kitchen redo

Hello, I managed to get some pics made of a kitchen I redid for one of the women I work with at my furniture store we work at. She was in need of a new kitchen, and I had the skills and know how of veneer and cabinetry.

The side of the kitchen with the sink and fridge was recovered with oak veneer over laminate cabinets with contact cement. I took the old doors off, and noticed when taking things apart, the cabinets were built all one piece, as i had to “chop” off the cabinet above the stove from the other cabinet next to it. (which is where the fridge is now).

She hated the stove at the end of the counter, and the fridge in the middle of the kitchen, big builky thing, so I recommended switching the electric around and put the stove between the 2 windows with new cabinetry i made from scratch to match the cabinets on other side. We had some wood left over and a space between the cabinet and fridge from the original cabinets, and we made a wine rack at the end of the counter, and below we made a space for cookie sheets.

The range hood was my design, seeing others in catalogs. An actual metal range hood is inside with access to light and fan buttons. there are lights and rope lights above cabinets for uplighting, and lights under each cabinet. And we both designed the small shelves underneath the cabinets on each side of the stove for more storage for spices.

I told them to have Lowes make the laminate counter tops, as I was not experienced with laminates yet, and it was a corner sink which made the counter huge, but i did actually pick it up in my pickup truck, and her husband helped me carry it through the house to the kitchen, but when it was ready to put in that evening, I managed to install it myself, as the sink had to be installed beforehand.
I agreed, as there was no way out of it, and had to have the police come to the house and make sure everything is alright. Had to explain what I was doing and who I was. This was my first kitchen project, out of 4 so far. Hope everyone likes it.

The walls between the cabinets and countertop had 1 inch tile before, and that had to be all knocked off, and made the walls with drywall mud, to match the walls, and I made a set of tiles above the stove she designed the layout of the tiles.

The doors and drawer fronts I made from scratch out of 1/2” oak ply and edge banding, and oak trim in the middle for a “raised panel” look, as I did not have the tools or experience with raised panels. The stain is maple with semi gloss clear.

It took me 6 months to make the kitchen, as it wasn’t my house, between other projects and spent a lot of time after work going to her house when she and her husband wasn’t there sometimes. And it was a challenge making the cabinets in my garage and having the kitchen at another location for measuring, her input, etc. One evening, she didn’t turn the alarm off to the house, and 5 minutes after i came in, the screetching alarm went off, and a phone call came, and it was the alarm company, and their policy was to have police come to the house.

-- Dayton, Ohio If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.