Things need a change - cabinets, counters,wall color
12 months ago
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Kitchen question: One thing you love and one thing you'd change
Comments (52)Finally remodeled the kitchen in our 50s California ranch style house. Waited 18 years but it was worth the wait. Room is about 12 x 12, U shaped but the fourth wall has the fridge and some pantry space. BEST THING: repainting the original cabinets (creamy white, Benjamin Moore Pottery Barn Mascarpone) and hardware (that old black colonial stuff) to save $$ for top notch appliances. I replaced my old cheap wall oven & fridges in kitchen and laundry with a 48" Sub Zero. It is quiet and it is so flat -- I gained a wider walkway through my kitchen. Even though the fridge is smaller than the two fridges that it replaces, I can fit everything in there that I need (though now I understand the popularity of the "drink station" fridge!) I replaced my 42" avocado green cooktop with the La Cornue Cornufe 43" in Provence Blue with brass trim. I did not want to give up double ovens, but the usual Viking / Wolf etc. 48" would require me to give up too much cabinet space, plus I never liked the huge oven and tiny oven combo and cramming 8 burners into the space where I used to have four plus a big griddle (that I used to plop things down, mainly). Now I have 5 burners so I have room for big pots and handles. I was really nervous about having two smaller ovens. However, you get the half sheet pans from Williams Sonoma and they act as racks. The fitted roasting pans that come with the stove work fine. I roasted a big five bone prime rib in there. I use my ovens so much more now than I ever did before, especially for meats. That stove is a thing of beauty and a real show stopper in the kitchen. LOVE the blue. So YES, the appliances make all the difference. ALSO LOVE having everything look kind of old -- we have Carlisle wide plank hard wood in rustic white oak (knotholes and marks); we have Barroca soapstone with some white veining; my cabinets are not pristine but they fit with the overall look. Patina galore even with new things! GO CHEAP with the faucets and just get chrome. With everything else stainless, it's nice to have something more glittery on the countertop. We have chrome in every room with plumbing and all of the rooms "match" even though we have faucets from different manufacturers. Accidental benefit: We hid the trash can in a pull out inside one of the low cabinets. We just attached the door face to the pullout mechanism. Well, one of my undercounter cutting boards slides out perfectly so that I can chop and then sweep the trash directly into the trash can. Sweet! By getting the new fridge, I gained more countertop space to the right of the fridge. I was able to have a built in shelf made for my microwave to get it up off the counter. We converted one of the broom closets in the laundry room into a tiny little bar. We used a remnant from our countertops for the counter; we spaced shelves for wine and soda storage. My husband routered out a few leftover strips of the hardwood to make wine glass racks on the top of the cabinet. It's kind of cute. What I'd change? I don't dislike my Kitchen Aid dishwasher, but for some reason it is hard to load small things like pyrex bowls, small cereal bowls, etc. It is great for tons of plates and glasses. However, I like to cook and I use a ton of those little custard cups for prep. I store leftovers in 1c, 2c, 3c, bowls and they never seem to fit right. I did not get the dispenser on the Sub Zero because I think it will stay cleaner and also the dispenser takes up room inside. However, I do miss crushed ice more than I thought I would. I always dreamed I'd have a fancy backsplash behind the stove. However, this stove is so beautiful that I do not want to upstage it. I will just hang a pot rail behind it like you see so often in the ads for the stove. Also I did lose storage space -- we moved a hanging cabinet over the countertop peninsula. I lost my baking rack storage when I hid the trash can. I lost my pots and pans storage when I replaced my cooktop with the drop in stove. I have been getting rid of old things and making room for new things but I am still moving items around to figure out where they should go....See MoreA few things I would change
Comments (8)I think there's a good caution in there about hiring "friends" to do work, too. When we were redoing the kitchen in our former house, we got three estimates, two from people we had personal connections with and one kitchen store. When we showed up for the appointment with the one who we had the closest tie to (he's my best friend's step-dad, and has a very successful kitchen/bath business in town), it was clear he had not spent any time at all on our kitchen layout, had not listened to a word about what we wanted or even looked at our suggested layout. We decided then and there to go with the kitchen place where we had no personal connection and where we could be demanding costumers and no one would take it personally. We didn't regret it for a moment, and went back to the same place for the kitchen we're doing now. I'm sure there are circumstances and some relationships where hiring family or friends is necessary, but I think it's better to keep professional and personal relationships separate if possible....See MoreThings I would NOT change
Comments (3)kntryhuman - Congratulations! And thanks for the list of things you would not change. Have you posted photos? I would love to see your home - it sounds wonderful!...See MoreChanging kitchen cabinets colours, need help
Comments (11)Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. An amateur job should follow the same path. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days for a Pro to accomplish completely and cost between 8--10K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets. Remove doors and drawer fronts. Remove hinges and hardware. Clean with Spic and Span Rinse and let dry. Scrape any loose finish. Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused. Sand fill smooth. Scuff sand the rest. Tack off dust. Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points to spray both sides. Or lay on a spinner, and do one side at a time. Tack off dust again. Spray with shellac based primer. Scuff sand again. Tack off dust. Spray with second coat of primer. Spray with first finish coat of a polyurethane enamel (DIY) Or conversion varnish, (Pro product) . NOT house paint. Never house paint. Spray with second coat. If glazing is to occur, that is next. Spray with clear over glaze that is compatible with base coat and glaze. Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth. Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Most interiors are laminate and don't accept paint well. Allow everything to fully cure. That's 7-14 days. Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware. Install new (or old) hinges and hardware. Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances. If you are receiving or doing a job without this amount of effort, then you are not getting a quality job. You are getting a poor quality job that will not last. Anyone who paints cabinets with the doors on is an amateur and a Philistine, and should be fired immediately. If they paint the hardware too, go straight to shooting them also, and saving the world from such criminal ineptness....See MoreRelated Professionals
Keansburg Architects & Building Designers · Piedmont Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Maplewood Furniture & Accessories · Country Walk General Contractors · Rohnert Park General Contractors · Morton Grove Interior Designers & Decorators · Denver Furniture & Accessories · Sioux Falls Furniture & Accessories · Park Ridge Furniture & Accessories · Jacinto City Furniture & Accessories · Baldwin Park Lighting · Mount Prospect Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Redmond Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Westchester Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Kentwood Cabinets & Cabinetry- 12 months agolast modified: 12 months ago
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