Kitchen upgrades

[Tremor14]

I really dig it. i am about to the same with my cabinets, but i took the upper cabinets down when we raised the ceiling. all Ikea type stainless steel racks and stuff.

any more pics of how you did the cabinet fronts? i was going to skip that and just sand/paint and change hardware but if i have the fronts off and its not too hard i would redo it.

i have a neighbor down the alley with a full blown work shop who would probably do it for a 12 pack.

[Tremor14]

also how did you paint the cabinets? i think i want to aerosol them.

[Baron Von Crowder]

why would I? Have a couple buddies with their windows and they are fine. Going on 2 years with no problems.

It was a dig on your e-knowledge of all things construction, since you bought mid grade windows

[8mpg]

It was a dig on your e-knowledge of all things construction, since you bought mid grade windows

lol...I cant afford expensive windows. I have learned a lot. You can call it e-knowledge but most of what I learned is because I used it. I rewired my own house, replumbed, moved walls, framed rooms, leveled my own foundation... I couldnt afford to pay people so I learned to do it myself. I bought porcelain tile that looks like marble, I cheaped out and did my own concrete countertops...

oh..and its because I truly enjoy this stuff. I would love to be a custom home builder. I also believe in building science...not the old school mentality of most builders.

[Baron Von Crowder]

lol...I cant afford expensive windows. I have learned a lot. You can call it e-knowledge but most of what I learned is because I used it. I rewired my own house, replumbed, moved walls, framed rooms, leveled my own foundation... I couldnt afford to pay people so I learned to do it myself. I bought porcelain tile that looks like marble, I cheaped out and did my own concrete countertops...

oh..and its because I truly enjoy this stuff. I would love to be a custom home builder. I also believe in building science...not the old school mentality of most builders.

It's intriguing to me that you are so enthusiastic about it. I grew up in and around it, had partial ownership of a fire restoration and remodeling company, and don't "like" any of it.

[BMCSean]

also how did you paint the cabinets? i think i want to aerosol them.

I have always had the best results using an hvlp gun and oil based paint.

[8mpg]

It's intriguing to me that you are so enthusiastic about it. I grew up in and around it, had partial ownership of a fire restoration and remodeling company, and don't "like" any of it.

I love watching something take shape. Change you can see. You can stand back and see what you have accomplished. You can drive by and see that house 20 years later. I work in healthcare and a lot of what I do goes against my own morals but I help keep these people alive because their families want it. When we do good in healthcare, these people who should have died long ago just come right back and we start all over. The few times you feel great about what you did in healthcare gets forgotten and you never see what happens to these people after they leave. I saw a TED video that said over 50% of doctors wouldnt go back and do it again if they were given the chance. Most nurses I work with hate their jobs

[black2002ls]

lol...I cant afford expensive windows. I have learned a lot. You can call it e-knowledge but most of what I learned is because I used it. I rewired my own house, replumbed, moved walls, framed rooms, leveled my own foundation... I couldnt afford to pay people so I learned to do it myself. I bought porcelain tile that looks like marble, I cheaped out and did my own concrete countertops...

oh..and its because I truly enjoy this stuff. I would love to be a custom home builder. I also believe in building science...not the old school mentality of most builders.

I am the same way. I have done 95% of my home renovations myself. The only reason I am paying people now is that my back wont hold up to the labor right now.

I love watching something take shape. Change you can see. You can stand back and see what you have accomplished. You can drive by and see that house 20 years later. I work in healthcare and a lot of what I do goes against my own morals but I help keep these people alive because their families want it. When we do good in healthcare, these people who should have died long ago just come right back and we start all over. The few times you feel great about what you did in healthcare gets forgotten and you never see what happens to these people after they leave. I saw a TED video that said over 50% of doctors wouldnt go back and do it again if they were given the chance. Most nurses I work with hate their jobs

I never saw myself in construction. One day I found myself interviewing for a warranty position with what is now the second largest builder in Texas. 6 months later I was building houses. Here we are 3 years in, I love my job, I love the process. Seeing a dirt pad grow into a house. I spend a lot of time now looking at how we can improve our product and give our homeowners a better product in the end.

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[Chili]

I really dig it. i am about to the same with my cabinets, but i took the upper cabinets down when we raised the ceiling. all Ikea type stainless steel racks and stuff.

any more pics of how you did the cabinet fronts? i was going to skip that and just sand/paint and change hardware but if i have the fronts off and its not too hard i would redo it.

i have a neighbor down the alley with a full blown work shop who would probably do it for a 12 pack.

also how did you paint the cabinets? i think i want to aerosol them.

I don't have any other pics handy.. This was done 7 or 8 years ago and I didn't take many.

It wasn't too difficult, just a lot of measuring and miter cuts. I did all of the molding cuts on the lower cabinets by hand, so that was a pain and took forever. Finally got a miter saw and knocked the rest out pretty quickly.

Basically, I took the doors / drawers down, cut a piece of 1/8" plywood just big enough to cover the grooves in the door, sanded the doors (not completely, just to smooth them out) and used construction adhesive and lots of clamps / weights.

The molding overlaps the plywood so getting it straight was a bit of a PITA. And it liked to move on me when using the adhesive and clamps. That's why you see several lines on the pic where I was putting the trim on.. That was to line it up once squared and all (when putting on the adhesive). I did not butt the molding right up against the plywood. I left a little space so that I could make adjustments, which is why the overlapping molding is important. Plus it meant I did not have to get all of the plywood cuts perfectly straight. Kind of like overlapping laminate floors with baseboards. The flooring doesn't go all the way to the drywall, you leave a little gap (smaller than the depth of the baseboard).

This is the molding I used: http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-x-...59-7/203396604

As for painting, unfortunately I was on a tight budget, so didn't have the money for sprayers or anything (and didn't have a compressor then). We spent so much on the hardware and molding (over $1 a foot, and I had lots 'o feet) it didn't leave money for new tools. It was all brushed on by hand. Of course, that left some brush strokes, but I made sure they were straight and all that, so it didn't look bad. And actually, the paint did a pretty good job of self-leveling.

I primed them with Kilz, and it was 2-3 coats of paint on top.

I am the same way. I have done 95% of my home renovations myself.

Me too.. With some exceptions. Like the counters and backsplash.. Too visible of an area, and materials were too expensive to risk me fucking it up.

Oh, and I do virtually no electrical. Most I have done is replace existing lights / ceiling fans. I'm too afraid I am going to fuck something up that will cause a fire later.

I did have some wood working experience from helping others in the past, but the rest I just figured out as I went along. With help from the internet and books.. This one saved my ass a few times: http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-2-3-Boo...8500/100677237

[bcoop]

also how did you paint the cabinets? i think i want to aerosol them.

It will look like shit in 30 days or less. Cabinets take a lot more abuse than you would think.

[Chili]

It will look like shit in 30 days or less. Cabinets take a lot more abuse than you would think.

Yeah, definitely wouldn't rattle-can them. I assumed he meant using a spray gun.

Our paint has help up pretty well. Most of it is at least 5-6 years old and Lea only touched up a few spots when the counters were done. I think we did satin finish, but it's nice and thick, and usually you can wipe them down with just a wet paper towel. We did use high quality paint (and materials in general) which also makes a big difference.

By the way, I should mention, this is very little of what we did overall, and I don't want it to sound like I did everything myself. Lea helped a lot, and has done some of the smaller projects completely on her own. Usually I do the grunt work and she finishes it off.

Kind of like in the bedroom.