TLB's KITCHEN REVEAL

IT'S FINALLY FINISHED......our sweet little vacation home has a brand new kitchen. I'm so excited! It's fresh and bright and crisp.....and a perfect choice that our family will enjoy for years to come!

Let's start at the beginning----



THE KITCHEN BEFORE

*   Almond Thermofoil builder grade cabinets--had begun to peel pretty significantly around   the perimeters of the doors
*   Beige speckled Formica countertops 
*   Ivory cast iron sink
*   Short stainless faucet
*   GE PROFILE and Bosch Stainless appliances (replaced 4 years ago)
*   No backsplash
*   No crown molding above cabinets
*   Home Depot standard hardware

Peeling of the old Thermofoil edges of some cabinets and drawers before.........

Peter working on the renovation........preparing the new doors for installation.

THE KITCHEN AFTER

When we first thought about renovating the kitchen, because we have 10 foot ceilings, we thought it would be a nice visual to replace the upper cabinets with longer 42 inch. As we priced out the new size cabinets along with some other changes, the numbers were just not in the budget we had set for the project.

FINAL KITCHEN UPGRADES-

*   Pre'moule' Thermoplastic custom doors....these doors are made of reconstituted wood   (MDF) covered with a film of thermoplastic.  Pre'moule is the North American industry leader in post formed countertops and custom cabinet doors and accessories. This company carries a 10 year Warranty on their products.
*   Prem'oule' hardware including silent close hinges, door knobs and drawer pulls
*   Crown molding--4 inch around top perimeter of cabinets
*   Addition of one long pantry door instead of two
*   Plain end panels were covered with door fronts
*   Toe kick, crown molding, and any exposed trim was painted with Benjamin Moore 
     Advance Waterborne Interior Alkyd paint--custom mixed to match the white cabinets
*   Walls were freshened with Benjamin Moore Regal Select in Van Alen Green (HC-120)
*   Installed new stainless one bowl sink--15 1/2 by 29 inches
*   Installed new faucet--Moen Arbon 1-Handle Pull Down Sprayer Spot Resistant Stainless
*   New backsplash-- Subway tile--white glazed
*   New Pompeii Quartz Countertops and bar top--color Vanilla Ice--increased the depth of 
    bar top by 6 inches....total depth now--19 inches 

****We improved our over the sink lighting about 7 years ago with the two pendant lights
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View from the dining room into the NEW KITCHEN.......

The counter space below allowed space to create a small coffee nook, which works out perfectly for a bar set-up for parties also. The new length of the pantry door allows for a sleeker look and incorporates into the flow much easier. Finishing the top edge of the cabinets with crown molding gives the upper cabinets a much more finished look. 

To keep stainless sparkling clean I LOVE the following products--CERAMA BRYTE for Stainless Steel and CERAMA BRYTE for Glass-Ceramic Cooktops. (I order both from  Amazon.) I purchase microfiber cloths in a pack of 3 at THE DOLLAR STORE....I've found that buy using a microfiber cloth streaking is eliminated.

I use the cleaner on my coffee maker also.

 Top of cabinets....

--Round Seagrass Tray with Leather---Williams Sonoma 
--Large Lacey Vases---Overstock.com

The Prem'oule' doors are beautifully detailed with several layers of routed edges, giving the door the look of a solid wood door.

The extension of the Pompeii quartz bar top works out beautifully for entertaining or casual dining. 

The matching drawer fronts with new hardware completes the updated look.

Adding a REV-A-SHELF pull out base tray (below) allows easy access to pots and pans. You may purchase this at:

https://www.rev-a-shelf.com/p-185-base-cabinet-pullout-single-wire-basket-sink-and-base-accessories.aspx

The addition of the faucet....Moen Arbon 1-Handle Pull Down Sprayer Spot Resistant Stainless (Home Depot) and one-bowl stainless sink (from counter top vendor) add to the sleek work area. By eliminating the two bowl top mount sink, and under mounting the new stainless, we gained 6 more inches of work space. 

 

 A beautiful finished look is achieved by adding door panels to the end of each cabinet.

White glazed subway tile was installed along with the new Pompeii-Vanilla Ice quartz countertops.

Above the cabinets are two white vases from HOMEGOODS and my previous TLB DIY MONOGRAM TRAY project. 

OUR EXPERIENCE TO SHARE.......

1.  It's important to obtain several estimates. 
2.  You are likely to pay less by going with small local companies that are recommended by friends or other vendors. We experienced this first hand, especially with both our cabinet and our quartz purchases....the prices we ended up with were significantly LESS than even the "big box store prices!"
3. Even if the sales person comes to your home with products in hand and presents him or herself well......go to their showroom or offices! In Florida we encountered one fraudulent company along the way...and they were recommended on Angie's List!! 
4.  Do your due diligence when it comes to quality of cabinetry.....it's a big world out there filled with some outstanding, quality cabinets with great prices! After all you are searching for quality.
5.  A great way to SAVE your hard earned dollars...if you are satisfied with your existing cabinet locations, reuse your existing boxes, and just add new silent door hinges, door and drawer fronts, and hardware. 

Thanks for joining TLB for our kitchen reveal. I hope our experience will be of help

to many of you that are contemplating your own kitchen renovation.

                                                         Happy Renovating!


                                                       Kathleen