# Remodel Tips/Ideas



## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

Alright folks. REALLY getting sick of my house feeling dated. Want to start updating the home, starting with my kitchen. I have a couple thoughts here...

1. Paint the cabinets white, change the hardware, light colored wood laminate flooring, leave the countertop (laminate) and maybe swap out for either all white or stainless appliances. (can you do a tile backsplash with laminate counters or will it look tacky?)

2. Take out the wall surrounding the stairs and replace it with a railing/spindle setup to make it look more open. Thinking about doing a light color baseboard and railing top (to match the floor) and white or wrought iron spindles...ideas?

3. Was thinking about moving the sink to under the window, leaving the stove where it is, and just doing all countertop/cabinets where the sink is now, upgrade the 12" cupboards above the sink now to 18" and putting a wine glass holder underneath it with some accent lighting...worth it?

4. Should I take down the drywall above the cupboards and leave it open up top to make it seem more open? 

Open to any/all ideas (don't really want to spend TONS of money, such as quartz countertops and such because I will just price myself out of the neighborhood...just want to look updated/clean while keeping it manageable on the $). No plan on selling anytime soon, or ever (depending on rest of house remodel to fit family!)


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

sorry for the sideways pic...not sure why it uploaded like that. it's normal on my desktop!


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

btw, carpeted section is the dining room that will also be replaced with the laminate flooring and will meet up with carpet in living room


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## msaeger (Mar 1, 2011)

I vote for new doors and drawer fronts. I don't know how good the boxes are but I think painting those white will still look dated.


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

so keep the boxes, paint them white, and just get new doors (shaker style maybe) and ptm?


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

nvycrmn said:


> 3. Was thinking about moving the sink to under the window, leaving the stove where it is, and just doing all countertop/cabinets where the sink is now, upgrade the 12" cupboards above the sink now to 18" and putting a wine glass holder underneath it with some accent lighting...worth it?


Putting the sink under the window is so traditional, I wonder why it was put where it is. I would do a bit of research and make sure there is not an immovable object of some sort in the way. 
And BTW, if you did this, you would also want to move the dishwasher next to the sink. Leaving it on the other side of the room would be awkward.


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

@ blonde: I think the reason they did this is there is a bathroom on the other side of that wall, and that is where the sink to the bathroom is as well so they just tied together into the main...nothing immovable (would have to relocate electrical panel to run the drain over). Yes, the dishwasher would be moved to the right of the sink, if the sink were to be moved...


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Paint the dishwasher with white appliance paint.
Remove valance above window and upper cabinet to right of window. Add open shelving
Add 2nd row of uppers frosted glass front hinged up.
Add glass to at least one upper 
First paint cabinets and doors. If your still not happy replace doors. 
Moving the sink is a big project but if you can do the work your self try it but i dont think its worth the effort. 

Looks like there is room for a small island. 
If no island make a small peninsula.
Take your draw base and turn it 90 degrees. Add a 3 inch filler to corner side of draw base. Cover the side and back with bead board add open shelving from back side in corner. Overhang new counter back and side.


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

@JustinK...

1.when you talk about adding 2nd row of uppers, are you talking about above the first row? The ceiling is vaulted so would that look funny? 

2. I plan on adding glass to the cabinets above the dishwasher because that is where my dishes are. I was thinking clear...thoughts?

3. Removing upper cabinet to right of window and replacing with open shelving...that is where my Tupperware is so this may not be an option with current layout.

4. I would do pretty much all the work myself for moving sink but thinking it might be more trouble than it is going to be worth.

5. I was thinking of putting a row of cabinets (maybe 2 32" cabinets) along the wall that lines the stairs. The countertop would be flush with the top of the stair railing

6. I thought about cornering off the cabinets at the drawer base but wasn't sure if that would make the kitchen feel too small. Plus my dining room table is right there so it might be a little tight sitting in the kitchen.


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## Streeter1981 (Jun 18, 2013)

I thnk all of your ideas sound like good ideas here. One thing to consider is that you can say something will be a quick job, but it usually turns out to be a lot harder than you think as you run into new issues. I would just keep that in mind before removing drywall etc.!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

@streeter,

Yeah, I definitely learned the hard way to always add at least 2 days to a planned project! haha


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## fixrupr (Apr 10, 2014)

nvycrmn said:


> 3. Was thinking about moving the sink to under the window, leaving the stove where it is, and just doing all countertop/cabinets where the sink is now, upgrade the 12" cupboards above the sink now to 18" and putting a wine glass holder underneath it with some accent lighting...worth it?


Moving your sink would be a pretty expensive project.. Plus, as was already said, sink under window is really common nowadays so i think it's be more original of you to avoid that placement. I'd keep it where it is and focus more on some of your other points, particularly the new flooring and cabinet work.


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## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

> upgrade the 12" cupboards above the sink now to 18" and putting a wine glass holder underneath it with some accent lighting...


Just curious. Are you going to build them? If so, 15 1/2 inch wide panels cut from plywood would use the material pretty effectively. You would get three across the sheet. Add the face frame and you have 16 1/4".

Just thinking out loud.


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## jasper121 (Apr 11, 2014)

That is a gorgeous wooden kitchen cabinet.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

#1 thing that I see......that 'thing' above your cabinets....paint it, remove it....do something. 

#2....move the fridge.

#3....if you have a raised foundation...moving the sink would be pretty easy...if it's slab....leave it where it is and we will just chalk that one up to "What were they thinking".

#4....it looks like you have enough room for an island......

Where do the stairs go? If it's not a busy stair case....I'm thinking that maybe a full wall....maybe even a door there....then you have a big wall you could hang cabinets on.


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

MT Stringer said:


> Just curious. Are you going to build them? If so, 15 1/2 inch wide panels cut from plywood would use the material pretty effectively. You would get three across the sheet. Add the face frame and you have 16 1/4".
> 
> Just thinking out loud.


 haven't thought about that but definitely a thought now!





jasper121 said:


> That is a gorgeous wooden kitchen cabinet.


Thank you. Just trying to update my kitchen. Would like to keep them and just sand/paint them white and change the hardware.


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

@ddawg...

1. Yes, I agree with the soffett above. I think I am just going to remove it. Help make the kitchen look larger.

2. Moving the fridge is definitely in the thought process. Might move it over to the other side of the kitchen (to the right of the microwave in pic 1).

3. the house has a full basement. However, I would have to run new plumbing (which wouldn't be hard), but I would have to move my electrical panel to run the drain...debating if it is worth it.

4. definitely thinking of the peninsula for more storage/counter space (will also have more if I move the fridge cuz I can add cabinets and countertop there too)

As for the stairs, they go down to the finished basement that we use for my wife's daycare, kids playrooms, and for entertaining at the holidays so it does get used quite a bit! Thought about the wall/door idea but don't want the room to feel so closed off...


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

nvycrmn said:


> As for the stairs, they go down to the finished basement that we use for my wife's daycare, kids playrooms, and for entertaining at the holidays so it does get used quite a bit! Thought about the wall/door idea but don't want the room to feel so closed off...


What is on the other side of the full wall? If that is hallway....then maybe you open up that wall? Chances are it's load bearing...but...that is not a difficult task to solve.


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## blur1221 (May 13, 2014)

i would remove any of the cabinet trimming that wavy first off, very 1980's country kitchen look. 

I would also look into adding a lower box or two to wrap around the counter (off where your microwave is now) into a bar / peninsula.


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## jasper121 (Apr 11, 2014)

Look what i found


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## Ariadne (May 9, 2014)

In a kitchen that spacious, maybe consider painting your cabinets a light color, like blue, soft grey or green, or doing the bottom in one color and the top in white? Glazing can really help tone and enrich colors. New hardware will definitely help, and removing the (wallpaper?) above the cabinets. Removing soffits if you have them definitely updates the kitchen, but you have to consider if they may be hiding plumbing, duct work or wiring, which can be expensive to reroute. Depending on the house, tearing them out also means you have to put in drywall, and match ceiling texture if you have any because they generally open right to the studs.

I think you can manage a back splash with laminate counters, but you would need to coordinate to avoid clashing. There are kits out there to paint your laminate counters (faux granite or marble is popular), but there are also tutorials out there on DIY butcher block counters, or faux concrete. All depends on the cohesive look you are going for. It may not be worth the cost, but to me, nothing updates a space more than nixing the laminate.

I think replacing that low wall with spindles will make it feel more open, but also having the same flooring from kitchen to dining room (?) will help with that too.

I'm also not a fan of wooden valances, but that's personal preference. As to replacing the appliances, if they still work well, a cheaper update is to get stainless steel contact paper to use on them. I think it's about $55 a roll, and is more convincing than the stainless steel paint on the market right now. This would leave more in your budget for other updates, unless you want new appliances.

If you choose not to move the sink to the window, perhaps a scenic back splash (like a mosaic or coordinated pattern) or a mirror would help? If you do, I like your idea about the wine/glasses/accent light. 

Are you planning to change the light fixtures, or are you happy with them? If you don't want to replace them, even a coat of spray paint can drastically change the look.

Good luck, and share pics of your changes!


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## nvycrmn (Mar 11, 2014)

@ddawg...on the other side of the stairs is the living room. You are correct, that is a load-bearing wall.

@blur...i am definitely getting rid of that wavy crap! as for the peninsula on the end, I have been debating that but I am afraid that would not leave enough room in the dining area to move around freely...

@jasper...thanks for the drawings! I will have to see if I can mix and match and make some of those work in my design plans!

@Ariadne...As for the cabinets/cupboards. I am on the same page with you. The plan is to paint the cabinets/cupboards white with all new hardware to help update it. Thinking of doing white cabinets/cupboards with a light wood laminate flooring (that will also be in the dining area to tie it all together). 

Still debating on the keeping the laminate countertops. They are in great condition, would match well with the white cabinet/light floor combo I think. I want an updated look but not too modern...doesnt match the rest of house or the community. 

The light fixtures are going for sure! I dont have much airflow in the house so was thinking of doing a ceiling fan/light combo in both kitchen and dining...thoughts?

The soffet has to go. There should be no plumbing/ductwork in there but that will be confirmed. haha. the drywall wont be much of an issues because the whole ceiling is going to be skim-coated and knock-down texture applied.

The appliances work great. However, we had to replace the dishwasher last year and did so with the intent of getting all black appliances at some point. So I have a white stove, white fridge, black microwave, black dishwasher, and stainless stove hood...haha. 

I am in kind of a holding pattern for the kitchen. My basement flooded and I need to replace a lot of the padding and reinstall the carpet. May have a couple other ideas for the kitchen...but keep your ideas coming!!!!


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