Kitchen Cabinet Updating ~ Fall 2013 Project

We are blessed to work in the construction industry, even in these challenged economic times.  There are many skilled tradesmen in our area and it is a blessing when opportunities work out to swap work with other tradesmen in order for projects to be completed.  This was the case last summer/fall.  A skilled cabinet maker helped us to update our kitchen.  One day we hope to remodel the kitchen, when funds are saved for doing that, but until then a simple way to update a kitchen is to replace cabinet and drawer fronts.

Here's how our kitchen looked before the update last year:

July 2013 ~ BEFORE PICTURES OF KITCHEN CABINETS ~ These are builder grade laminate cabinets.  The corner edges have seen better days, as you can see in some of the photos where the laminate has chipped. The white is no longer the original brilliant white.  The structure is in good condition structurally, so Lord willing we will get another 5-7 years out of them.

These cabinets have served and continue to serve us well.  The upkeep has been easy with mild detergent or diluted bleach and water.  The builder grade handles were a standard white plastic.

A few years ago my husband with our youngest son serving as his helper, installed wire pull-outs to help maximize the lower cabinets.  We decided not to add any expense to change them to wood pull-outs, as they continue to work well for us.  The trash can pull-out, however, I did desire to change to a custom solid wood pullout with the door attached to the pull-out for ease of use and cleaning.

This wire pullout system was purchased from Lowe's Home Improvement store and helped to maximize the space inside our lower cabinets.  We did not change these with this kitchen update.

Top left shows the before picture.  Notice the notch in the upper 1/2 shelf of the original cabinet my husband made to allow the wire trash can pullout system to recess back inside the cabinet all the way.  The other two pictures show the custom wood constructed pullout system.  The updated trash pullout has the updated door attached directly to the pullout which makes prep work at the sink much easier.

Here are some shots taken after the new replacement doors were installed.

The after shots show the raised panel doors and drawer fronts that replaced our original laminate cabinet doors and drawer fronts.  Additions to this update were corner mold to hide the chipped laminate areas, side panels added to the end cabinets {upper and lower} as well as additional molding in the inner corners to fill the gap between the doors.

We did make a few upgrades to help our existing cabinets function better, as well as adding some style to the new doors and drawers.

1. Custom wood full-reveal pullout drawers for cooking utensils and silverware. {Cooking utensil pull-out shown in top left photo.}
2. New brushed nickel knobs for all doors and brushed nickel handles for all drawers and the trash can pullout. {Shown in top right photo.}  
3. Flip down drawer under the double sink for soap pads, scrubbies, etc. {Shown in bottom photo.} 

The sharing of trade work {electrical for cabinet making} helped to make this project a life-extender of our existing original kitchen cabinets while giving the kitchen a more updated look.  The additional upgrades added quality, function and style to the new cabinet door and drawer fronts, as well.

Note:  The bottom left photo shows the two drawers missing {those were the two we had custom built from solid wood with a new track system put in}, as the cabinet maker was building new ones.

So, how have you extending the life in your kitchen or another room in your home?  I'd love to see your before and after pictures.  Be sure to leave a comment and link back to your site.  

Blessings,