Tag Archives: Cabinets

Part 2 of our Kitchen Transformation

If you have not seen Part 1 of our Kitchen Transformation click HERE.  You can also see our video constructions updates for a more in-depth, up close and personal look at everything, including the lessons we learned along the way.

So, the was the first piece of quartz installed. Sorry for the poor lighting, they still had not installed all the lights at this point. Also, outside the kitchen window is a temporary storage shed that will be moved, once we can move our stuff back in.

There will be a false drawer front that matches the cabinets surrounding the farmhouse sink. It is still being made in the factory, but we will show you what a difference it makes when installed. Again, the shed in the back is just temporary.

That is my plumber checking out the island top. I noticed after they left it was not even so they had to come back and redo that and the sink. Fun times.

The opening for the cooktop is cut on site. They bring in a fan that sucks out the dust and through an attached large tunnel tube it is blown outside. They also have a vacuum running.

Once the sinks had set, the faucets were installed along with the dishwasher and cooktop. We also installed the 3 pendant lights over the island and the one over the sink.  Then, the rest of the cabinets could be installed.

We need to get the crown molding installed on top of the cabinets and most of the interior cabinet lighting as well as the under cabinet and upper cabinet lighting. The cabinets still need to be aligned and the hardware installed. My biggest problem is, I cannot find a backsplash tile I like. Hope to do that this weekend. We have some more work to do but we have come a long way.


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Our Kitchen Transformation

So, if you don’t follow us on YouTube you might have missed all the construction updates on our house. If you would like to catch up, you can go to the Construction Update Playlist. In those videos, I share all the goofs, mishaps, mistakes and problems we encountered along the way. Here are some photos to show you where we started and how far we have come.

This was the kitchen before as is, it was a mess when I took these photos because we were in the middle of moving out.

This was during the demo of the kitchen, after the tile floor was removed.

The soffits were coming down, so they had to rip them out. We found a surprise under them.

That pipe near the window was our surprise. At first they thought it was a waste line from the upstairs bathroom that could not be moved, but they found out it was not, and we were able to move it!

Some new electric lines were installed and then they started putting the new insulation in. The recessed lighting also was moved.

Next, the sheet rock was put up and spackled.

Then they had to paint. They installed Hardibacker Board in preparation for the tile.

Next the tile floors needed to go in.

After the tile was in and grouted, our Wood-Mode Cabinets were delivered.

We protected our floors with a Red Rosin paper that is used as an underlayment for wood flooring

There were a lot of cabinets, moldings and trim delivered.

These were the first cabinets installed.

The new ovens were ready to be installed.

 

We had to wait to install the upper cabinets on the other side until the template was done for the quartz countertops because the cabinet in the corner sits on the countertop.

That is the end of this update, be sure to check out Part 2 of our Kitchen Transformation and Picking out our backsplash.  If you want to see more check out our YouTube Construction Update Videos.


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New Kitchen Update -Choosing Our Cabinets, Sinks, Countertop and More!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope everyone’s year is off to a great start. I have some updates on our new kitchen. While the demo and everything in the house is going to take another 8 weeks at least, we are making headway with our kitchen decisions.

I believe, I shared our choice of Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry for our kitchen. We are going with their Brookhaven line and our door style is Winter Haven Raised.

The first time I went into the kitchen design center and started working with Regina, our kitchen designer, I was sure I was going with Antique White. Yesterday, when my husband and I were there together making final decisions, I changed my color choice. I am going with Vintage Lace.

Wood-Mode’s Vintage Opaque is a distinctive glaze applied over the base color which in our case is Lace and adds a brushed appearance to the surface while highlighting the details of the door style and architectural elements.

It is funny because the first time I was there, I was sure I did not want that look and yet, the second time, I was sold on it. I feel that is why it is so important to meet with your kitchen designer multiple times in the planning stages of your project. So far, we have been to the kitchen showroom 2 times and Regina has been out to our house once to take measurements.

Now, that we are getting closer to putting the order in, she will come out again to make sure everything is correct. It is so nice to work with a kitchen designer who has experience and guides you along through the process. Yesterday, I remember clearly  saying to myself, “Wow, I am so glad she thought of that!”

The other thing is, they can give you great advice that can save you money and headaches. For instance, since my cooktop is mounted against an outside wall, she advised me not to go with a pot filler. I was not sold on one either, you may remember my earlier post.

The reason is, living in upstate New York, there is a danger of the pipes freezing which would cause extensive damage to our kitchen. Dealing with the damage from a leak is something we are familiar with and do not wish to deal with again if we can help it.

I know you can mount them on deck but I don’t want that sticking out of the counter top. Truthfully, the more I read about them, the more I am glad to have that reason for not putting one in. You still need to carry the water back to your sink. We decided to add an island prep sink which is behind the stove area. This will allow us to fill pots even if someone is at the kitchen sink.  I am good with that.

I am really excited about how I was able to utilize a lot of what I considered dead space in my old kitchen. My kitchen did have a lot of bells and whistles but there were some things  I wanted to change. We have so many baking trays, cookie sheets, cutting boards, cooling racks etc. In my old kitchen, I did have a tray cabinet but it was not large enough for everything we had.

It is not a matter of getting rid of some of it because we cook and bake all the time and use it all. So we added more slotted storage to our kitchen. The cabinet above the refrigerator is one that we hardly used. It contained some light bulbs and a container of glue. We  added tray storage up there and I think it is going to be great.

We also have a bottom tray cabinet next to the stove as we did before and over the ovens we put more slotted storage. We have an oven drawer under the double ovens as we did before to handle frequently used pans and sheets.

Something else I am super excited about, are the great pull out cabinets we put on the other side of our cooktop. If you think our tray situation was excessive, our collection of spatulas, ladles, cooking spoons and other cooking tools rivals it. Currently, we had two large utensil drawers and 2 large crocks on the counter. I wanted to find a more useful and out-of-sight way to store what we needed.

Browsing Pinterest, I found these great pull out cabinets with crocks built-in. I showed them to my kitchen designer who incorporated them into the design. The insert is made by a company called Rev-a-Shelf, and they have so many creative ways to get the most out of your kitchen.

We have another pull out cabinet like that but with a different insert that can handle our cooking oils, sprays etc. In an upper cabinet to the right of the cooktop we have our spice cabinet.

Being tall, I hate having to stoop down to see all the way to the back of lower cabinets. In my current kitchen, there are only three cabinets I had to do that. The rest all had roll outs or were drawer units. In this kitchen we made sure that there are no cabinets that would cause me to lay on the floor or crawl into to see what is in the back.

I eliminated the desk area and glass door cabinet that was above it from my current kitchen. We did not use the desk and it was a catch-all for everything as were the glass door cabinets. In its place we added some more pull out pantry storage which I am crazy about.

The new refrigerator is being set into cabinets to give it a built-in look. On the side of my fridge in my other kitchen, I had decorative raised panels that matched the cabinets. In our new kitchen design we added some useful storage.  We are putting in a functioning cabinet that will have lower storage for our broom, dust pan etc and upper storage for cleaning supplies, garbage bags etc. Something similar to this design I saw on Pinterest.

In the new kitchen we have extended all our upper cabinets to 42″. This extra cabinet space will give us the room we need to store appliances that we don’t use every day. We are removing the extended sofits to make room for the taller cabinets. On top of the cabinets we will add a very nice crown molding.

We are in the process of picking out our new quartz counters. In my old kitchen I had quartz counters and I love them. However, I want a little more movement in the new ones. I think I have found my countertop but not 100% sure.

Regina had me bring home my door sample and a large sample of the counter to look at it in the kitchen to make it easier for me to decide.

We are putting in a Farmhouse sink from Nantucket sinks and it has a really nice drain that we also chose from their website that never lets your hands touch the mess in the drain. Really cool and that is not all!

The sink has two front sides so you can choose what design you want. The smooth front of the Hyannis or the decorative side of the Chatham. I still have to pick the faucet. Oh, all the decisions!

We love the built-in butcher block we have in our old kitchen and so we went with one in this design also. It will be built into the side of the island to the right of the prep sink. We placed the pull out waste and recycling underneath so you can peel and chop and then just shove scraps right into the trash. To the side of the cutting board we put a large drawer to store our knives, and next to that, we put our utensil storage.

 

Another big change we are making is using two of the large island drawers to hold our dishes with a peg drawer inserts. This will make it easier to set the table and for the kids to get dishes themselves without having to climb up to reach them in upper cabinets. We added about 12 inches to the length of our island and this allowed us to put a 12 inch cabinet on the end with doors to store serving pieces, dishes and glasses.

Over the cooktop we have an English Country Elliptical Range Hood that matches the cabinets. I am not certain we are going with this style but I am leaning toward it.

The microwave will be hung over the counter next to the double ovens.

All of the cabinet doors and drawers are soft close and the doors are the full overlay style. We picked out our hardware too and I really like the way it looks and feels. The drawer pulls are nice and large and can accommodate hands of all sizes.

We have a large storage pantry in the same spot we did before but instead of having those wooden racks that pull and slide out to hold cans, we have added slide out shelf pull outs that our designer tells me I will find much more useful.

We are using commercial style appliances and I will update you on those in another post. For the flooring we are going to do a wood look porcelain tile. It is someone like the one I have but darker which I think will make the cabinets pop!

I think this is a long enough update for now. We have some exciting things to share regarding lighting with you soon. Let me know what you think of what we have picked out so far.

 


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Filed under Cooking, Curb Appeal, DIY, Home, Home & Garden, Kitchen

Maximize Your Kitchen Storage #Giveaway

Right now, my home is under construction in a few areas, one is my kitchen. I literally have had to remove everything in my cabinets and kitchen in order to get ready for the demo that is going to begin there. Having all my cabinets empty is so strange. I should take a photo because it is a rare thing. Normally, I think of ways to maximize storage of my plastic containers, pot lids, spices and more.

Are you looking for ways to organize, condense and maximize your storage space? If so, I just discovered some great products from YouCopia.

kitchen-storage

I knew I had to have the StoraStack because I really need to organize my food storage containers. I used to spend so much time digging around the drawer looking for the right lid.

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The StoraStack smartly organizes food containers in your kitchen drawer. Two clip dispensers can be positioned as needed to hold two container stacks in place. Individual slots keep matching lids upright so everything stays tidy and easy to find.

storastack

 

My next issue was pot lids sliding around in my roll outs. That is why I like the StoreMore Lid Holder.

lid-holder

The StoreMore Lid Holder organizes all of your pot and pan lids in the cabinet or pantry. Strong wire dividers can be adjusted to keep lids upright, separated and easy to retrieve. Save space and reduce clutter by storing lids vertically!

 

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Last issue for me was how to deal with all the spices I have. I have so many spices that the built in spice cabinet is not enough. I ended up using 2 cabinets to store them all. The problem is that smaller spices get lost and so when I saw the spice steps, I knew I had to try them.

spice-stairs

The 24-bottle SpiceSteps™ is the easiest, most affordable way to organize spices in the kitchen cabinet. Maximize space with four tiers instead of the standard three. Label the bottle caps with included stickers to quickly find spices.

spice-steps-1

Would you like the chance to win a product of your choice from YouCopia? If so, enter the giveaway below and you could win your choice of product from YouCopia up to a $40 value. Good luck!!! Open to US residents.

YouCopia Product Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below.  Good Luck!!!

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Ready To Assemble, RTA Cabinets Will Save You Money Without Sacrificing Quality and Style!!! #CurbAppeal

I’m excited to share something with you.  I have heard about Ready To Assemble Cabinets (RTA), but never tried them. When I built my home, I went to a full service kitchen designer showroom and all of my cabinets were custom-built and designed exclusively for my kitchen and my needs.  Along with that service came a pretty hefty price tag.

I know that it’s hard for most families to fork over a huge amount for cabinets and being that I had some projects going on that were going to include cabinetry, I thought it would be a good idea to try some RTA cabinets. I not only thought it would be great to see the amount you can save as well as judge the quality and ease of assembly but knew that my readers would appreciate the in-depth look.

There are many places you can buy RTA cabinets from and I knew some things going in.  First I wanted cabinets that had all wood construction without any particle board.  I wanted to deal with a company that provided upstanding customer service and I wanted the cabinets to look good, have nice features and be easy to assemble.  I didn’t want a nightmare with boxes sitting on top of pallets in my garage  because they were just too difficult to put together.  So, I was lucky to find CSH- Custom Service Hardware and work with one of their wonderful representatives named, Howie. Howie worked with me extensively, he never once said a word as I changed designs but came up with rendering after rendering of my ideas.

The first project we worked on was the laundry room, where we are adding some cabinetry and a 36″ stainless steel farmhouse sink for a sort of butler’s pantry.  I picked the Wheaton Cabinetry by JSI and recently we assembled them.  I want to share the assembly process of  2 of the units with you.  I will share an upper cabinet and a lower drawer unit. The upper cabinet is quite large as we went with a 42″ tall cabinet that is 27 inches wide.  The drawer unit is 30 inches wide.

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Below you will find the description of the Wheaton Series Cabinets from the CSH Website:

These Wheaton Series kitchen cabinets feature all wood construction in a cream painted maple with a light brown glaze for a soft and traditional look. The full overlay, solid raised panel doors and matching drawer fronts add to the appeal. Some notable features include plywood sides, tops, bottoms and shelves, solid wood dovetail drawer box and full extension, soft closing, undermount drawer glides. Our easy assembly is perfect for those who love to DIY and save some cash!

JSI-Wheaton-Kitchen

 

Once the boxes are open the pieces should quickly be checked against your instruction sheet to make sure everything is there.  The Wheaton cabinets are a simple assembly using cam locks and some screws.  The cam locks are not what you find in particle board furniture you get at Walmart but a very easy device that is simple to secure.  Right out of the box we were impressed with the quality, the shelves are nice and thick and finished with a poly type varnish for durability as is the inside of the cabinet.  The cabinet doors are thick and substantial with beautiful details and finish on the raised panel doors.  The drawers are dovetailed and they are comparable to what I have in my custom Amish built cabinets that you don’t see even in many other custom cabinet lines.  They have heavy-duty soft close drawer glides not some thin metal glides like you may have seen elsewhere.  My husband and I were really impressed.

Wall Cabinet Pieces

Wall Cabinet Pieces

JSI 1

Wall Cabinet Front ready to add the sides.

JSI 2

Simple Easy To Understand Instructions.
Installing the cabinet sides using the CamLocks.

Installing the cabinet sides using the Cam Locks.

JSI Wheaton Cabinet Assembly

Next add the cabinet top and then the cabinet bottom.

Top and Bottom on and now ready to add cabinet back.

Top and Bottom on and now ready to add cabinet back.

 

Cabinet Back is first slid onto the unit.

Cabinet Back is first slid onto the unit.

Next, you secure using 4 screws and the cabinet is built!

Next, you secure using 4 screws and the cabinet is built!

 

Adding the door cushion protectors.

Adding the door cushion protectors.

Installing the adjustable interior shelves.

Installing the adjustable interior shelves.

All done, ready to hang and add our cabinet hardware to.  This unit will also have a decorative end panel applied to the right hand side.

All done, ready to hang and add our cabinet hardware to. This unit will also have a decorative end panel applied to the right hand side.

 

Wheaton Drawer Unit Ready for Assembly

Wheaton Drawer Unit Ready for Assembly

JSI 12

Other pieces for the drawer unit.

Sides and bottom attached

Sides and bottom attached

Ready to install the soft-close drawer glides.

Ready to install the soft-close drawer glides.

Soft Close Drawer Glide Installation

Soft Close Drawer Glide Installation
Almost Ready For the Drawers

Almost Ready For the Drawers

 

Time to get The drawers

Time to get The drawers

Drawers are fully assembled dovetail units and you just add the drawer front with four screws.

Drawers are fully assembled dovetail units and you just add the drawer front with four screws.

Beautiful Drawers and Love The Soft Close Glides.

Beautiful Drawers and Love The Soft Close Glides.

Just about done and ready to install.

Just about done and ready to install.

The cabinets were simple to assemble and took no more than 15 minutes from start to finish for the large upper door cabinet and since this drawer unit was our first it took a little longer to figure it out, but once we did it was a cinch and now we will be able to do the other drawer units in the same time as the upper cabinet.  We also went with decorative end panels for the exposed sides of the cabinets to give them a custom high-end look and Howie helped me pick out some great knobs and pulls.  I can’t wait to show you it all when we have it completely finished which should be in the next week or so but until then take a look at some of the cabinet assembly.  Let me know if you have ever used RTA cabinets and what your experience has been.


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