username26's Profile

@Pi

The cabinets were white laminate to begin with, so they were already smooth. I just painted the faces of the boxes (the part that shows through between the doors when they're closed) and left the inside white.

You could apply a wood filler with a putty knife to fill in the wood grain (look it up online!) and then prime and paint over top of that.

I found a place that does MDF doors on Craigslist. I measured the old doors and had the new ones in about 10 days. They charged by square foot of door, but different places do it different ways. The biggest hassle was painting them since MDF has to be primed with an alkyd primer (water based paints or primers will cause the fibres to expand). The alkyd paint I bought (Ben Moore Advance) was easy to work with, but it took a long time to dry and required 2 coats on top of primer (total 3 coats).

One tip - if you have euro style doors (hinges are on the inside and not visible from the outside, like Ikea cabinet doors) - have the company drill the holes for you. It required a special tool and a jig which most people don't have.

Also, @Pi - I did my own backsplash for the first time (I had never tiled anything at that point). It was much easier than I thought, but I would have really screwed it up if I didn't have help. Once someone showed me how to do it it was really easy, but if you want to try it (recommended), get a friend to help you out for the first little bit, or go to a Home Depot seminar.

The "refresh" took a long time, but it was well worth it. I could never have afforded to hire someone to do the work (and it's a rental) and I've gained all kinds of DIY know-how that when I buy my own place I'll know how to tackle big jobs, and know when to call in a pro.

This is wonderful. I love that you kept the old cabinets and just refreshed them. The after photo has oodles of charm while looking clean and new.

I'm all for recycling where you can and you've made it look brilliant!

Also, I'm totally jealous of all your storage. My kitchen is a postage stamp compared to yours!

I think you're on the right track with a large map. They provide the biggest bang for your buck.

I would maybe get rid of those lights and find something big enough to cover the holes (covered with a wall plate, of course). They look kind of useless and that the light they give off would be nasty.

Another idea would be to use those lights to light 2 pictures. They would both need to be fairly large, but you could get away with not using all the vertical space.

@fairybekk - Use a grout whitener, then keep clean after with whatever cleanser you prefer

Grout whitener is just paint, so make sure your grout is clean before you apply it. Then, make sure you seal it. It usually lasts a couple of years at least before you need to do it again.

@Muddymudskipper,

I think it's great that you hunt for your meat. As far as meat sources go, that is the only one I have a shred of respect for. But, for most meat eaters, having a soft spot for baby animals yet going and eating veal (baby cows) or even chicken (most male chicks are killed shortly after they are born) is incredibly hypocritical. There are very few of you who only get your meat from hunting.

@SherryBin,

If you've thought about going vegan, then why don't you? Unless you have some legitimate health limitation (which very very few people do), you consuming meat is destroying life for the sake of your desire for meat. Same thing as a desire to have a bambi stool, both are unnecessary.

These look like they're probably fake fur.

Either way, it grosses the hell out of me. The first one is demented and the rest just make me really sad, regardless of the material.

That being said, anyone who has a problem with actual fawn skin being used probably doesn't eat any meat, right?

I don't think you should do anything. Many people "live with" kitchens that look much much worse than yours does.

To spend money, time and resources on "updating" a kitchen that is perfectly functional then rip the whole thing out in 12 months is, in my opinion, irresponsible.

Save your money and buy better materials when it's time to re-do the whole thing.

In the mean time, the biggest problem is clutter. That costs $0 to fix (perhaps $20-$50 if you need some sort of shelf organizer to maximize space in your cupboards). Put your kid's art somewhere other than the cupboard doors, and pull down the dishes and cookware on top of your cabinets.

ROFL,

@ISA, yes, as well as the particulate stuck to the inside corner on the bottom.

I half expected to see my father in the photo. I thought only he would be able to come up with something this terrifying.

Wasn't expecting that! Amazing! Now, if only I had a yard and/or a garage...

I feel drunk looking at that photo.

Less artificial blur please!