Phase 1 - Out with the old sink cabs and in with the new! Over the holiday break I decided to finally redo our kitchen. We've had a plethora of plumbing problems and just couldn't put it off any longer. ( The water was coming out the back wall!) I decided to build the cabinets using palette wood. I like the character of reclaimed wood and at free, the price is right!!

Now to build the wall cabinets! They are a basic box with a facing and shelves. Once built. I filled the cracks and gaps with a wood putty, then sanded everything with a belt sander. Since I'm using various types of wood, I put on a white wash to even out the variations of color. When that dried, I coated them with a stain and several coats of polyurethane

On the wall! Building the wall cabs first meant I could stand on the sink to install these and not worry about messing anything up. Making separate units meant that I could actually carry them and get them on the wall, adding the doors and hardware later.

Next up - the sink and counter top.The sink cab and counter top took about a week to make. Drawers are hard!!! It was pretty much the same steps for the cabinet. Putty, sand, white wash and stain, but the counter top was a little different. I cut down a 1/2 inch piece of plywood to size and cut the hole for the sink. Next, I glued and nailed down wood that was the same thickness to the plywood. For contrast, painted the top white with just a touch of the grain coming through. Then 5 coats of urethane gave it a smooth aged character.

I did the back splash just like the counter top, but without all the urethane coats. This made it a little lighter and you can see more of the grain. I don't EVEN want to get in to all the plumbing problems. That was the real headache of the job!!!

And here we go!! Except for the trim, phase 1 of the new kitchen. Leak free with new sink and faucet! Even put in a filtered water faucet. For phase 2, I'll build other cabinets to go around stove, but for now, I can't wait to get back in the studio to paint.