I’m answering all of your questions about kitchen cabinet refacing and sharing the “before” and “after” photos of ours!
I’m excited to be sharing some before and after pics of our kitchen remodel with you guys today along with answers to some of the questions you’ve had about cabinet refacing, our choice in granite, and of course the popular, “Why in the world did you do a kitchen remodel if you’re just going to be selling your home?”. Let’s talk cabinet refacing first.
Why did you chose to reface your cabinets instead of replacing them?
Two main reasons – cost and speed. The cost of refacing our cabinets (which involved laminating the existing cabinet frames, adding new wood doors, full extension drawers, and drawer fronts, and adding decorative molding and new hardware) was a little more than half of what we would have paid to get new wood cabinetry installed and pretty similar to what we would have paid for new IKEA cabinetry (assuming we did all of the IKEA cabinet assembly and installation ourselves).
Since we had only a two week period from when our renters left to when we wanted to get our house on the market, speed definitely played a role too. The whole kitchen was done in four days!
What do you like most about the new kitchen?
I’m a sucker for decorative molding so the new molding on the back of the kitchen peninsula makes me pretty happy. Before, the back of the peninsula had a recessed drawer and cabinet all the way to the left and the rest was a flat wasteland of laminate:
As part of the cabinet refacing, decorative panels were added on the back and side, including a push-to-open door at the far left to access the cabinet that’s there. The new molding along the base of the cabinetry is pretty killer too.
What new appliances did you get?
We kept our stainless steel range but got a new refrigerator and dishwasher. You may not be able to tell from pictures, but the new counter-depth fridge made a huge difference in our kitchen. The old one stuck way out from the counters right into the path that you take to get to our family room (psst…pay no attention to the man in the corner – it’s my hardworking dad helping me remove the shoe molding before the floors got refinished 🙂 ):
As part of the remodel, the space between the two base cabinets was widened so that it could accommodate the width of a counter-depth fridge. I went with a KitchenAid french door fridge that was a display model at Lowe’s and on clearance for $1,000 off. We also replaced the old dishwasher with a stainless steel Bosch that got great ratings and was well priced.
What granite did you choose?
Our old countertops were this lovely mint green laminate so pretty much anything would have been an improvement, right?!
We stuck with an entry level granite since we were working with a budget and jumping up just a level or two in granite resulted in a pretty big price jump. Out of my three favorite entry level granites, I went with Black Pearl (also called Black Uba Tuba) and love it!
Why didn’t you remove the soffits?
Ideally, I would have loved to have taken out all of the soffits but then I would have needed all new, taller upper cabinets. Also, over the sink it would have created an issue with where to stop and start the crown molding since the crown molding in the family room ends where the soffit begins. I would have also loved to have tiled the backsplash but there were time and money issues there too. Fortunately, these are all fairly easy things to change if the future homeowner chooses to.
Where did you get the furniture in your eat-in area?
The upholstered bench is the Hampton Bench from Ballard Design – I supplied my own fabric, which is a Sunbrella fabric from Calico Corner. I’ve had the bench seat for several years now and it’s held up really well. The “table” is actually the Whitley Desk that I got at the Ballard Outlet several years back and painted with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. The pendant light was from Wisteria but is no longer available.
The chairs were a new purchase since we didn’t have room in the car to drag back the two chairs that we used to use in this spot. I ended up snagging two inexpensive chairs from Target.
What company did you use for your cabinet refacing?
I used a company local to Cincinnati called Cincinnati Cabinet Refacing – the owner, Jim Dowd, is the one who does all of the work and it’s a company I’d highly recommend if you happen to be in the Cincinnati area. Otherwise, I would get quotes from several different cabinet refacing businesses. One question I’d be sure to ask is about the materials they use. The drawers and door fronts used in our project were solid maple whereas other companies use cheaper materials like thermofoil.
Why in the world did you crazies do a kitchen remodel if you’re just going to be selling your home?
Ok, nobody really asked me this question (you guys are too polite) but I’m sure some of you are wondering what the heck our reasoning is for remodeling our kitchen. Here’s why. In the seven years that we lived in that home, we remodeled pretty much every single square inch of it and also put on a large master bedroom/bathroom/laundry room addition. The one thing that we hadn’t finished is the kitchen – we were planning to do a big kitchen remodel when we moved back to Cincinnati. When we realized we were going to be selling the house instead of moving back into it, in order to get the money out of all of the other renovations we did, we felt that we needed to do the kitchen too so that our house was 100% move-in ready and would sell quickly.
So now that the kitchen remodel in our old house is a wrap, it’s time to jump into working on some changes in the kitchen in our current house. Update: Check out {this post} with the full before and after of the major kitchen remodel we did in our new home!
Looks so good, Kris. My mom put in the same granite in her kitchen makeover a few years ago.
Thanks Kim! I went back and forth between a couple of granite choices but am happy with how it turned out!
Looks GREAT, I think it will definitely speed up the selling process and you’ll get your money back out of it. The finished end panels really give it a high end look. Love the eat in area too – that pendant is great!
Thanks so much Jenny!!
Great updates and I totally agree, an updated kitchen will make the home sell much faster! The cabinets look really good refaced!
Thanks Jessica – fingers crossed!
Love it Kris! It looks like a brand new kitchen! You will have no problem selling your beautiful home!
Shelley
Thanks Shelley!
Your kitchen looks great Kris! Would you be willing to share who did the cabinet refacing? I am wondering if it was a local or national chain? We live in WI and would like to freshen up our kitchen (not a complete reno) and I love the look of the cabinets! Thanks in advance! Best of luck on selling quickly…your home is lovely????
Hi Gabrielle! I used someone local (Cincinnati Cabinet Refacing) who isn’t part of a chain so unfortunately that’s not going to help you out too much in WI. I found that there was a huge difference in both quality and price from company to company so I would recommend getting several estimates. I also wanted to have solid wood doors and drawers (many companies use thermafoil). Good luck finding someone – it’s good bang for the buck!
Nicely done! Looks lovely and I would think it will sell quickly. Good luck. We all look forward to seeing your next kitchen 🙂
Thanks so much Gwen!
Stunning!!! What a great job. I LOVE it!!!!
Thank you Lois!
Other than your breakfast area, I love what you did to the peninsula the most. 🙂
Thanks Vel – I wish I could take credit for the peninsula molding design but it was my cabinet guy working his magic 🙂
Shiny black granite countertops are the WORST at keeping tidy. Every spec of dust and smudges show up seconds after you’ve cleaned them. I’ve endured mine for 12+ years. Can’t wait for the contractor to
soon sledgehammer them out and replace with off-white speckled quartz. I’ll probably help, I hate them so much!
Great job Kris!!! Now the question is, what are you doing with the bookcases from the office that you didn’t take with you??? They were just beautiful!!!
Oh my gosh, can I tell you how sad I am about my bookcase? We got that huge bookcase only a few months before moving (the move was unexpected) and I love it but have absolutely no place for it in our current home. I’m hoping that the new owner will want to buy it.
I remember when you got it & how I thought it was just PERFECT for the space! I sure hope the new buyers will want it, otherwise, I’m sure you won’t have ANY troubles selling it. Btw, of all the bloggers I follow, yours has been the longest and the one I still enjoy the most!! Thank you for all your hard work!! 🙂
Kitchen looks fab! Updated and fresh. Would you mind sharing paint color on walls? Much thanks Kris.
Sure Robin – it’s Benjamin Moore Annapolis Gray. It runs through our foyer, kitchen, and family room and is a really pretty neutral color.
You might consider painting the sofits above the cabinets the same color as your cabinets.
It would draw your eye away from where the cabinets end and make it seem taller. Possibly add crown moulding to the very top of the sofit too—painted white of course. Nice job on refacing and everything else
Great ideas Lis!
Oh my goodness, you’ve totally inspired me to add some decorative panels on the sides of my cabinets! Maybe I’ll make hubby his favorite dessert and bring up the subject tonight. 😉 This kitchen is beautiful! I’m sure you’ll sell it lightening fast!
A nice glass of wine, a little dessert,…..and can you please pimp out my cabinets??!! Love it Lisa! Let me know how the plan goes!
Your kitchen makeover is beautiful, Kris! I love white kitchens…I’m sure it’ll sell super fast! Have a great week!
Thank you Kendra! We are so excited – it is already under contract!
Kris the changes you made will definitely give you a return on your investment in the house! The paneling is such a huge improvement and adds such a rich custom detail, and the granite was such a great timeless choice!
Thanks Lisa! Can’t wait to see what you do with your kitchen!!!
Is the range a downdraft? If so, what brand? I have a 15 year-old downdraft that needs replacing but I haven’t found many optinons. I’m new to your site and I love it!
Hi Julie,
Yes, our range a downdraft by Jenn Air. We’ve had it for about five years now but I remember when I was shopping for it that there weren’t many options. It’s worked well for us!
perfect upgrade for selling (or enjoying). love the “low grade” granite kris!
debra
Thanks Debra – we are so excited that it sold in just a few days! Carrying two houses at once is not something that we wanted to be doing for too long 🙂 I’m missing my Round Top gang – we need to plan a little reunion!
Wow! What a beautiful transformation! I’m sure the new owners will build many happy memories in that gorgeous kitchen!
Thanks Annie – it was pretty crazy to see the transformation in a period of just four days! Sure wish I had done it years ago!
I’m wondering if ordinary cupboards with cabinet doors can be made into cabinets with drawers? I don’t know if I will have to put in some new cabinets or if they can be adapted. Thank you. I love your kitchen and counters.
That’s a good question Vickie but unfortunately I’m not sure about the answer. I would guess that they can (they guy who did my kitchen seemed like the options were endless) but I can’t say for sure. Sorry I’m not any help!
This looks great! My brother just bought a home that definitely has not been updated since the 70’s! This post has given us some great ideas for updating his cabinets! I love the color on the walls. Do you happen to know the name or brand of it?
Glad you found it helpful Miranda! The paint color is Benjamin Moore Annapolis Gray!
Where did you get your granite?
How long is the fridge wall? I absolutely love your kitchen!
Hi Anna – sorry but we sold the house immediately after the kitchen reno so I’m not able to measure that wall!
So Impressed…need to do the same & welcome idea
Love the looks and how they all seem to come together effortlessly thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us
Thank you so much Beth!
What flooring did you use in kitchen? Looks great
They are very nice.
Hi,
I love your decor but i’m confused about the decor/renovations for each of your home. Is there a way that you can present your home tour for each of the different home you have?
Thank you,
Laura