Resize Your Existing Cabinet and Doors to Fit an Apron Front Sink

As part of our kitchen makeover, we had to take out our old sink and adjust the cabinet to fit our undermount apronfront sink before they could template the granite counter tops. I knew this would be a process (involving not having a sink for several weeks). The cabinet had to be cut and reinforced so the new sink would be level with the cabinets, and then the new counter tops would rest on top.

Fireclay sinks are all slightly different, so there was no standard template. First things, first. My husband undid the plumbing and removed the sink. Then small humans kept appearing in the opening. 

We went ahead and cut through the laminate counter top on each side so we could drill through both sides of the cabinet and access the dishwasher hoses. Then I removed the doors and drawer fronts.

Next came some measuring. I measured the sink and fortunately it was 33"--the exact measurement to the vertical pieces of the side. Then I measured how tall it was and marked on the cabinet accordingly.

  Cut down with my multi-tool

Then I added some pocket holes so I could attach the top piece.  (The sides of the top piece already had pocket holes in them).

Next, my husband added all kinds of reinforcements (probably more than necessary). He put some 1/2" plywood on each side so the sides of the sink would be tight against the cabinet. Then, along the bottom where the sink would rest, he put another strip of plywood. He also put supports along the back to help hold the cabinet together. Since we have space on the sides because of the bay window shape, he even put 2x4s on the outside of the cabinets that go all the way to the floor.

He built the back out so the sink would flat against it. He later had to cut a hole in the middle so there wold be room for the faucet and plumbing.

Here is the sink nice and snug in the cabinet. Our sink was 140 lbs and between the two of us, it was quite manageable to lift the sink in and out when we needed. (Not a one person job).

We were able to hook up the dishwasher hoses while we were without a working sink. Eventually we cut a hole lower in the left side of the cabinet to pull them through.

Here it is in it's under mount glory!

 
Next I cut down the cabinet doors. I measured how tall I needed them to be for the new openings. I cut the bottom just on top of the routed part.

Then I cut out how much it needed to be shortened.

Then glue and clamp together. Since the wood was heavy I added a pocket hole in the middle and on the side opposite where the hinges would go for a little extra strength.

You can see on the back how the holes for the hinges are pretty close to the cut. I chiseled a little and they popped back in easily.

Then I did some sanding, wood filling, and more sanding to smooth them out a bit. I primed and painted.
 

The sander got a little crazy on the right door, but honesty, no one really looks down that low when they're in the kitchen.

 

The whole thing was basically free since we used wood scraps from our garage. 

Linking to: Domestically Speaking

Kitchen Reveal

 It feels weird calling this a "reveal" since these I've been changing this kitchen slowly since day one. A reminder of how far we've come:

But I made three major changes this winter that I think qualifies the "reveal" status.

1) Granite counter tops!

My dream came true. After painting my counter tops to look like granite to tie us over for a few years, we replaced them with the real deal. For a while I thought I'd get quartz counter tops since everyone raves about how they are maintenance free and don't crack, but I ended choosing this slab of Vanilla Ice 2 that ties our floors and white cabinets together. I am so glad I did! I love the natural variation and the way the stones glitter in the sun. We went through Old World Stone in Orem. I highly recommend them. They have a much better selection at a cheaper cost than all the other places we looked. The time from deposit to install was also pretty fast.

2) Farm House Sink 

I love this beauty. It's the 33" Reinhard Double Bowl Fireclay Farmhouse Sink.  We got it from the Signature Hardware website. I had to call customer service a few times and was really impressed with them. The sink was back ordered, but came before the estimate date. We ended up cutting down our cabinet and reinforcing it instead of spending a fortune having someone make a custom cabinet for it. I also did a hack job on the cupboard doors so we wouldn't have to buy new ones. No one really looks down that low when they visit my kitchen anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I'm also super excited about my new high arc pull-down faucet. It's a Delta Faucet 9197-AR-DST Cassidy in Arctic Stainless. One thing I like about purchasing stuff like this on Amazon is you can buy it from a different seller for a deep discount if the box was previously opened. I was stalking this faucet for a while and when I saw a buyer list it for $100 cheaper than the sale price, I jumped on it.

3) Glass Tile Backsplash
 


I was pretty nervous about tiling. Maybe because I wanted to avoid using a wet saw (which I ended up buying). Also I wasn't sure how to approach the bay window shape and the rounded corners. Still, it turns out tiling is pretty fun. Expect to see some tiling in my upstairs bathrooms before too long.

I used GBI Tile & Stone Inc. Gemstone White Glass Mosaic Subway Wall Tile, which I got at Lowes. It was on sale around Thanksgiving for $4 cheaper a sheet! I got 25 sheets and ended up returning 4. When I know I'm doing a large project at Lowes, I buy a gift card voucher from Raise.com and end up saving 8-11%. It's a marketplace to buy and sell gift cards. I've only ever bought Lowes gift cards from them because they are available almost instantly to print out. It says they are only good in store, but I forgot and entered the code on the website when I bought something on black Friday and it worked. Once I did buy a Home Depot gift card from Raise and noticed it has fine print saying all sales are final with gift card purchases, so I think I'll just stick with using Raise for my Lowes cards since I've never had a problem with Lowes letting me return something.  

Daniel convinced me to take the tile all the way down to the floor (four tiles deep behind the oven). Good call, husband.

We've been more motivated to keep the kitchen clean since we've made these changes. 

It's also motivated me to better organize the food on top of the fridge with IKEA containers.

I also got a mail sorter from Pick Your Plum.
 

Other changes that have been made over the last 2.5 years:
* Painted the oak cabinets
* Added hardware found on ebay to doors and drawers
* Switched out the light over the sink with a Canarm IPL256A01BPT New Yorker Mini Pendant, Brushed Pewter
* Added tongue and groove beadboard and baseboard molding to the back and sides of the bottom cabinets
* Replaced refrigerator, oven range, and microwave with Smudge-proof Stainless Steel appliances
* Framed the windows in the Craftsman Style
* Made Roman shades out of mini blinds and fabric from Hobby Lobby 
* Reframed the doors in the Craftsman Style 
* Repainted the interior doors
* Repurposed an entertainment center into a custom hutch and trash/recycle center

Things I'd still like to do, but probably not immediately:
* Replace the fluorescent light with can lights.
* Make a barn door to put between the kitchen and laundry room to create a better traffic flow.

Linking to: Remodelaholic January Link Party 

Painted Countertop (Giani Granite) Review - 2.5 Years Later

One of the first things I did when we moved in our house was paint our kitchen counters. I really wanted granite counter tops, but with all the expenses that come with moving in a new house, we decided to wait a few years before we made another large purchase. In the meantime, I used a Giani Granite Paint Kit For Counter tops in Bombay Black (affiliate link) to glam things up, cover a few chips, and add contrast to the cabinets (which were soon to be painted white).

This is the only "before" picture I can find with the original counter tops. 

The painted counter tops looked great...

but, let me be honest, we're pretty hard on our counter tops. Also, I am seriously the only one in our house who actually wipes down counter tops. Anything liquid or sticky that got spilled on it would have to wait until I noticed it and then wiped it down.

Some problems I encountered:
 * If there was anything wet or sticky on the counter top (and there often was) and anything paper or cardboard was put on top, it adhered to the counter like glue. I would sometimes peel off paint when ripping and scrubbing the paper off.  
* Messes need to be cleaned up immediately or they are challenging to get off.
* The paint wore off around the corners and around the sink. I did attempt to patch it in a few places, but it wasn't a perfect solution.
* Even though the top protective layer hardened nicely, after a year or so, I could never get it to feel clean. No matter how much I washed and wiped, it still sort of felt sticky.

My final recommendation:
I think it makes a good short term solution to upgrade your counter tops, but after a few years it will probably need to be replaced with something nicer, unless you are very meticulous and don't live with a lot of messy non-wiping counter people :)

Project Bonus Room: Faux Fireplace and Cabinets

Since this was my September project, of course I'm posting pictures in December...

I really wanted a faux fireplace in our house and thought this little spot in the Bonus Room would be the perfect place.

I took a lot of inspiration from the Mimi's Faux Fireplace Plans on Ana White's Blog, but I ended up having to make a lot of changes to fit it in my small space.

Front face

I used 1x12s on the sides to make it deep enough to line up with some cabinets on the side.

Adding support to top and bottom

Front view

Top and trim added to the front

I then started the side cabinets basing them on the Rebecca Media Center Side Base Plans on the Ana White site. I used these plans for my massive media center on my main floor.

I painted the fireplace and added a 1/4" piece of plywood in the opening.

I laid out my tile so I could see where to cut an opening.

I also cut out a piece of cement board and attached it on top. Not necessary, but I was using this project to experiment with tiling.

 

I used some thin strips of wood to help hold on the plywood since it got pretty heavy with the cement on it.

I used some thin molding to frame the opening.

 Then I got to work tiling.

And grouting

And caulking

This is the back splash I decided to use in my kitchen.

I wanted to have an access to the cords for my tv and various electronics, so I attached my "fire" piece with hinges on the top and magnets on the bottom. This allows me to tap it open and access a power strip and gently close it.

I attached a piece of chalkboard contact paper to a piece of plywood and then cut out a fire on my silhouette in white vinyl.

 

I made some simple Cabinet Doors using my Kreg Jig, as usual.

I decided to add some square wainscoting similar to my Tunnel Below My Stairs

Here it is taped off and ready for caulking.

 Here is the finished project. I think it's starting to class up the room a bit :)

My 5-year-old was so excited to hang up the stockings.