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Monday, June 17, 2013

Our Kitchen Remodel...Cabinet Refacing

Hi everyone!! I know that all of us who are home owners go through different stages of remodeling over the years. The one common factor among all of us is...MONEY!! Our home was built in 1975 and remodeled by the second owner in the 80's. We bought it in 1993. We loved the layout and flow of the floor plan, but we knew it needed work.  Changing it to our own design style would take time and money. Courtney was 2 years old and Kelsie was just 6 months, so not only was money a factor, time was the biggest with 2 little ones.

Unless you build your own home, buying an older home is never exactly what you want. You can change it to suit your own design style, but it will either take "money" to pay someone to do it or "time" to do it yourself. We changed the colors, removed wallpaper in every room, bathroom remodels and flooring ourselves over the first few years, slowly but surely.  The kitchen, however, was always my top priority.

Then life goes on...and on, and on. That chuck of money was just never there for the kitchen. In 2004, we added 2 big additions to our home so my parents could move in with us. We took care of my mom for just 3 years before she passed away from Parkinson's Disease. My dad is still with us. The kitchen needed to wait again.

Twenty years after moving in, Courtney has graduated from college and Kelsie has one more year to go. The reality is we will never have a chunk of money to do the kitchen, but if we ever want to down size in the future, the house will not sell with a 1985 kitchen.

We bit the bullet and finally did something this past February. It was NOT a total gut of the kitchen, because that was just beyond our means. We elected to do cabinet refacing and are SO HAPPY we did. It's not a DIY project, but I wanted to share.

Here is the AFTER of our kitchen...

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Here's the BEFORE, the night before the contractors came in to do the demolition.

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I pulled out my "inspiration book" of magazine clippings and realized that over many many years, I had  only ripped out pages of white kitchens with black counters, shaker style cabinets with half moon stainless steal pulls. The design part of it was easy for me. I knew what I wanted.

Money was still an issue and we couldn't go crazy, so we didn't do granite. We changed the island to 4 feet by 8 feet wide and the back counter is over 12 feet long, so with that much granite, it's was out of the question...maybe down the road. (famous last words, Lol)

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Here are more before and afters. The before pictures are right before demo, so don't think my counters were ever this bare. Lol

The old cabinets were off-white Formica with the 1980's oak trim. Years ago, I painted the oak trim to blend in with the cabinets. The baby blue counters, well...I had to live with them. Just not my color.

BEFORE...

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Our kitchen is in the center of the home...family room addition off to the left and dining room eating area off to the right. We knew we had to do white cabinets with no windows in this room.

AFTER...

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The BEFORE...

The box over the island in the ceiling was put in by the previous owners. The depth of the old ceiling wouldn't fit pot lights, so they built the box to hold the pot lights.

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I wanted that box gone, but that was another cost issue with removing the ceiling and electrical. Not happening. They did cover it with the same cabinet material and added crown molding.

AFTER...

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We had some white appliances already, knowing we were going to switch to white cabinets at some point. This big old hood over the stove had to go. It didn't even work, because the second floor addition we added above it, cut the vent pipe!

I never had a microwave over my stove.

BEFORE...

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Until now!!! There was some construction above the stove and with the island, so this wasn't just a refacing job.

AFTER...

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The OLD island was my nemesis. The previous owners had a very formal living room adjacent to the kitchen, so the high wall on the island was there to "hide" the messy kitchen.

The lower counter was fine when the girls were little, but not great to eat at now.

BEFORE...

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I had them cut down the high wall and left the base cabinet. I wanted a big island and 4 feet by 8 feet fit perfectly!!

As a side note...I didn't want high backed stools, because I didn't want them to block the view of the kitchen and these stools tuck right under the counter out of sight. The stools are form Walmart $29.00 each!!

AFTER...

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This lower cabinet corner was drawers before.

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Now it's my first Lazy Susan. I LOVE IT!!

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Here are the Shaker style cabinets and the black Formica counter. The counter is such a close look to granite it's crazy.
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We took out our old wall oven and added a brand new one.

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Finally, my favorite half moon drawer pulls I've loved my whole life.

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Here's the demo process and putting it back together.

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All doors and drawers are thrown out. They make everything new to fit your kitchen!!

They cut off the lower table on the island and started to strip off all the old Formica on the base cabinets and all the uppers.

This company, based out of Massachusetts was awesome. The cleaned up every night after they were done. This is a picture of what it looked like each night when they left.

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We had Formica on ALL surfaces of the kitchen, so they had to stripped it. If you have wood cabinets, they would just laminate right over it.

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The high wall of the island still not cut down yet. We had an electrician come in to move the plugs and light switches to the lower part of the island.

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Here is the base of the island cut down and new white laminate added.

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New cabinet doors on the uppers and some lowers.

The lower left cabinet still needs white on the stiles and rails.

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Drawers and doors slowly going on.

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Island top on, but no sink yet. We used our original sink, because we had just purchased it about 2 years ago.


Here it is all back together in 6 days.

We had 2 awesome men working on our project the whole week. They were great. Best experience we ever had.

They did say it was one of their bigger projects. Most average refacing kitchens jobs would take 4-5 days, but we had some construction and electrical work.

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I hope you enjoyed the tour of our new kitchen. It's 20 years over due, but well, worth the wait!!

Have a great day,
~Karen~

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51 comments:

  1. Your island is amazing! Love how big it is. And the drawer pulls, I hope to finally have those one day too =) Beautiful kitchen, Karen.

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  2. I love it! I really like those drawer pulls. I have white cabinets and dark counters too. Mine also look like granite but we couldn't afford the real deal either. I'm jealous of your island. :)

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  3. So nice! Very cozy and inviting.

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  4. Your 'new' kitchen is beautiful! Love everything you've done. I've struggled with our island wondering whether to lower it, or not, to match the counter of my sink (my setup there is similar to yours).... and yours turned out so nice with such a 'clean' look, I need to re-think ours. Your barstools are perfect!!

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  5. looks fabulous! you are right -- there never seems to be a big chunk of money to do the kitchen. we did it because it would add to our quality of life -- and it changed the way we live in our house, for the better. congrats on a great remodel!

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  6. Your new kitchen looks so bright and cheerful! I'm so glad you were finally able to re-do it. My sister is in the midst of having her kitchen redone too. Must be in the air! LOL

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  7. Thanks for sharing. I am getting ready to redo a kitchen too. Mine will be a total gut job because there is really nothing I want saved. lol
    It helps to see how others have done things and you can always get ideas. Love your black and white. I will have to go with very light wood or white as my kitchen is dark also.

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  8. We have an 80's kitchen, too, that has been waiting patiently for a remodel. It may have to wait a while longer. I loved seeing how you did this. The cut out where the sink used to be makes it look so much better. Great job!

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  9. Your new kitchen looks wonderful! :0)

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  10. You're Kitchen (the very first picture remodeled) looks like it came out of a magazine!..My dad is currently in the process of ripping apart my mother's kitchen..What a job!..It Looks wonderful Karen!

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  11. It all looks fabulous, Karen. :o)

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  12. Like you, I love white cabinets and black counters. Your kitchen is gorgeous. The island is to amazing. I'm pinning now because I hope to be copying you in a year or two. Fortunately, it's such a classic look that it will never go out of style.

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  13. Fabulous. Awesome. Now I'm really jealous and re-motivated to do something with ours.

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  14. Wow what a transformation! I bet you are happy now. :)

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  15. Looks fantastic! Quick question - how much overhang do you have with the island counter? I like how neatly the stools tuck underneath.

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  16. Karen, that looks absolutely fabulous!! I love that you stuck to your guns about the budget too- it's so hard when there are so many tempting choices out there! Enjoy your new space!

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  17. Beautiful! I'm firmly convinced that granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances are going to firmly "date" kitchens in just a few years. I love the clean white look! You did a great job with design. The "staged" picture with the plants and lemons - looks like a magazine picture! Julie

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  18. So jealous! looks beautiful. I've been considering painting my wood cabinets cream or white to updated my 1960 cabinets.LOL

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  19. Kudos to you for sticking to your budget and making the most of what was already in place. It looks great!

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  20. Congratulations on your new kitchen. It is beautiful! I have white cabinets and dark counters as well and love them!

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  21. Wow they turned out phenomenal! I can't believe it!
    xo Kerri at HollyMuffin

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  22. I am in love, can I come live at your house? I promise no children, pets, smoking or drugs. LOL But I would have to bring my large fabric stash.

    Hugs,
    Vicki
    sunraesban@yahoo.com

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  23. My daughter is an interior designer who works as an architect for an architural firm. They do the big jobs and let her play with these kind of things. She loves it.

    All her life as a child, she just wanted to knock out walls in our house. Now she gets paid to do that!

    Your kitchen is amazing, even she was impressed! You will love the new kitchen. My food tastes better in mine!

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  24. Love your kitchen! We did our's about 3 years ago...gutted the entire thing. I also love white(actually mine are more off white) cabinets & black counter top. We found it very hard to justify the price of granite so did a high end formica which looks just like granite. We splurged on the back splash instead...love, love love it !
    http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3996021029267411177#editor/target=post;postID=8166618998590897664;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=676;src=postname

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  25. I can't say enough how fantastic this is and I am soooo glad you did this post. Too many people discard the notion of a re-face. Usually old cabinetry is way stronger and better quality in the carcass and a simple revamp is a much better option. My kitchen story is very similar to yours and I had to wait a hundred years too. Although I had to get new bases the upper cupboards were just fine and I simply had new doors put on. Thank you so much for all the great photos and inspiring others to re-use even in a reno.

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  26. I love your new kitchen...so bright and fresh and modern!! You are going to enjoy it so much!! Happy cooking...and with all those stools you can have tons of company 'helping'!!!
    P

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  27. A blog friend just showed me your beautiful blog on the weekend as I was having some difficulty setting up some things on my blog and she told me about your great blogging tips. I was able to add 2 things to my blog in a few minutes with your easy and clear instructions. Thank you!! Your kitchen renovation is beautiful! I love the island now and having the cabinets refaced was the way to go. We totally gutted our 38 year old kitchen 2 years ago and put in white shaker style cabinets and a couple of glass doors. We used malamine for the counters and I love them. I got my first ever dishwasher, lazy susan and microwave over the stove!! I love it all, including the in floor heated porcelain tiles. Our old cabinets were stained plywood with black pulls and hinges. Very dated!! I actually enjoy walking into our kitchen in the mornings now. Love your blog!! Blessings, Pamela

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  28. Very nice!
    Lori
    http://www.theverandaatfallingrock.blogspot.com/

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  29. Congratulations! What a difference a new kitchen makes to the whole house! Excellent choices!!

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  30. OH MY! I love your kitchen. I've always been a fan of white kitchens and my husband is a hater. I just showed him the picture and he conceded that the white paired with the black counter tops looks pretty classy. With your help, I'll convert him yet!

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  31. Your kitchen is beautiful! We just redid our and I have a huge island too, all one level. My husband kept saying, it's so big I could sleep on it. I wouldn't have it any smaller and it never feels too small or too big for me.

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  32. My new kitchen is in the planning process now. Thanks for the tour and some great pointers!

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  33. Your kitchen reminds me of mine. We are redoing it now. The appliances are white and cabinets will be white too. Where did the laminate come from and what is the color/style. I love it. Granite is out of my budget for now.

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  34. I love you kitchen re-do. Our kitchen is still in the mid-sixties but very similar to your lay-out. One thing, just where is your refrigerator located?
    I would love to have your island, not sure if there is enough room for a large one, but maybe a shorter one would work.

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  35. We did something very similar in our California house two years before we retired and moved East. It looked like a brand new kitchen when it was done. The cabinets that needed to be changed out were and the rest refaced. Just as you did, I replaced the counters, the lighting and the flooring. Mine looked wonderful and so does yours.

    I think that if the layout is good, and the cabinets are sturdy, this is a great way to go. But I've never seen anyone else do this, or maybe just not admit it.

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  36. Fabulous job on your kitchen re-do! Everything looks great, good choices and within a reasonable budget, kudos to you.

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  37. LOVE the new look! I had to do a kitchen makeover as well...but it was because the original house was gutted by a fire. I have the same draw pulls! LOVE! But, mine are black on cherry cabinets (much darker kitchen) About the granite, I wanted that as well but my kitchen is over my garage and they were afraid that the floors couldn't take the weight! :-( Thankfully I was able to have a piece on an island I have between my dining room and living room

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  38. Your new kitchen is just beautiful and an inspiration! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  39. I love your bog just joined. I too remodeled my kitchen - funny all my inspiration pages from magazines were cream or white - so I thought and did the same thing - I said to myself I must like cream! And cream it was. Your kitchen is fabulous and you should be proud you did it on your budget ( I ended up spending WAY more than I thought - but I got everything I wanted and more) ENJOY, enjoy, enjoy! I found that am a better "cooker" as my kids say... and I agree, I cook and bake a lot more now. You will find the same to be true.
    Fondly,
    JulesMcTool

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  40. OK, I have kitchen envy! Bet you're just tickled pink every time you walk in there now - it's beautiful!

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  41. You did a great job on the kitchen. I also used the granite look-alike when I redid my kitchen about 4 years ago. People always think it is granite. I didn't want to replace my cabinets and I thought it would be a waste to put granite on 35 y/o cabinets in a condo so I'm very happy with what I did. I love your black and white combo; it does look like it could be featured in a magazine.

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  42. I think it is beautiful! Enjoy!
    Kim

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  43. I'm starting to remodel my kitchen and I think I might put in double wall ovens this time around. The entire project is going to take months, but I hope it pays off in the end! I've been waiting to finally get around to redoing the kitchen since we bought the house ten years ago!

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  44. The look of your kitchen has definitely improved! I like the island and the bar stools the most. Even if the island is bigger, it didn't make the area look constricted. I even find the whole area more spacious now. And you have fancy decorations too! Tiny plants are considered as great kitchen decors these days. Congrats on your new kitchen!

    Gabrielle Jeromy @ Majestic Renovations

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  45. Pictures really have a big role when it comes to home improvement projects like this. That's because they will truly show how much the area has changed before and after the renovation. You can see the everything in each shot and how you eventually attained your dream kitchen. It looks great, clean, and very refreshing. Great job!

    Herb Koguchi @ Kroll Construction

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  46. May I just say that your new kitchen looks awesome! The remodeling project was certainly worth the wait. And it's a good thing that you decided to hire competent contractors to work on this project and give you what you desire for your kitchen. I bet dining and family gathering have been lighter and more fun now, right? Congratulations!
    Chase @ G.M. Roth

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  47. Need good web sites re-doing my kitchen need a few ideas or maybe some of those 3d softwear item as you are able to come up with your kitchen and discover where material and devices will fit. all recommendations welcome.More Info

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  48. Love your kitchen, and here a year later are you still in love with it? If not what would you change? I think it is gorgeous! Nancy

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  49. Love those kitchen design! I do like the splashbacks and everything on it!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!