Schutta Kitchen Remodel
Piano pantry, butcherblock, track lights, oh my! Kitchen remodels must be the second most distruptive project. Right after remodeling the bathroom of a one bathroom home.
A full kitchen remodel was not in our budget. The layout was “good ‘nough.” The wood cabinets were in terrific shape. But try as I might, I couldn’t find a way to keep the dark stain (update: they have been out of style since they were installed.) We decided to sand and paint the cabinets. Sanding was necessary because the thick varnish was not only dirty but prevented any adhesion of paint. It did take 3 coats, but we were very happy with the results. We also needed to refinish the end of the upper cabinets where we had removed one bay the year before. For the cabinets, we added a plywood panel with rounded edges and painted it to match. For the soffit above, we needed to carefully infill, mud then add a texture to blend with the adjacent ceiling. It took three tries, but ended up blending very nicely.
We found a great stainless steel sink and faucet. The stainless steel sink we chose filled the same cutout as the cast iron monstrosity that was chipped and stained. However it weighed next to nothing. The best surprise was fitting 13” x 9” pans flat at the bottom of the sink because the walls of the sink were so much thinner. It was an necessary update for soaking burned culinary missteps out of pans! We also updated the faucet and added hand soap and dish soap dispensers next to the faucet. “Doing It Yourself” adds time to a project but you get to see all the messy phases along the way in the progress photos below:
PROGRESS PHOTOS
We splurged on the wall tile and the new countertop. The existing countertop had laminate installed over laminate, which was installed over laminate over more laminate over an original base laminate. Our choices were:
Add another layer to the laminate saga (cheap, but sad)
Attempt to remove all laminate and start from scratch over the existing particle board (if possible, less costly but extremely labor intensive)
Replace in kind with new countertop structure and new laminate (admitedly, most affordable option for a new countertop)
Replace with quartz, corian, or solid surface (very expensive!)
Or - for just a tiny bit more money, order custom wood butcher block countertop from Ohio!
It took some research to see if we were up to the task of maintaining butcher block counters. For an extra $300, we love the upgrade to solid wood!
When ordering custom butcherblock, it is best to call. I loved what we ordered but I wouldn't choose the same product again. It arrived unfinished with an undulating surface (rougher than framing lumber). It took a lot of sanding, but I eventually got it down to a smooth surface. Over time we did learn a few quirks about butcher block:
Don’t leave zucchini on the counter too long - it they start to grow fuzz, it will stain the counter
Don’t leave coffee or wine rings for long - they will also stain the counter
Don’t leave paper on the counter - it soaks up the mineral oil and is ruined
Applying mineral oil each month helped resist stains
Wood is great for rolling out dough and cookies with a little bit of flour
Any tomato or pink lemonade stains did disappear over time
Wood adds a beautiful warm tone to an otherwise cool kitchen and always made me smile
BEFORE & AFTER
References:
Sink: Franke Kitchen Sink (Formerly available at Menards EVDAG904-18) Stainless Steel with 4 Holes ($199)
Faucet: Pfister Lima, Kitchen Pulldown Faucet F5296LMS ($149.99)
Wall Tile: Mohawk Crafted Gloss Blue 3 x 12 Ceramic Wall Tile (Formerly available at Menards)
Casework Paint: Polar Bear (Behr #75) Semi-Gloss
Handles: 3-3/4” Tapered Bow Pull SN ($2.78 each)
Countertop: Beech Edge Grain Butcher Block Countertop from Hardwood Lumber Company in Ohio (Grand Total: $2,283.16 verses new laminate & countertops estimated at $1,900)
Floor Finish: Laminated Vinyl Tile https://www.menards.com/main/storeitem.html?iid=1559845252057
Dining Room Chairs: Grady Slat, DGD218 ($149.99 per chair, 20% off)
