Kitchen pictures please

[kharma]

We bought our house last spring, and started tearing the kitchen apart the day we got the keys. A full remodel wasn't in the cards, but I think we did pretty well. All new appliances and lighting, removed some cabinets, added island, painted some cabinets and added new hardware, butcher block tops, mosaic tile backsplash. Right around $4k including appliances.

Before:

During:

******* knocked this out to run wire then covered with paneling:

(Somewhat) finished:

And the latest additions:

Very happy with the range! We've also finished all the other dated rooms on the first floor, but that's for another thread. WALLPAPER IS THE DEVIL!

 

[bchee]

They were relatively easy to build once the process was in place. All said and done, I bet I had about $500 total in the cabinets when it was complete.

I plan to leave the cabinet boxes, just make new doors.

Did you make your own plans?

 

[colt340]

How much were you able to do yourself?

The wife, kids and I did almost all. We had a electrician and a plumber do some work that needed to be done.

 

[bchee]

We bought our house last spring, and started tearing the kitchen apart the day we got the keys.

I did the same thing, just not only in the kitchen.
The new range was definitely needed.

 

[colt340]

Hey, we just bought that same stove/range for our new kitchen, which we haven't gotten finished yet. We got a helluva deal on it.
How do you like it?

Stove works great. The wife and I both like it, especially the griddle on the
middle burner.

 

[colt340]

Who's cabinets - look like stock HD?

No they didn't come from HD. They are Merrillat Masterpiece series cabinets.
We bought those because I wanted cabinets with boxes that were made with
plywood instead of press board. They cost a little more but well worth the
money.

 

[lupinsea]

I totally missed this important piece of info from the previous post. I'm no professional.
Since I'll be doing everything myself, I've been paralyzed by my fear of making the kitchen look WORSE.

I work as an Architect, for the most part this means sitting at a desk making pretty drawings and modeling things with the occasional site visit . . . not as a professional craftsman of any type.

Most of the projects I've done around my house (including the shed project I'm updating here on GJ) are first time projects.

I never did any concrete counter top work before I did my bathroom vanity counter top. And the concrete window sill was only the second pre-case concrete project I had done.

Before I remodeled our bathroom I had never done any tile work, sheet rock, plumbing (incl. soldering), or electrical.

The kitchen was only the second time I did tile work or plumbing repair. That was also the first time I install linoelum (and I put it on the counter top). But it was the first time I install any kind of flooring. Also the first time using an HVLP paint system to paint the cabinetry.

One doesn't need to be a professional to do a lot of the work on your own house. It certainly helps. And no doubt it will be done very well and faster by a professional. But if you're careful, deliberate, plan ahead, research, ask questions from knowledgeable sources, and be conscientious with your work (and may be practice on some scrap material first) then I think you can handle a lot more than you think you can.

 

[bchee]

One doesn't need to be a professional to do a lot of the work on your own house. It certainly helps. And no doubt it will be done very well and faster by a professional. But if you're careful, deliberate, plan ahead, research, ask questions from knowledgeable sources, and be conscientious with your work (and may be practice on some scrap material first) then I think you can handle a lot more than you think you can.

That's the kind of pep talk I needed. Seriously.
Thanks

 

[StumpFJ40]

My kitchen...in flux: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stumpsteph/sets/72157624264318929/

 

[96Mustang460cid]

Before photographs:

Progress:

Tomorrow, I'm going to buy the stain grade maple to reface the existing cabinet grade plywood. In hindsight, I would have used stain grain plywood on the sides and solid wood for the fronts... oh well . This way is more work, but it'll turn out just fine.

Once I reface the cabinets, I'll have the doors made (raised panel) and stain everything.

Have a good day!
Michael

 

[65Stang]

I plan to leave the cabinet boxes, just make new doors.

Did you make your own plans?

That is actually what I did. I kept the frames and replaced the face trim, doors, drawer faces, and exposed sides. Just took opening measurements and started fabricating. If I had to do it again, I would have made new boxes, but only because the depth of the existing cabinets was 1" deeper than standard, so it made it difficult to use the prefactricated top.

 

[bchee]

I notice some guys are putting in the counter top BEFORE the backsplash. Doesn't it make more sense to do it the other way around (so you don't damage the countertop)?

 

[shoot summ]

Here is mine, 50's kitchen, kept the job built boxes, removed the soffits at the top, trimmed the bottom, new doors and drawers and a fresh coat of enamel sprayed on. I don't have any finished pics, tend to skip that part for some reason, used Oba Tuba granite for the tops.

 

[bchee]

What do you guys think about diamond plate backsplash?

(I don't got to worry about no wife telling me what to do)

 

[Mchele10]

I notice some guys are putting in the counter top BEFORE the backsplash. Doesn't it make more sense to do it the other way around (so you don't damage the countertop)?

bchee, There may be exceptions, but most of the time you want the counter top in first so the backsplash goes over the counter top. That way, any water (etc.) that gets splashed up goes on to the counter, and doesn't drip behind it.

 

[lupinsea]

Also, Often times the walls in our houses aren't perfectly flat and straight (warped / bowed boards, etc.). Careful builders will try their best when framing to get any cabinet walls especially straight but there's only so much that can be done.

This is to say that often there will be a slight gap between back edge of counter top and the wall. The back splash helps to conceal this gap.

If you are concerned about marking up the counter top during the back splash install you can easily protect the counter top by taping down chunks of cardboard boxes. And this goes for just about any surface. If you're worried about it during a particular phase, protect it. I end up using a lot of masking tape for all sorts of covering. I use it to get a good clean sealant line (tape along both sides of the joint to be gooped, goop, run your finger down to smooth out the bead, then remove tape), and even when doing the tile work (so any thinset or grout that oozes out gets on the tape and not the walls).

 

[lupinsea]

What do you guys think about diamond plate backsplash?

(I don't got to worry about no wife telling me what to do)

I think it would look very cool, especially if you do a full height back splash from the counter to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Aluminum, I take it?

You can probably simply glue it onto the wall. Not much weight nor will it get banged into a lot. Probably something like liquid nails or other construction adhesive, then you don't have to worry about exposing the fasteners.

 

[OldCarGuy]

There are some very impressive kitchens in this thread. Though the lady of the house sees the kitchen as the most important place in the house. But like in my garages, I value functionality and “best bang for the buck” over curb appeal. Plus I'm the one who spends most the time in there!

I have spent $4,200.00 in materials that includes the granite counter tops, all the framing & cabinetry wood, wiring & devices, S.S. under-sink & faucet, hinges, pulls and handles, drawer slides, drywall, and paint. And another $3,300.00 for all new appliances. All the labor was performed by myself for a grand total of $7,500.00.

The cabinets and doors fronts are made from 3/4” Cabinet Grade Oak Plywood. There are a total of 20 cabinet doors and 29 drawers most with ball bearing double slide guides. Some of the smaller drawers use two side rollers and a single rear center roller. I remade the soffits above the wall cabinets and painted the walls and ceiling. There are a total of 9 duplex outlets on three circuits plus a dedicated circuit for the refrigerator, one for the microwave, and one for the dishwasher. The counter tops are solid granite along with full granite back-splashes to the bottoms of the wall cabinets. Then I installed a new double bowl stainless steel under-sink with faucet soap dispenser and garbage disposal, dishwasher, trash compactor, stove hood, microwave with built in toaster, 26 cu ft double door refrigerator, and electric smooth top stove with a double convection oven.

I have since replaced the white under-counter can opener that was temporarily installed. With a new black Black & Decker opener when it arrived...

 

[OldCarGuy]

With the left over lumber from this kitchen remodeling. I made cabinets for the nose of my car hauler....

Here's pictures of the kitchen that I remodeled at my old house. The cabinets are cherry factory made. A lot less work than making your own; but far costlier....

 

[bchee]

Looks like countertop material on the backsplash

 

[OldCarGuy]

Looks like countertop material on the backsplash

Yes I ran 3/4" granite from the counter top to the bottom of the wall cabinets. I removed plastic bricks that the original owner put in. That left the drywall in terrible shape. And rather than replacing the drywall, I simply completely covered it with granite... I got the idea from a display at a granite supplier showroom...

 

[bchee]

I'm thinking about black cabinets with diamond plate backsplash

 

[randydupree]

heres a few pics of my kitchen with bowling alley lane countertops and alum back splashs.

1- installing the backsplash
2-we are using Lista tool boxes for cabinets
3-our kitchen table,solid oak,and 12'X6'
4 island countertop with the cutout for the 60'' range
5-cabinets with top and backsplash and the staircase going to the loft.

The stove has its own pot filler,the island is 11' on each side

 

[bchee]

heres a few pics of my kitchen with bowling alley lane countertops and alum back splashs.

1- installing the backsplash
2-we are using Lista tool boxes for cabinets
3-our kitchen table,solid oak,and 12'X6'
4 island countertop with the cutout for the 60'' range
5-cabinets with top and backsplash and the staircase going to the loft.

The stove has its own pot filler,the island is 11' on each side

That's one of the coolest kitchens I've ever seen

 

[randydupree]

heres a few pics of my kitchen with bowling alley lane countertops and alum back splashs.

1- installing the backsplash
2-we are using Lista tool boxes for cabinets
3-our kitchen table,solid oak,and 12'X6'
4 island countertop with the cutout for the 60'' range
5-cabinets with top and backsplash and the staircase going to the loft.

The stove has its own pot filler,the island is 11' on each side

This kitchen and living room is 2000SF,its in an old brick warehouse.
The build is here http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7779

 

[bchee]

bump to see if anyone else wanted to add some remodel picts