Partial Cabinet Refacing - A Process Revealed!
Yesterday, I talked about what cabinet refacing is and the difference in cost, etc. Well, it got me thinking about other kitchen remodels for clients where we did a partial cabinet refacing. The price was still less than the total tear-out and replacement and because of the savings involved, it allowed the client to add a few more bells and whistles to their kitchen that probably may not have happened if they hadn't considered partial refacing.
Our fun and amazing clients, Cindy and Tom, initially called me asking if I could help them choose a new countertop for their kitchen. They were considering quartz. Sight unseen, I traveled to the new client's home for their initial consultation. I just couldn't imagine the client paying $6K - to $8K to have quartz countertops installed on those 1987 kitchen cabinets.
After speaking with the clients about what their dream kitchen would be, I quickly realized they also wanted the drop ceiling removed and recessed lighting installed along with removing wallpaper and some other bucket list items. I began to talk to them about the possibility of refacing their cabinets but in this case I wanted to add 42" upper cabinets for more storage, so the idea of keeping the base cabinets and simply refacing them stirred up the client's interest. We discussed pricing and budget and voila the transformation began. Here is what the before photo of the kitchen looked like.
Our clients were so excited about the savings involved they quickly realized they could come pretty close to having their dream kitchen and at the same time update their bar just opposite the kitchen in this open floor plan.
In the case of the wet bar, we painted the existing cabinets, but took out that awkward pony wall that was right in the entryway so having barstools there were completely out of the question. We also enclosed that window opening to the formal living room which was never used. We opted to keep the window to the lanai which would also service as a pass thru. Then last but not least we added the Cambria Montgomery quartz countertops and removed the dated wallpaper. Get ready for this transformation!
Isn't it amazing what paint, new hardware, taking out that pony wall and enclosing that window made? This bar jumped right out of the 80's and into the current decade. Oh yeah, wall paint and flooring were changed too. I'll tell you about that later.
So, let's get back to the kitchen. Remember this drop ceiling? Well, it was torn out in one day. Then the client decided to get rid of that popcorn ceiling and have the ceiling textured with a knock-down process. Then it was up to me to get the design underway for the clients so they would have a concept and be able to visualize what their new kitchen would look like after completion. The old upper wall cabinets were removed and donated to the Habijax for Humanity resale store. Maybe surprises are okay on HGTV but not on our watch. Nothing is purchased or installed without client approval.
Once our clients viewed the rendering, the idea of new flooring was now on the table. Oh, and let's pick out paint colors too and some fabric for window treatments. This process of a partial refaced kitchen bloomed into a beautifully remodeled kitchen, family room and wet bar transformation. Can you believe, it only took 6 weeks to the day? Here are the final photos.
Some of the changes in this kitchen included 42" upper wall cabinets, Cambria Montgomery quartz countertops, aqua glass subway tile backsplashes, refrigerator end panels, roll-out trays, new oven cabinet, (so the oven combo would actually fit), with a deep pot and pan drawer. We added a new stainless dishwasher panel (since the dishwasher was relatively new), new induction range, sleek new range hood, new hardware, new knobs and pulls, new pendant lighting to match the chandelier, and new wood plank ceramic tile flooring. Oh, yeah, we simply painted the already existing bar stools. A new table and chairs for the breakfast nook with coordinating custom window treatments and chair pads finalized the new kitchen design. Our clients were so excited and happy to have their "dream come true" coastal kitchen all within their proposed budget!
The family room design.
After the design for the family room was approved, Cindy and I went furniture shopping. We chose fabrics, rugs and some accessories too. Our job was complete and our clients were and are still talking about how much they love their home.
