once but whenever I see changes I make, it really uplifts my spirit.

Two years ago, I finally bought a matching solid wood bedroom set to replace the oak set that I had for years that had no drawer space, the drawers never closed right and I never liked. I love now going into my bedroom and having many drawers to put my clothes away and I love how peaceful I feel going to sleep in a pretty room.

My air conditioner/heater/compressor died on me 1.5 years ago and I am blessed that I was able to buy a new one that works so well that I have not hardly had to use the dehumidifier all summer. It was $8100 so this cost on top of the bedroom set and new latex bed (needed it for my allergies since I had to return a new bed for being allergic to it and being sick all week from the outgassing) and now the new floor and appliances is making me have to wait for others things I thought I wanted this year.

I have to see where funds are in a few months since I have to still pay off the new appliances that are on zero percent cards and then I really want to continue to renovate my kitchen to update it more. But my busy season is here and I will work hard since I just love fixing up my home and learning from all the talented members on this list.

Happy Holidays to everyone here and thank you again for sharing in my excitement that my kitchen is finally looking pretty.

Lynn you could think about refinishing your cabinets. Don't know how handy you are but I don't think it's too hard. We had 30+ yr. old golden oak cabinets that my DH did not want to let go as they are solid wood and very well built compared to what's out there now. He washed them with Dirtex, sanded them, and then stained them so now they look like a medium dark brown with slight reddish tone. Replaced the tired looking brass hardware with polished nickel. Or you could paint them. I. too, had the almond laminate counters which we replaced with an earthy looking wild granite but it was not cheap. They make some really nice laminates/formica that look great. Lots of people choose hardwood for their kitchen floor but I don't think wood and water mix so will be putting in a tile floor at some point. I think your kitchen looks fine right now-the ss appliances really are nice. Thanks for all the info on your appliances.

You are smart in taking your time with your renos and only doing what you can afford. That's what we do too even though it's going to take forever to get this kitchen done.

I know that NJ is not cheap.. My aunt and uncle had a 3 level townhouse in Maplewood, NJ and it was mind boggling what it cost so hat's off to you for doing it on your own!!

Happy holidays to you too!!

Chris45NY, thanks for understanding and caring and giving me suggestions. I am going to look at the price to refinish the cabinets which may be difficult since they are laminate, veneered doors and particle board sides and not solid wood. The doors don't come together like I want to be (they have the frame showing in the middle and I would prefer to have the doors be full doors ... but maybe it would not be a big deal if they were refinished if possible with contemporary handles) if they can be refinished with new handles it may be the way to go since they are in decent shape except for a few worn areas. If my cabinets were solid wood, I would stain them a dark cherry but I am not sure if I can stain them due to the fact they are not solid wood so I may have only the option of painting them.

Chris45NY, do you have any pictures of your stained cabinets?

I do want do change the counters which I feel will really enhance the kitchen and I have been looking at options but first I have to know what color I want my cabinets to be.

I am thinking I want big tiles in the kitchen and will look into the one another poster used that was reasonably priced and look at my other options. I would not want my little dogs walking in and out the sliding door and walking all over the wood floor in the kitchen and me worrying about babying the floor despite loving the look of wood in the kitchen.

Maplewood prices are similar to prices in my area and the real estate taxes are so high. I pay 4 times the taxes of a client who moved out of my area into Ohio and bought a home 2.5 times bigger than mine for less money with more land. So of course he has a beautiful kitchen but mine is becoming nicer and I am proud of my changes and can't wait to make more changes.

Again, I thank everyone for their help in choosing the appliances and giving me ideas on continuing to make changes so I will smile every time I walk into my kitchen and feel proud to have others see my home.

I just edited my post to have it make sense and accidentally hit sent instead of preview due to a phone call. I usually type my thoughts as quick as I can since I type many words a minute and then I preview the post to correct the sentence structure and make the reply post make sense.

I meant that the cabinets are the traditional look and are builder grade with the frame showing in the middle and if it is too expensive to paint them due to their construction, I would prefer to have more of a contemporary look with full doors that have no frame showing in between the doors when they shut. I am not that handy like my mother was so I would have to pay someone to do the work.

When I was much younger and lamenting that I couldn't wait to do such and such to our home, my very wise Aunt said, "creating a beautiful home is a life long process". She had a beautiful home that I always admired and she reminded me that it didn't happen overnight. In fact, much of the redecorating and remodeling didn't occur until much later in her life when her kids were grown.

Taking your time and doing your kitchen and other rooms in baby steps means that you will have plenty of time to make decisions that you'll be happy with for the long haul. Having GW will help also tremendously to hone your taste and ideas.

ENJOY the process and continue to count your blessings. Also, try using the principals of "The Secret" to attract abundance to you and your remodel : )

Lynn, I posted a response to you in the Appliances forum.

Everything looks great, and no, I don't have a new range yet.

Here is a before and after picture of the cabinets. Before cabinets were worn looking golden oak and after a fresh nice medium brown color-DH stained them provincial color-I would have gone a littler darker I think. We changed out the hardware from old brass to new polished nickel as we're going to get ss appliances. They did turn out to look so much better than the "before."

Don't know how well the pics show the difference but believe me, it's a big change. Before the wood on the cabinets was looking very worn but now it looks great. If I had had lots of money to throw around I probably would have gotten new cabinets but in order to do that I would have had to give up a seriously LONG trip to Europe this next summer/early fall. The trip won-LOL!!

i think your kitchen is looking really nice now. My sister's stove (well, her hd's, she doesn't cook anymore) doesn't have he 'BS' piece behind it either.

maybe you could find someone locally who would stain or paint the cab boxes and you could get new door/drawer fronts put on for a different style. I think the next move would be to decide what to do with the cabs and the counter top. do you want to go light on both? one or the other? etc. do you want a granite with movement and color? that'll all make a difference.
Also, check out options on flooring. dark or light? depending on the cabs and counter.

until some of those are figured out the only think I can see to do would be to paint the walls a color. the walls and counter now blend together and there isn't color in the room. Is there a color you'd like in it? blue? green?

siste/BIL's stove linked. the tile BS goes up just behind the stove, not on walls above the small BS around the rest of the counter space. you can see bits of it on either side of the stove.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Chris45NY, thank you so much for sharing the updated changes to your cabinets. I understand that they must be worn since mine are also after 20 years and far away look fine but when in person (see the link below), you know they need to be refinished or the doors replaced if they can be since my cabinets are not solid wood like yours.

Your picture helped me so much since I like the darker color, the new hinges and the new hardwood handles and I am glad that your cabinet doors are not full doors either and they look nice in a darker stain. Your husband did a great job. The white appliances look nice but stainless ones would really look nice with your cabinets. You are like me taking the renovating one step at a time and not giving up your vacation that you will always have wonderful memories of.

desertsteph,

Thank you so much for sharing a picture of your sister's kitchen which gives me ideas. Her oak cabinets look like they are solid with full doors which I prefer over my half doors that allow the frame to show. But they show me that oak can be nice if done right.

I like her counters and would like to know what they are since they look nice with the oak cabinets. I also like that idea of the tile back splash behind the range to protect the walls and to add interest behind the range.

I agree that I need some color in the kitchen so after I figure out what to do with the floor and the cabinets (stain, paint or replace the doors or if I have to replace the cabinets if it would not be too costly to do so of I may have to wait and save more money... see my post after this on picture close-up of my counters and cabinets).

Judydel, is right that I should enjoy the process of seeing my kitchen blossom that is making me so happy. Thank you Judydel.

Thank you so much.

OK, I feel it is time to share what others can't see unless being in person or having close up pictures taken so everyone understands why I may need other changes eventually.

I put accessories around the laminate sides up the wall to block the fact that my beautiful new gas range has nothing behind it.

I feel my kitchen looks nice now and I am proud of the changes that I have made but in person some things still bother me about my kitchen. For instance, the 20 year old hollow veneered oak cabinet doors over the particle board/plywood frame needs to be refinished or have the doors replaced with new hinges since mine are worn out and some have rust on them. The doors are the type that are the half type of doors so the frame shows in between the doors so the frame must also be stained or painted to match. I am still wondering if I can paint them and add new hinges and new door knobs or if I can change out the doors or if I have to replace the cheap cabinets that the builder put into my home that cost so much.

The counter is not in bad shape for being 20 years old and made of laminate but has some chips on the sides and a few scratches on the counter that do not bother me that much since most of the counter is in decent shape. The counter is a happy bright color that I always liked until I changed my appliances.

My linoleum floors are in poor shape with deep cuts and a major rip by the sliding door from the extra locking bar that broke and kept falling on the floor. The bar finally ripped the floor a few years ago until I hired someone to give me a new locking bar.

I did add the red rug and I was keeping a red tea pot on the range until I changed the range. I can put the red teapot back on the range. I also feel my kitchen needs some color but I am not sure what do do. If I paint the walls, then it will be more noticeable that the laminate counters go up the side of the walls but the gas range has no backguard. Unless I only paint the top of the walls above the cabinets and add a back splash behind the range?

Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link that might be useful: Worn 20 Year Old Kitchen Cabinets & Damaged 20 Year Old Linoleum Floors

Your appliances look very nice.

Your floor, counters, and cabinets may not be entirely to your liking, but they have one big virtue which is that they are pretty neutral in color and tone. So you can throw some vibrant color in the kitchen, and not worry much about clashing with the existing colors.

I do not know what your personal style, favorite colors, etc. Me - I would flood the walls with a deep rich Ochre, a vibrant Persian Blue, or an intense Carmine (using color names from wikipedia). Just have fun. Painting is easy and cheap. It doesn't have to be your ''forever'' color, just an experiment, and when you replace the counters or re-face the cabinets, or do the floors, you can throw another blast of color on the walls and see how you like that.

Lynn - I love your new appliances. When we remodeled our kitchen, we kept our old white refrigerator and stove. I'll have to wait a while before we can swap them out for stainless steel..and I'm looking forward to that. We were able to get a new ss dishwasher and otr microwave. Your particular brand of gas stove is one that I am interested in. For my kitchen, I would like to leave the 5" backguard off just as you have.

Our old 20+ year old oak cabinets were thin veneer. Originally, dh tried to sand the front of a door in hopes he could refinish the cabs. Well, after trying that, he decided in our case it was not going to work. We ended up buying cabinets (Medallion/Schuler brand) & installation through Lowes.

Lynn I would suggest trying Old English scratch cover. They make it in light and dark finishes. I've used it on antique furniture that got water marks, and I used it on my old cabinets before I sold them to even a few worn edges like you show in your photos. I also use it on our stained trim whenever it gets dinged. It works great, and it's an easy fix for the time being. If the light is too light and if the dark is too dark you can probably mix the two colors together to come up with a medium tone.

http://www.oldenglishpolish.com/sf2_scratch.shtml

They also sell this product on Amazon and I noticed a bunch of people left reviews. Probably worth looking in to.

johnliu, I agree that my kitchen needs more color and if I can't make many changes just get that may be a good idea to paint the little bit of walls for now which I can do myself. Thank you for the compliments on my appliances.

laurie_2008, thank you on your compliments of my appliances and letting me know that you would keep the 5" backguard off also on the back of the range.

Thanks for letting me know about your kitchen cabinets since mine are also a very think veneer on the door and are hollow inside. What species of wood and stain are your cabinets and do you have any close up pictures. I have a Lowe's near me. After my busy season I will look into the cost of replacing them and if I can't do that yet, I will definitely change out my floors and look into that pretty tile that you got at Lowe's to see if it would work in my kitchen.

judydel, thank you so much for thinking of me. I looked up Old English Polish and printed myself a coupon to see if a local store has it since I live near so many stores. I may try this to get me through my busy season since some of my clients sit in my family room as they wait for me to complete their work with one of their friends before they switch places so since my family room is open to my kitchen, I would like it to look really nice to show off the new look I have.

You asked about the wood and stain on my cabinets. They are maple and the stain color is called chestnut.

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Laurie_2008, I love maple cabinets and that stain is very nice and neutral also which is perfect with the wood you chose in the next room. I almost went with Maple floors stained Cherry since I love the look of Maple. But I also love the look of natural oak floors in a sawn cut and if I did not have the little dogs I would have considered that also but the Brazilian Cherry is better with dog pee in case my little ones mark.

Do you have a picture of one of the cabinets installed with knobs on it and granite on top? What color granite did you choose? Do you have a picture?

Thank you so much Laurie_2008. I appreciate all of your help.

The knobs & pulls have a brushed nickel finish. The granite has black, gray, taupe & white. It's called Luna Pearl, aka: Bianco Sardo.

Thank you Laurie_2008 for posting pictures. The granite is beautiful and goes so well with your floors. I like that the kitchen doors are full doors since that is what I want without the frame underneath showing like I have now if I am able to change the cabinets after I find out prices for the floor, cabinets and counters. The hardware is very nice also.

I can see a glimpse of the floor but I have saved those tile pictures for when I am ready to tile my floor to see if they would look nice in mine so I don't need you to post pictures again of your beautiful floors. I see you already have a stainless steel microwave but I can see why you have to wait before you renovate the other appliances since you spent so much money on the tile floor, the granite counters, the new cabinets with hardware, the hardwood floors including sealing the floor, the new baseboard trim and the new paint on the walls. I love the changes you made that really enhance your home.

I feel my GE Cafe Range would look great in your kitchen with the nice backsplash you have. I like the shiny tile on the backsplash and feel it looks nice with your beautiful shiny granite. I know in another post you had wished you had done a matte tile like your floors. I love your kitchen faucet. I like how the light switches blend with your backsplash tile.

When funds are available and you change the range and dishwasher to stainless steel, your kitchen will be even more beautiful. I still love your tiles so much and I love your granite. I love seeing the changes you have made since I have been following all your posts like you have mine. You have been a big help to me. Thanks again for posting so quickly.