Kitchen remodeling
Let the staining begin
This weekend, I made just two things in my kitchen: a lasagna that will hopefully feed us for the next several days and a giant pile of sawdust. And by that last item, I do literally mean a pile of sawdust, not a cake gone awry.
Back in November 2008 I wrote a blog entry called “One can always dream…” about the changes I would love to make to my kitchen. Attached was a photo of my kitchen as it looked until recently, when we started destroying it. We spent this weekend sanding the old, 50+ -year-old varnish off our knotty pine cabinets so we can restain them and get new hardware before hiring somebody to replace the ratty, old butcher block counter and that hideous faux brick back splash that I sponge-painted green.
I now have a sore throat, a pair of dust-filled lungs (even with a mask, yes) and a blank canvas. I couldn’t be happier to have finished what I think will be the hardest part of our low-budget kitchen remodel. Staining will not be fun, I know. Neither will trying to find 3.5-inch handles for our doors when 3.5-inch handles are no longer the standard size for kitchen cabinets. But neither task could compare to crouching on my kitchen counter all weekend, at times with my neck craned upside down, trying to coax the stain off intricate little areas with a mouse sander. I never want to see a mouse sander again.
These little shelves were a pain to sand.
I won't be cooking much this week!
When the kitchen is finished, it will be more aesthetically pleasing, with cherry-colored cabinets, a natural stone-colored back splash and a greenish-gray laminate counter. I also hope it will be better organized.
Yesterday, as I filled random boxes and tubs and laundry baskets with all of my dishes and pantry items, I realized just how disorganized my kitchen cabinets really are. I mean, I found utensils and spices that I forgot I even owned. I realized I’d gone out and bought a new bud vase when I have a perfectly fine bud vase stowed way up in the unreachable top of a corner cabinet. I may have to fashion a larger pantry area in the basement for items I don’t use on a weekly basis, but I’d also like some ideas for cabinet reorganization.
IKEA sells several organizational tools for the kitchen, such as shelves to add a layer of storage and baskets that affix to the back of cabinet doors to hold cleaning supplies and the like. I still haven’t found a solution for all of my spices, though. I’ve got spices out the wazoo. If anyone has advice as I proceed with remodeling and reorganizing my kitchen, particularly in the area of spice storage, I’d love to hear it.
Have any of you recently started or completed a budget-friendly kitchen redo?
February 22, 2010 - 11:09 AM
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That kitchen reminds me of my parents house, that I grew up in. It was built in the ’50′s.
You may be able to find handles though the Habitat resale place.
Some of my spices are on a wall rack, and I have a set in a rotating organizer. Its hard to have a rack for all of them. Perhaps you can find a suitable rack at Habitat or another place second hand that does not need too much work.
Lindsey-I was never so organized as when I lived within a few miles of The Container Store…luckily they are now on line…wish there was one here.
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen
Just wandering around can give you ideas!!!
We won’t be re-doing our kitchen for a long while, it’s brand new! We got the kitchen layout about the way we had always wanted one, minus having the stovetop in the island…but after having it the way we currently do, I like the way we currently have it. I might like to expand our island/bar set-up to include a bar sink…but we already have the kitchen sink a couple feet away so it would be a bit much.
The cabinet organization is a thing I try to pride myself on. I have everything sorted and organized by task or purpose (and near where I would need it), and it’s all easy to find. Handheld or seldom used mini appliances are in one cabinet, our pots & pans, oft-used gadgets, and glass bakeware are in the island, adjacent to the stove. The metal bakeware are in the storage drawer under the oven, while oven mits, trivets, and kitchen towels are over the stove. Spices and oils are to the left of the stove, where they’re convenient. Plates and bowls sit left of the sink and dishwasher while glasses and mugs are to the right. Silverware, kitchen utencils, and foil/plastic wrap type goods are in our 3 drawers by the fridge. Our food storage and presentation items are stored in a different set of cabinets, with boxed food items and raw cooking ingredients above (flour, sugar, etc), and the pantry just to the right. It’s a layout that works for me, I hated finding those items I forgot about until they were long expired.
So much for getting any work done today; I will now be perusing the Container Store Web site for the rest of the day. Ha! But seriously, Betsy, thanks. And this little item might be a big help for my spices:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/spiceStorage?productId=10018251
Either that or one of those in-drawer spice racks, so long as my drawers are deep enough (and I have my doubts).
I think my kitchen is organized well in terms of what goes where, it’s just that I have way too much stuff! So I’ll need to be brutal when I go through and decide what really needs to be at arm’s length and what can go on shelves in the basement. I have one cabinet that is packed full of spices, rubs, marinades, oils and vinegars of varying flavors. Then I have a drawer that is also full of spices. AAAACK! I THOUGHT I needed the cocoa chili powder and the gray sea salt…
On the bright side, running up and down the basement stairs will burn some calories
Ken, where did your parents live? Lots of folks say our kitchen reminds them of their childhood home. I think they used a lot of knotty pine in Roanoke kitchens.
Lindsey,
I grew up in Marion, VA. My dad built the house himself in the late 1950s. I think the kitchen cabinets were mass produced, but a pretty common design for the ’50s. Those cabinets with the little shelves are a lot like the ones in the old house. The windows look very similar too!
Just for the heck of it, try Lowes and Home Depot to see if they have handles to fit your cabinets.. never hurts to look.
I always wanted a pantry-like cabinet with the spice drawers that slide out and then back in for storage. Never got it!
We plan to do a similar remodel to our kitchen in a few years. We have very dark cabinets, which is not good in a small galley style kitchen. I really like the look of using white subway tiles as a back splash. I love the clean, bright white and it’s easy to wipe off. However, I’m not sure what to do with the cabinets, if I want to paint them (easier) or sand them down like you and Howard and re-stain. Perhaps I’ll wait to see how you rate the difficulty of your remodel and then decide!
A few years ago, our neighbors painted their cabinets white and painted the back splash & surrounding walls red. They used flat black hardware on the cabinets. I love the simple style they chose.
Oh, and I found a similar tier at Target, but it’s white plastic, not the silver mesh.
Lori: We thought about painting our cabinets, but Howard doesn’t like white cabinets. I like them, but I think white looks better on a cabinet that has a multi-dimensional surface. Ours are just flat, and I worried that painting would pick up every imperfection. Of course, to re-stain you really have to get a good sanded surface. I will be sure to report back with lessons learned when we are done. Oh, and I like plain white tile for a backsplash, too. You could put a patterned tile here and there to break up the white.
Ken: Unfortunately, we already searched Lowe’s and Home Depot high and low, in-store and online, and there are so few 3.5-inch handles out there today. If we don’t find some, we will have to putty the old holes and re-drill. Which should be interesting…
And that kitchen looks very similar to the one we used to have in a house we rented in Dublin, it was one of the mass-produced 3 bedroom, 1 bath brick ranchers. Not completely the same, but very, very similar. Another rental we lived in that was renovated in the 50′s had a similar kitchen layout, and nearly identical cabinets too.
Lindsey, it’s been almost twenty years since 3.5″ handles were considered somewhat ‘standard’ in homes, so you’ll have no luck finding them in any store. Your best bet is to go to a local cabinet shop & ask them to special order them for you. The second best alternative is to go to a hardware store & buy some wood filler that matches your cabinets (they look like pine). Ask to make sure the filler will also accept stain, so it will blend in better when you stain the cabinets. Now, you could also consider this – the standard is 3″, so depending on which style of handle you buy, you might actually be able to just drill one new hole, and the handle escutcheon would cover the old hole. It might work.
If it were me, I’d just putty the hole & stain to match, then you have a limitless array of pull options. If you order the 3.5″ pulls, you’ll only have a limited selection.
Lindsey, one suggestion on your backsplash. From the pic, it looks like subway tile. You might be able to just paint it white, and not have to replace it. I always thought subway tile gave a nice urban appeal to a kitchen. It just depends on your desires, and how the tile actually appear…
One other comment, it looks like you did a great job on sanding the cabinets. That is VERY time consuming! Once stained, they should be very pretty. Heck, I think they’d be pretty if you just put a virtually clear stain on them, with the grain of the wood. I know they’re not ultra-expensive custom cabinets, but that woodgrain is VERY nice!
I tried googling 3.5 inch cabinet pulls and these sites came up:
http://www.kitchen-cabinet-hardware.com/3.5-inch-pulls.php
http://www.designerhardware.com/Cabinet_Pulls_with_3_5_Inches_Center_to_Center_s/1070.htm
http://www.inchpulls.com/3.5-inch.php
Good luck with the remodel
For handles, try Van Dyke’s Restorers. There’s also Restoration Hardware, but they are a little pricey.
I bought about 100 of these 4 oz tin containers at the Specialty Bottle company. http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=47
I made square labels for the tops for my spices. Each one is big enough to fit an entire spice jar from the grocery store. I put them in ABC order in Rubbermaid rectangular boxes (small–only 2-3 inches high) that I bought at Walmart. You can stack the spice containers 2 deep inside the container and it worked really well. I can send you a picture if you want. No more searching for spices and having all of the same size containers makes storage easy. I have a tiny kitchen, but have about 100 spices that I use, so I needed to find a simple solution.
Lindsey -
If you do have to plug the holes – consider using wooden dowels if possible. Then you cut the dowels off flush with a small saw. An Xacto saw would work out well, it has a fine blade and not too pricey. You may have to use some filler too, but will be much more solid with wood in there.
I guess I should be the other Ken but I think I was the first Ken to blog. Anyway, I’m in the business, as they say. General contractor, remodeler, and gastronome. http://WWW.amerock.com should have some hardeware for you. Or you could consider a back plate, which would cover the existing holes and allow you to do anything you like. Also, be sure to use a pre stain treatment on your wood. If no one else, I can help with your new tops. Don’t buy from the big box stores, ready to install. Way too costly.
If you want to talk, wright back with a phone number.
On another note, had dinner Sat. nite at 202. One of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Have you tried e-bay for the handles? I had great luck there when we remodeled our kitchen. Very inexpensive as well.
Hey Ab, I’m surprised it hasn’t been longer than 20 years! Haha! Thanks for the kind words about our sanding job. It was a chore.
Many special order pulls are very expensive (I just can’t spend $15-$20 per pull!) but Tamara, there are some ones I like on those links you sent! Thanks! Funny how I can Google all day long and someone else runs a search and finds something I did not!
If we don’t find them, we’ll do what you said, Ab: putty and re-drill. They are pine. Dowels are a good idea too, Ken#1. Someone else said you can save some sawdust and mix it with the putty to create the wood look. We need to go talk to the guys at that woodworking shop near Sam’s Club.
Ab, the back splash is actually something called Z Brick (or a version of that). It is supposed to look like real brick, but it is a synthetic thing about 1/2 inch thick that is glued to a board. It had been painted solid white when we moved in. Stuff traps dirt and grunge like nobody’s business.
Ken#2, thank you for the offer! We have found a counter installer we feel good about. Your advice on pre-stain is genius. I was wondering about that.
I’ve had luck with http://www.rejuvenation.com and http://www.restorationhardware.com when it comes to ‘retro’ handles, knobs and various houseparts… Good luck.
Lindsey -
You can save sawdust and use it as a filler. It should be easy to sand and stain as well.
Please tell me you’re not going to paint those gorgeous cabinets red, or did I read wrong — maybe you meant a cherry STAIN? I love knotty pine, but maybe I’m just an old fogie. Have you considered a “wash” rather than paint or stain? I have paneling in my house that I hated, and I used a wash on it. It’s much more tolerable now, although I’d rather have it gone altogether.
I don’t have a lot of space in my kitchen, but have lots of different spices. I use these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0002TVV34/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen
which I hang on these on the wall behind my stove (I’ve got 2):
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00136621
Not painting them, Susan. Just staining them a nicer color than the old orange shallac-look. I know it looked good in the “before” pic, but when you are right up on them they were showing a lot of age.
I was recently on the 3.5″ drawer pull search myself and the best selection I could find was at amerock.com as well. My other suggestion is slide inserts in the cupboards where you store pots and pans. My cupboards are deep and I’m able to take advantage of the space without crawling halfway in to reach items in the back. Plus I can store lids, cookie sheets, cake pans, etc. vertically to take advantage of space. They’re pricey but so very worth it.
the shelves are nice, but I ditched mine years ago because of the wasted space underneath. it was not effective. another option is bed bath and beyond – they have metal tins that you can use command strips to velcro the bottles to the inside of the doors. I did this with often used spices and used clear containers so I know how much is in them. I also have just made a spice drawer. After I weeded out the utensiles that I never used, I found that I had an extra drawer in my kitchen. I then lined up all the bottles/canisters/containers on their sides and now have a nice easy pull out next to the stove which makes it crazy easy.
Lindsey, have you tried Black Dog Salvage here in Roanoke? If they don’t have what you need, I’m certain they’ll point you in the right direction.
Considering the depressing state of my kitchen, in that it offered very few cabinets and even less counter space, it was time to take the plunge and remodel. Having a clear mind picture of the finished project I was able to accomplish my goal of completion in a timely manner and on budget. Personally I took on about 45% of the planning and construction, saving a considerable amount of money. It also helps in lining up all your subcontrators (team players) well in advance. I documented the entire project and put it up on a web page for all to see. If I had to do it all over again ‘would I?’ Absolutely! It was fun, but very messy and inconvenient at times.
Check it out: http://www.sellthesizzle.com/kitchen.htm
There is a “plywood supply store” at the corner of Madison and Gainsboro (near Roanoke Catholic school) that carries an incredibly wide-range of cabinet pulls. I’d look there.
Check out handmade Arts & Crafts tiles at:
http://www.artsandcraftstile.com/index.html
The Habitat Store has great deals on hardward as well.
Wow, you can tell a lot of work went into your project, Lindsey! I used to have a kitchen that had the old St. Charles metal cabinets in them. I had the cabinets re-enameled and then replaced the 3-1/2″ handles with dual white porcelain knobs (small ones in the top holes and large ones in the lower holes). It really gave them a different, custom look; they were cheap; and filling holes in the metal cabinets wasn’t an option.
Our current kitchen is considered an ‘eat in’ one, but the breakfast bar/seating area is too small for anything but a parlor table. So, we are installing a pantry, cabinets, and a 30″ deep, L-shaped solid-surface workstation to replace the bar and fill the corner. I don’t have enough counter space to even roll out a pie crust w/o clearing everything off to the family room first. I also plan to put up a pot rack to free up some cabinet space, which can then be used to store small appliances or similar ‘counter-space robbers’. I keep many pantry items & appliances in the basement now, and it’s a chore to haul them up when needed. If I had the $$, I’d replace the existing pine cabinets, too; but they are already painted white and it would be a pain to refinish them, and they are (at least) functional for now.
Thank you, everyone, for the good ideas that keep rolling in!