As of this weekend, we have every appliance in and working.  Double ovens and dishwasher included.  Before we could install either, we had to add face trim to our cabinet boxes, fill, sand, prime, and paint.  Each cabinet box is made from double-sided melamine, leaving the inner particle board exposed along the fronts.

After talking to custom cabinet makers, we chose melamine for a few reasons.  Unlike plywood, it doesn’t warp as it dries.  Melamine sides also protect the inside from water, without having to paint the inside of every box.  For sleek, finished fronts without seams at every cabinet joint, we prefer to face our cabinets after install.  Below you can see the 3/4 inch painted poplar front added to the melamine box.

Without fronts, the drawers are recessed about 1/4 inch to allow a tight closure against the cabinet.

Rather than using plywood for end panels, we used paintable melamine panels.  Having never used these before, I worried the smooth surface wouldn’t take paint well.

Turns out, one primer + three paint coats covers flawlessly.  I tried scratching the paint off with my nail and nothing happened, so I’m very hopeful.  The guys at Sherwin Williams highly recommended their ProClassic paint for cabinets because it levels and hardens for a durable finish.  Using an angled brush and small foam roller, I applied satin finish Snowbound.  This paint dries quickly, with a super smooth finish.  Brush strokes faded away.

Framing the fridge, ovens, and dishwasher just adds to the custom feel and really finished it all off.  While I got my paint on, Ben set the two office drawer stacks.

Once the paint dried, we couldn’t get the new ovens in soon enough.  Removing the doors made hoisting it easier.

Thanks to Ben’s measuring and remeasuring the cabinet and ovens fit perfectly.  Almost as if they were made for each other.  Oh wait, they were.  It slid right in place, with only a minor tweak of the upper panel.

Ta-da!  LG suggests leaving at least 12 inches from the floor, so we added a drawer below.  This drawer is the same size as the other bottom ones, which also brought the height even with the top of the refrigerator.

After install, we pulled off the packing materials, which left some marks on the doors.

We’ve tried various cleaners over the years, but nothing worked well on our LG fridge.  At the end of my rope, I asked my friend Jamie what miracle cure she used.  She sent me a picture of the spray can: Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish.  I couldn’t find the spray, but I did find the wipes.

Let me tell you, these are almost as magical as the Magic Eraser.  Seriously, how do those things work on almost everything?!  Anyway, I wiped with the steel grain, then followed up with a dry rag.

Look at the difference between the cleaned top and untouched bottom.

After seeing how well the wipes worked on the ovens, I literally polished every other stainless surface in the house.  The bathroom counters and shower pan have never looked better.  No, this is not sponsored.  Just thought this life changing cleaner was worth mentioning.  Unless I’m the last person to know about these.  In that case, carry on.