bamaspice--just found your kitchen and want to add to all the compliments you have gotten. What a wonderful job and such a beautiful kitchen!!

I was wondering how you like having the cooktop in the corner. Your layout is similar to mine although my range is to the right of the corner currently. I want to move an induction cooktop to the corner and the wall ovens to a different wall. I have looked on this site but have not found too much info on corner cooktops. Do you find that it works for you? TIA and again--GREAT job!!

kimwok-- I like the corner cooktop...but I need to find a place for my microwave. The microwave tends to be in my way.

Amanda--I brushed the paint on but a neighbor had hers sprayed. I did two coats of the ivory. As far as the glaze I used a bristle brush and wiped a lot off. Good Luck to you...Make sure you post when your done!! I would love to see the chairs.

Thank you both so much for the complements!!

That's one amazing kitchen transformation! Beautiful!

Gorgeous kitchen, you should be very proud! I too am a big DIY'er. Everything but the granite in the kitchen has been done by me.

Thank you so much for sharing your kitchen DIY. It is VERY beautiful and you have encouraged me that I can go and finish mine, too!

A fabulous result of hard work and a woman who knows she can do anything.George Bush could learn a lot about financial creativity from you. I am really inspired. I have thermafoil cabinets in our rental villa and after ten years there is peeling and chipping. I was trying to figure out how to afford new wood painted doors but this is a better plan. Can I ask how long it took for the cabinets alone. I have a six week period between rentals. There is no room for error. I could only work on this three days a week as I am an RN and work the other days each week.What do you think?
Thanks so much,AJ

AJ
Thank you so much....My cabinets were easier because the the thermofoil came off in whole sheets. You could get one door and test it. My neighbor and I both had the same type of thermofoil which peeled off and it took us both just a morning to peel off. My neighbor peeled hers off and then had a painter take the doors to his house and spray them. They look really good. I had 28 doors and 21 drawers to paint. The painting alone took a three day weekend. The glazing was the easiest part and took about two days. I set up cardboard boxes with lazy susan's underneath....this made it easier to turn the doors and paint them. I.m not sure how long it will take with the sanding you'll have to do. Good luck to you!!! Thanks again for your kind words.

Bump

(This thread inspired so many of us that I don't want it to be lost forever.)

bamaspice, do you hire out? Want to try a bathroom?

May I please archive your kitchen in the Finished Kitchens Blog? If so could you please submit the FKB Category Checklist?
Thank you!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

njd1227, ksfaustin----Thank you both so much

Starpooh-- I did the checklist....Is there a gallery for finished bathrooms??? Thanks, Susan

Absolutely fantastic transformation -- and to think you did most of it yourself. You're one amazing woman! Thank you for sharing.

You have just given my new found hope for my kitchen! I have been debating on glazing my cabinets and your kitchen has convinced me! What sheen paint did you use? I have never glazed anything before but think I can do it myself. Do you have to have the raw umber mixed? Did you mix it with anything else before you put it on your cabinets? Thanks!

HOW in the heck did you remove the laminate ... or was it thermofoil??? That's brilliant! And I imagine a well kept secret of the kitchen cabinet industry - would cut into their business if if was known how easy it was.

Painted MDF or fiber board is a perfectly acceptable material - ask any Ikea fan. I know there is bonding primers and cabinet paint for painting laminate but I would think any paint would adhere much better to the bare mdf.

You should post your whole process somewhere on this site - maybe in gallery or some permanent location.

Bamaspice, I LOVE your kitchen. I have ugly pickled cabinets and I was really wanting to restain them a darker color but your kitchen really has me second guessing myself.

I am going to post a picture of my kitchen and see what you think. Do you think that painted cabinets would look ok in my kitchen?

I saw a picture of the outside of your house and it looks a lot like mine. I guess I am afraid to paint the cabinets because stupid me was thinking that painted cabinets would take away from the value of the house. I really don't think so now. I LOVE your kitchen.

Anyway, here is a picture of mine:

lauraa,

I think painting your cabinets would make a BIG difference. I'm not good with color selection but there's a color out there that would go well with your counters, which are already nice. You'll be just as happy with your transformation as bamaspice was. All kinds of high-end kitchens have painted cabinets in them.

bamaspice,

I have looked everywhere to find your pictures in the FKG, but I can't find them! Where are they?

Thanks, bamaspice! After living with (and hating) my stark white thermofoil cabinet doors, afraid to paint the laminate, I was delighted to find your page! I picked at the inside edge of one of my cabinet doors, and the laminate easily popped off. It peeled away like a breeze in one sheet, leaving nothing behind except clean, smooth MDF! I was amazed! I stripped three doors in about 10 minutes. What I had thought was impossible has turned into a completely doable, super-easy project that will save me tons of money! Thanks again for sharing your experience!

Bamaspice,
beautiful transformation! the split face tile backsplash is something I have seen but was afraid to do because I thought it might be too difficult to keep clean. I'm hoping you will tell me now that you have lived with it awhile, how difficult is it?

Cody07--
Sorry I'm just getting back to you on the backsplash question. I installed that backsplash Thanksgiving 2006. It's great...I sealed it right after I installed it and it's been easy just to wipe off.

Sfoust--Congrats to you!!!!

This is amazing!!!!! I am so glad I found this, I had no hope for my thermofoil cabinets and now I run across this thread...thank you so much bamaspice!!!!

Beautiful! It's amazing what you've accomplished with your kitchen. It looks like a showroom kitchen now. How long did it take you to complete all of this? What was the hardest or most challenging part? Did it take a lot of time to find all the various components?

Also, a question about the tile backsplash---is it a smooth, even surface? I don't know what "splitface" means, but it looks wonderful. Just wonder how it is for cleaning, etc., and am hoping it is a fairly smooth and even surface.

Thank ya'll!

Sail-away,

The split face tile is not smooth..its somewhat uneven but not hard to care for. Thanks,

Stunning kitchen! Your hard work gives me hope and inspiration for my DIY kitchen journey.

Could you tell me the name and color of the backsplash's grout you used? It seems to be somewhat darker than the tile itself and enhances the tile so beautifully.

Shugee
Thank you...I used no grout...It hasn't posed any problems for us yet. I like the rugged look...no one that has seen it in person has mentioned they even notice it. Good Luck on your Kitchen!

Is there any way to get the tile above your stove. We do not have a Fred's here and I would love to have one. I love what you did to your kitchen. It is absolutely beautiful. I also have there thermofoil cabinets and want to do the same thing. I have one question - did you have any problems with the thermofoil? I do not want to start peeling and find that it is stuck in a few places. How would I get it off? Thanks for all of your help!!

wee98,
I haven't seen any more tiles like it but it's really one of those things that just happened. It's made out of a really light resin/papermache/canvas type of stuff. I think you might have luck at Kirkland's or TJ maxx kind of place. I was with my Aunt who has a "think out of the box attitude."

Also, as far as the thermofoil it just peeled off. The only sticking I had is where I had tried to gorilla glue it before. In those places I took my hand sander and sanded to the surface...it wasn't very many places and only where I had tried to keep the thermofoil from sticking. Good Luck to you!

Thank you,
Susan

Susan,

Love, love, LOVE your kitchen.

One question: now that you've been living with it for over a year, how is the paint holding up on the cabinets and the finish on the cup pulls and knobs?

Thanks,
Dianne

Ditto everything everyone has said! It is an amazing transformation. Something I know I could not have taken on. Regarding the cool resin tile from Fred's, I am concerned that it is so close to an open flame. I believe I remember that resin is highly flammable. Please correct me if I am wrong (and I hope I am wrong.)

Susan,
This is spectacular and an inspiration! Would you please share the order in which you tackled this project as now that I'm ready I'm not sure where to begin. Thanks! Patty

Thank you everyone!!

The finish on the knobs and pulls is great (just like brand new)!! I have a little touching up to do on the cabinets...I didn't poly or seal the cabinets so like on the silverware drawer it's got a couple of dings...I should have sealed it and still might. But overall it's still looking good.

The resin/paper mache tile thingy seems to be okay...There is more space between the stove top & tile than it appears in the pics. I'll have to ask husband exactly what it's made of....

Patty...I'll give you the order when I have a little more time...I'll touchbase tomorrow.

Thanks to you all!

Love, love, love your kitchen! I was so inspired that I went over and started peeling my cabinets (which had started peeling on their own) - We were about to spend a lot of money on refacing and now i see an alternative! Thank you!!

One question if you don't mind... How did you handle the moulding and sides of the cabinets which were not doors or drawers? They don't seem to peel easily.. nor do the inside of the doors. Did you peel them as well?

bamaspice - I love the look of the split face tile and found one by Solistone with the colors I want. The idea of no grout definitely appeals to me (sounds like a breeze to install this stuff) The stone shop recommended against grouting saying the spaces are very small and the rough face would make it practically impossible to grout... BUT then I've been reading about the health hazards of going groutless. Opinions?

Here is a link that might be useful: split face stone

Bump ... found this thread on page 66 and didn't want it to fall off the forum and be gone forever.

Well, I see by bamaspice's post on Feb 11 of this year that she did not grout her split face either. And it was installed Thanksgiving of '06. She doesn't seem to have had any problems with it since then, at least as of around 3 months ago. Bama, are you out there? Had any regrets about not grouting? BTW, your kitchen reno is outstanding!

wow.. awesome job!

Hi Ya'll...I've had to clean up spaghetti sauce splatters as well as redi whip and all the other greasy normal stuff on my groutless tile. It hasn't been a problem. I did seal the stone with a spray on sealer that has helped. I can't see this being a health hazard....The only way I could see it being a hazard would be in a bathroom. I get the most complements in person on the backsplash and it was one of the easiest parts of the transformation. Thank you all for your kind words...this forum was my biggest inspiration.

Thank you for the reply, bamaspice. I have the split face bs too and had been really dreading a full grout job, so it's nice to hear your experience. I agree, definitely a no-no in the bathroom, but not so much a problem as a backsplash. I probably will grout some of the larger gaps and pits but otherwise, just leave the rest and see how it holds up.

bamaspice, Your kitchen is awesome! Well done!

Buehl was kind enough to send me the link to your photos in FKB when I asked if anyone had a corner cooktop with an under cabinet vent hood as I need to decide in the next 2 days whether or not to put in a corner cooktop. Could you please tell me what kind of hood you got? Any concerns about cooking in the corner now that you've been doing so for awhile? How wide is your cooktop? One of my hesitations is that I'll having to nix my corner lazy susan and decrease usuable cabinet space plus I don't want to feel crowded in the corner as my current cooktop is shoved into the L of a corner and I don't like it since 2 people can't stand there.

Also, I noticed that your wall behind your cooktop is at an angle whereas my wall is engineered to be a regular L shaped corner. Wondering how that might affect the position of the cooktop?

Thanks for any input!

Bamaspice, Can you tell me how wide the angled wall is behind your cooktop? I'm trying to do a corner cooktop and have final layout meeting with GC tonight.

Your kitchen is beautiful!

GREAT transformation!! I LOVE the feet on the bottom of the cabinets. what a touch of elegance for not much expense. I think I'll add those to some of my cabinets too!

Susan,

Congratulations on a project well done!! I applaud your ingenuity and your courage at taking on such a big task! We're mid-building and our kitchen will have glazed cream perimeter cabinets and a contrasting island . . . yours caught my eye -- I love how it looks, so I'm encouraged to go ahead with our plan.

My DD and DSIL recently did a quick spruce-up of their kitchen prior to listing their house for sale. They had thermofoil cabinets that were starting to peel and, like you, found that the skin peeled off in sheets most places. They put granite tile over the formica and the whole kitchen looks so much better. So, those of you who have TF cabinets, peel away!!

Thanks for sharing your results . . . I'm sure you've inspired a lot of people to step out and try!

Arlene

Arlene, Thank you so much....I don't check in on this board as often as I should. I appreciate your kind words and appreciated this board for every decision I made. Good Luck on your new kitchen!
Susan

Hi, Susan
I know how busy life gets. I asked back on March 15th if you could give the order of the work you did to revamp your kitchen. I'm still interested in that info. Now that school is back in session I have some days during the week when I can start to tackle ours. Thanks so much! ~Patty

Hi
I just run into this post. Wonderful work. You inspire me. I am a DIY but get a little timid because my husband hates any kind of handiwork and he is afraid that if I start something I will ask for his help. I will think about you when I feel a little "chicken" about home project--don't worry I will do my homework first (and I do know my limitations as well) Thanks again.

i am bumping this thread, i marked it long ago, and it has inspired me to start on my kitchen, cabs should be all painted next week, and hopefully i can post some pics in my own thread.
i thought newbies may enjoy seeing this thread.

I was just doing a search to find out about painting therofoil cabinets and WOW!! I was on the fence before, but after seeing your kitchen I'm ready to start peeling! You did an amazing job! I do have one question, what sheen of paint did you use? Thanks- Elizabeth

Hi Bamaspice! Your backsplash is AMAZING! I was so thrilled to come across it on here and am hoping to get a little advice from you. My husband and I just bought our first home and are about to tackle our first tiling project...SCARY! =)

We bought Champagne Gold Split Face tile from Dal Tile, it looks very very similar to yours. We are concerned about how easily it will be to cut it because it is fairly thick. Did you have any problems or do you have any tips? We will be using a wet diamond saw.

Secondly, how are your outlet covers (face plates) installed? Are they recessed behind the marble (back against the wall) or are they on top of the split face?

Lastly, are you still happy with the splitface option as your backslpash? Have you had any trouble with staining or hardship keeping it clean?

Thank you so much for any advice/help you can offer! Congratulations on your beautiful kitchen, it is truly and inspiration to see how wonderful it turned out!

Your creativity and resourcefullness makes your kitchen all the more enjoyable to view. It 's inspiring to know that when you have an imagination, anything's possible !!! Great job !!

I know this is a really old posting but did you paint the skeletons of the cabinets or just the drawers? Also, how has it held up throughout the years? Thank you! Looks wonderful!