Fresh Faced

Here are our newly re-faced kitchen cabinets:

The look is similar to the original -- they are still rustic wood, but the new ones are knotty alder, a stronger material and more refined look and muted color than the pine. The Shaker style is simpler than the previous recessed panel style. 

I do miss the homely look of the yellow pine. It was cute, it was cottagey, it was bright. These are a softer color, a darker shade, and plainer style. They have a soft patina rather than a bright gloss. Nicer, but less funky.

And a serious upgrade. The refrigerator is no longer stranded in a space too big for it; they built a box  surround to enclose it. The doors and drawers have automatic soft close mechanisms, the drawers are full depth and pull out all the way now, giving me accessible storage at the back that I didn't have before. 

My research before starting this project told me that re-facing cabinets was the affordable, less costly, easier solution than a full remodel or all new cabinets. So I thought this would be a quick project. I thought they'd bring the factory built new drawers and doors, pop them on, and then spend a day adding matching veneer to the side panels, toe kicks and where any frame shows.

It was not a pop-on couple-day project. The install took a full week, 8 hours a day for 5 full days. The veneers were hand cut on site, meticulously crafted, with detailed finish carpentry. It took forever. The fridge box surround was hand built, the drawers and doors took hours to install with precision fitting. I was surprised at how extensive refacing was, I had no idea. 

It's all put back together now and San Pasqual, patron saint of cooking, looks down from his perch with approval at our fresh faced kitchen.

As a reminder, here are the "before" shots -- the kitchen the first time we saw it (from the real estate listing photos):