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I did this reno a few years ago. We had a high gloss polyurethane kitchen, with flat doors. I wanted Shaker style, but we couldn't afford to have the kitchen changed by professionals. To change the doors, drawer fronts and end panels, I ripped down some 3mm ply into strips, and attached this to the fronts to create the Shaker trim. To allow for the additional thickness of the doors I simply adjusted the concealed hinges, to move the door ever-so-slightly away from the cabinet edge. I also created the illusion that there were more drawers, by adding trim to the tops of doors, creating a faux drawer, and by 'dividing' three large drawers, into 6.
I removed two of the cabinets over the stove, and converted the remaining centre cabinet into a custom range hood cover, using ply, pine and MDF. The front cover comes off that, so there is still storage there if needed. I extended the ends of the breakfast bar, where it originally cantilvered, just to give it more substance. I added colonial skirting to the base of the kitchen, and brought the kickboards out by adding 18mm pine to the fronts.
The cabinets were primed with ESP, and Zinsser BIN, then painted with water-based enamel, using a 4mm nap microfibre roller. I replaced the sink with a ceramic butler's sink, cutting down the doors below it to accommodate it.
This completely changed the kitchen's appearance, and has proven really very robust; no chipping or scratching to any painted surface. Having lived with it now since 2018, I'm thinking of changing the colour of the lower cabinets.
Hello @LizzieCro
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing kitchen renovation. There are so many fantastic elements worthy of mention in your revamp I don't know where to start. The ones that stand out to me are your shaker doors, what an inspired idea to repurpose them to the look that you want. Turning the triple drawer into six just adds so much to the look of the kitchen. The butler sink, the rangehood Hampton cover, and the end wall for your breakfast bar are just ingenious.
What budget would you recommend our members set aside if they wanted to replicate your efforts? How long did it take you to finish the renovation? Any advice you can give would be much appreciated.
We look forward to seeing more.
Eric
Hi @LizzieCro
Thank you so much for sharing the steps you took and the materials you used on your kitchen revamp. Excellent buy on the butler sinks, it's always good to have a spare especially if it's the last one. I'm sure our members will add this project to their favorites tab as a fantastic reference for future kitchen renovations.
Again, thank you so much for sharing your kitchen project.
Eric
Hi @leanam,
Let me mention @LizzieCro so they are alerted to your question. It's certainly an amazing transformation that would look the part in many homes. Do you have some older style drawers you'd like to refresh? We'd love to hear all about it and would encourage you to start a discussion if you need any assistance or would like to share the project with us.
Mitchell
I apologise, Liz (@LizzieCro). I misread @leanam's question and thought they had asked what colour you used. Otherwise, I would have pointed them towards our water-based enamels. A fine choice, and with the correct prep, it can last just as long as specialty paints.
Many thanks for your response.
Mitchell
