Kitchen Remodel

Our kitchen has gone through several changes since we moved in six years ago. First, before we even moved in, we removed the hideous linoleum (and the other hideous linoleum that was hiding underneath), and had the entire area tiled. Then I painted it my favorite shade of apple green. Finally, back in 2008, Chad installed new countertops and a bigger sink. I was so happy with the results:

My ultimate dream was to refinish the cabinets, but it was too big of a job to wrap my head around, and Chad was not excited about it. So I resigned myself to be content with trying to polish up the old brown cabinets as best I could to make it look nice.

But then, my parents told me that for Christmas they were giving me a kitchen cabinet remodel! I was beside myself with excitement. Chad was ambivalent, and made it pretty clear that he didn't want to help with any actual work. He was skeptical of my vision of a country kitchen with beadboard cabinets. He didn't believe me when I reassured him that an upgraded kitchen will be a great selling point some day. In short, this project was all for me, and all I cared about was that he was letting it happen. At any rate, my parents showed up, and we got to work.

First, we removed all the doors and hinges. Then while I worked on prepping and priming the bodies of the cabinets, my mom cut trim for all the doors. And she brought her nail gun, which was our best friend during this project.

We cut the trim,

placed it on the doors,

and nailed it in place.

Then the 1/8-inch beadboard was cut to fit inside the trim of each door, and on the ends of the cabinets as well. We used adhesive to glue the light-weight beadboard in place. Then we caulked, patched, and painted.

Here's what the kitchen looked like mid-project:

And the drawers got a similar treatment to the doors.

Finally, my mom taped herself inside a plastic tent to spray-paint the lazy susan in the corner. Now that's love.

With some new hardware, an updated treatment for the soffit, and some new appliances, it was done!

It feels so much bigger and brighter, and I really love the crown moulding around the soffit.

Before:

 After:

I cannot express how much I love it. Best. Christmas present. Ever.

Oh, and guess who agrees that the new kitchen is a selling point? Yep. Chad has seen the light.

Completed October 2011