Finished Kitchen

It's done!

It's been a slow burning project, this kitchen.

It didn't strike Mike and me as a room in need of a full reno back in 2013 when we moved in, but as these things tend to go, one "little" update just led to another and another.

The top three pictures here are from the day we moved in.  The bottom two are from the sellers' listing.

Since we bought it, this kitchen has gotten new appliances, dark hardwood flooring, quartz counter tops, a wooden counter for the island, a bigger sink and faucet, gray subway tile back splash, shaker style soffits, and finally cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and corbels custom built by the guy whose blood, sweat, and tears pretty much hold this place together now.

In all honesty, we know the cabinets don't look that different from before.  However, the little differences between the original ones from 1996 and the new ones matter to us.  The kitchen now feels fully updated, not just mostly polished up.

The cabinet door project idea, when I first threw it out as a possible woodworking project for Mike, seriously lit him up.  He immediately got talking about podcasts and jigs and tools he would need.  There was really no stopping him on this one.  It was a much better reaction than the deep breath he usually takes to expel the stress that is being married to me.

According to that guy, here are the steps that went into this work:
1.  Buy rough lumber.

2.  Mill stock using joiner/planer/table saw.
3.  Cut grooves for center panels.
4.  Cut tenons to fit into grooves.
5.  Cut floating panels to size.

6.  Prime panels (to avoid seeing line when assembled and wood expands/contracts).
7.  Glue up.
8.  Drill pockets for hinges.

9.  Paint.
10.  Install.