# Our kitchen reno--complete!



## superjedi (Jul 7, 2010)

Hi all,
Hopefully this is the right section for this.  I mentioned in a couple of other threads several months ago that we were getting ready for a kitchen renovation.  It took a bit longer than we anticipated (doesn't everything?) but it's finally done!  Not a perfect job by any means, but this is the most complex DIY project I've ever attempted and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out.  
Our home was built in 1964 and as far as we could tell the kitchen was original to the house.  Typical 1960's style decor; harvest yellow linoleum flooring, turquoise (very faded) paint on the walls, built-in cabinets which went to the ceiling, and white "flecked" laminate counters complete with metal trim!  I always expected to see Alice in there making 6 school lunches.  Here's the before.












There wasn't anything wrong structurally, but we really wanted to update the look.  We began by deciding on a mainly neutral color scheme.  We knew we wanted dark flooring with light cabinets, and as we went along in the design phase, we decided to do wallpaper, too.  After tearing out all the old cabinetry and scraping up the old linoleum floor (ripping stuff up is fun!) I prepped the walls by removing an old chair rail, as well as all the door and window trim, then washed and sanded the walls well.  We chose a sort of distressed plaster look.  The pics don't show it well, but the wallpaper has a nice pearl sheen in certain lighting.






Continued below.


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## superjedi (Jul 7, 2010)

Part 2:

Here are a couple of shots of different sections after all the old stuff was torn out.
















The cabinets we chose were from "Diamond Select" sold through Lowe's.  They're finished in Amaretto Creme with a Mocha glaze.  Very nice off-white cabinets with just a subtle glaze to highlight the shapes.  Nothing too over the top.  I began with the wall cabinets.  I screwed a 1 x 4 to the wall to keep everything level during the installation.






Part 3 below.


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## superjedi (Jul 7, 2010)

Part 3:

Once the wall cabinets were up, I put the bases in place.






I hadn't laid the flooring yet.  We decided to go with a laminate floor tile with a slate look.  I didn't want to trap the flooring under the cabinets, so I shimmed the base cabs up to what would be the new floor level.
The next shot shows the new flooring, along with some of the toe kick installed.  The new Whirlpool range is in place along with a thin black backsplash, too.






The cabinet package we ordered came with some small crown molding.  I've never done crown before, so I read up on cutting the angles almost obsessively  and managed to get it right without running out of material!  
This pic also shows the valance above the window.






Part 4 below.


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## superjedi (Jul 7, 2010)

Part 4:

Being a total noob to crown molding, I debated this next step for a day or so.  I wanted the crown at the left end of the cabinets to come out and lay flush against this part of the wall.  I managed to figure out the cuts and I think it came out looking pretty nice.






The countertops were the only part I didn't install myself.  We ordered some laminate counters with a beveled edge in "Honed Slate" and had a pro come in to install them.  He did a terrific job.  






Everything is nice and straight and level, and part of the package included installing our new sink and disposal.  The sink is a dark granite composite (composition?) by Swanstone, and I paired it up with a matte black faucet set from Moen.  Simple and modern looking.






He made a nice cut to fit this smaller section in where the wall juts out.  






Part 5 below.


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## superjedi (Jul 7, 2010)

Part 5:

The final purchase was a new dishwasher.  We decided to go with all black appliances to set off the neutral shades.  We discussed stainless, but in the end we just preferred black.  So here's the whole shebang.






I know I've left out several details, like the lighting, the crown around the ceiling, etc.  But I wanted to hit the high points.
Just for fun, here's the before and after, side by side.






Sorry for the multiple parts.  Didn't realize I was limited to 4 pics per post.  I'm rather proud of the way this turned out.    Thanks for looking!
Eric


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## oldognewtrick (Jul 7, 2010)

Superjedi, super job man, turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## BrianKiernan (Aug 9, 2010)

Nice job on the kitchen. Your before pictures look just like my sister-in-laws old kitchen I had to do a double take.

How long did the project take you?


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## superjedi (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks guys.    We're very happy with the way everything turned out.

Brian, we worked on it in stages starting around April 1st.  It wasn't constant though.  A good portion of the time was spent waiting for items to come in.  So figure about 12 weeks start to finish.  It wasn't easy being without a kitchen for that long, but it's just me and my wife in the house.  No kids to worry about feeding, so that made it easier.  We still had the fridge and microwave through the whole process.


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## AngieR (Aug 11, 2010)

Great job, makes me want to want to work on my kitchen


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## mark681137 (Aug 12, 2010)

love the pics, I know there is a ton of hard work in there.


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## keikoling (Aug 17, 2010)

that's a good looking kitchen..you did a great job..


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## wengay (Aug 19, 2010)

Wow! Awesome. It was very inspiring. I know I could also do that great renovation. As long as you are willing to have a great kitchen or any part of your house that you want to renovate then you can do it. How long did you do that renovation? Anyway, Thanks for sharing that detailed photos. 
Black and white combination are really good.


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## DebbieG (Sep 5, 2010)

Looks great.   Kinda curious as to what made you decide to go with black appliances though?


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## superjedi (Sep 5, 2010)

Thanks, everyone.

There were a couple of reasons we went with the black appliances.  First, we both like black.  
We wanted something that would tie in with the design.  We knew we wanted the very dark slate flooring and counters and just felt that black would be a good choice aesthetically.
We had considered stainless, as that seems to be the current "trend," but after looking at the same fridge in black and stainless side by side at a store, my wife and I both decided to buck the trend and go with something we preferred.


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## thomask (Sep 8, 2010)

SUPERJEDI:

Great job and a great posting.  

I have just started a kitchen reno too and many thanks for the positive motivation. 

Really like those colors.  Our cabinets are still in pretty good shape but we are tired of the oak look since being installed in 1987.... That color of your cabinets is what we have chosen to redo ours in.  We do have new stainless appliances (Refer and DW) and I think they will work also.  Are looking for a new slide in range.

Tell us about your lighting if you would please. Again, SUPER work to be proud of...


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## superjedi (Sep 8, 2010)

thomask,
The lighting was pretty simple.  We just chose 2 new fixtures that we liked.  We didn't run any new wiring or anything, just used the existing boxes.
The main fixture is a 3 bulb flush mount with some crystal details that cast some nice reflections around the room.  It adds a nice soft touch with the pearlescent sheen of the wallpaper.
The light over the sink is a small halogen.  It's a pendant in the shape of a cube and really makes a nice bright spot around the sink work area.
The range vent hood also has 2 halogens in it, too.  Much brighter than the old one.


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## thomask (Sep 8, 2010)

superjedi,

Sounds good, you all really added value to your home.

I just finished up trim work around our two pantry doors this afternoon.  They do look much better. 

It just seems to take a lot to get going some days but every little bit completed helps toward your goal.


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## suzib (Sep 9, 2010)

Wow, what a difference!  It was well worth the hard work - well done!


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## thomask (Sep 13, 2010)

A wise person told me, 

"You eat an elephant, one bite at a time".:rofl:


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## AeR0 (Sep 14, 2010)

if you dont mind me asking... approx what was the cost like??


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## superjedi (Sep 15, 2010)

I'd rather not discuss finances in detail, but the complete start to finish was significantly less than $10K.


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## greyhouseinc (Dec 9, 2010)

For less than 10K that is mighty impressive! Great job!


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## Home_Remodeling_Group (Dec 14, 2010)

Fantastic Kitchen Remodeling SuperJedi.


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## Alyssa (Dec 15, 2010)

Beautiful job! You achieved a fresh, clean, updated look. Good going!


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## msteresefoster (Mar 13, 2011)

Really really Nice!!!


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## RangerRick (Apr 13, 2011)

Great job. Great photos showing the process.


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## superjedi (Apr 18, 2011)

Hi guys.  Thanks for the comments!  I don't get around the forum as much as I'd like to these days.
Can't believe it's been 9 months already since I finished up the kitchen.  We still really like it, and everything is holding up great!


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## kaytav (Apr 19, 2011)

Awesome work dude, by looking at pics i can assume it had been a really hard work, you've changed your kitchen completely and now it looks fantastic and i must appreciate your work and obviously it looks like your best work, thanks for sharing it with us superjedi..


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## lh66 (May 9, 2011)

Looks good


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## jack12 (Jul 22, 2011)

Very nice interior!!!!!!! It seems that work is carried out very smartly.


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## thomask (Feb 16, 2012)

You did a great job at a great savings over hiring it out to a contractor.  

Your sweat equity is sure worth a whole lot more than you think by acting as your own contractor I promise you.

BTW what is the black material behind the stove, it looks real good.


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## superjedi (Feb 17, 2012)

Thanks!  Haven't had a lot of free time to visit the forum lately, so I was surprised to see that 
this thread had a new comment after so long.  

The piece behind the stove is just a thin sheet metal backsplash with a black gloss enamel/epoxy finish.
I picked it up at Lowe's along with everything else in the kitchen, and it came with pre-made screw
holes in the four corners.  I just held it in position and marked the screw holes, and screwed it directly
into the wall.  The lower edge is hidden behind the stove, and I think it gives a really nice finished 
appearance.

Can't believe it's coming up on 2 years since I did this project!  Everything is holding up really well, and
we still love our kitchen.  I've been considering putting in a small utility island.  No power or plumbing,
just for storage.  But the room is actually fairly small, so not sure if it would be worth it or not.  
We'll see!


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## mtngirl (Feb 18, 2012)

Nice job!! I am working on my own kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration!


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## thomask (Feb 18, 2012)

superjedi said:


> Thanks!  Haven't had a lot of free time to visit the forum lately, so I was surprised to see that
> this thread had a new comment after so long.
> 
> I've been considering putting in a small utility island.  No power or plumbing,
> ...



Hey superjedi,  

Our kitchen had a small butcher block in the center but after removing it we found the flow worked much better. Just a thought for you. Our floor space was only like 8 x 8 feet square.


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## superjedi (Feb 18, 2012)

Thanks, mtngirl.

Thomas, our kitchen is fairly small overall, too.  That's one of the reasons I'm hesitating about the island.
I considered putting in another run of cabinets on the wall opposite the sink and fridge, but not sure
about that either.  We just never seem to have quite enough storage space in the cabinets we have now.


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## thomask (Feb 20, 2012)

superjedi said:


> Thanks, mtngirl.
> 
> Thomas, our kitchen is fairly small overall, too.  That's one of the reasons I'm hesitating about the island.
> I considered putting in another run of cabinets on the wall opposite the sink and fridge, but not sure
> about that either.  We just never seem to have quite enough storage space in the cabinets we have now.



I do understand about storage.  When the house was designed and built there was room for a pantry and another space for storage shelves and the Hot Water heater. They hold a lot of stuff.

Do you have room to frame out the wall about a foot opposite the sink?  You could build a reach in pantry with a door rather than a wall of cabinets. Some 2x4s, drywall, a prehung door and some closet made shelves and you got one big storage area at a great savings. This could be a lot of great storage.


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## ayeshaaakter (Feb 22, 2012)

You know what kind of smell Im talking about  that rotten eggs smell, the smell of sewer gases. Youll know it when you smell it and you certainly cant miss it. But sometimes you cant tell where its coming from or whats causing the problem. Here are some suggestions for handling this unpleasant  and potentially dangerous  plumbing problem.
If the smell is coming from a kitchen or bathroom sink:
Check for a leaks in the drains traps under the sink. Theres a reason those pipes are S shaped and its not to give you more storage room. That curve in the drain pipes under your sinks holds water and that water acts as a barrier between your sink and the outside sewage system. The water in that trap actually blocks sewer gases and prevents them from coming up out of your drains. If theres no water in the trap, that barrier is gone and that could be the source of the smell.
Kitchen sinks present even more problems. Grease and food particles can build up on the inside of your pipes and as they rot they become a breeding ground for odor causing bacteria. The situation can become even worse if you leave you home for an extended period of time. With no water going down that drain that sludge dries out like cement on the inside of your pipes and then youve got a real problem to deal with.
The same problem can occur with your garbage disposal. The spinning blades toss grease and wet food particles up onto the sides of the disposal while its in operation and they stick there. Over time, they build up and create yet another perfect breeding ground for odor causing bacteria.
Of course youre best bet is to completely avoid putting any type of grease or food particles down your kitchen drain but thats not always possible. But you can reduce the risk by regularly cleaning your drain and disposal. Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda down each side of the drain and follow it up with a cup of distilled white vinegar. The mixture will foam for a few minutes and then flush with very hot water. This will help keep any build up from getting out of control.
For more information, click here,
plumbing


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## sgeco (Mar 29, 2012)

wow! It's the design I picture my kitchen to look like. Black,cream and white, sophisticated indeed!


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