Refinishing Cabinetry

February 20, 2008 No Comments by Regina

We have been getting A LOT of cabinetry commissions lately — which really does not surprise me in this current housing climate. ?In fact, according to AIA Architect, who conducted a Home Trends Design Survey, kitchen and bath projects remain strong as the residential market weakens. ?If you are disatisfied with the way your kitchen or bath cabinetry looks — and there is a beautiful, durable and affordable alternative to wrecking the house and starting from scratch, why wouldn’t you explore it?? Plus, it’s great for environmentally-conscious consumers since you are, in essence, recycling what you currently own at the cost of no additional trees.

Here’s a sampling of our most popular finish: bringing in an overall color and lightly glazing the edges and trim. ?I also recommend adding crown molding if the cabinetry doesn’t have it — it costs pennies on the dollar and yet adds great re-sale value to your kitchen.

Formica can also be changed (as seen in the laundry room on the left). ?On the right, the light pine cabinetry was deepened to a cherry finish…and we didn’t have to sand it all the way to the bare wood and re-stain.

How white cabinetry gets a lot more interesting via the magic of faux bois: woodgraining. ?You can see more pics of this project here and here or try another project altogether.

The distressed look is also popular. ?Here is a during and after pic — you can see the black peeking through the red. ?(Did you see the stripes on the ceiling?)

We are going to be offering two separate Cabinetry Refinishing classes at our studio about once a month. ?The first class will be Saturday, May 17 and more details will be forthcoming. ?These workshops will be specifically tailored to homeowners who want a change, don’t have a lot to spend but yet don’t mind a little elbow grease.? ?Each one-day class will teach one specific finish and it will be a jam-packed day: from planning the project to the final topcoat layer — homeowners will also learn how to use an HVLP sprayer for a factory-finished look.

Here is my brother…everytime we get into our spray gear I always tell him with my best Darth Vader voice: “Jason, I am your sister!”