Open Kitchen – Page 3

New Knife on the Block

Published on March 26, 2015March 26, 2015 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

One thing I’ve always wanted in an organized kitchen was an in drawer knife block. We often have several fruit bowls on the counters, but I prefer minimal clutter. With the drawers finished, I got in a mood to organize, including a knife block. Target carries an option, but I didn’t need as many small knife slots. Instead, I put my thinking cap on to create a contained block, with a compartment for loose steak knives. I started with a left over maple section from the countertops. Before cutting, I measured our countertop knife block spacing. Each slot is 1/8 inch wide and 3/4 of an inch apart, so I marked it on the top.

When I decided I liked the size and spacing, I used a square to transfer the marks to the leading edge. At 2 inches thick, the board has enough depth to house knives. Ben set the blade of the table saw blade to 1 1/2 inches and ran the board through each line. I followed up with 120 grit, sanding every surface smooth and rounding the front and back edges.

To make a contained compartment, we used 1/4 inch MDF scraps to build a frame. Supporting the knife handles is important in keeping the blades safely stowed.

Attaching a strip 3 1/2 inches from the block edge holds the handles.

For easier removal, I left 3 inches between the support and the steak knife divider.

With the knives stored out of sight, I’m planning dividers for the rest of the drawer contents.

For such a simple project, I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to get it done. One less thing to clean around and look at.

Doors and Knobs

Published on March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Almost exactly three months ago, we started tearing out kitchen cabinets and knocking down walls. Since then, we fully gutted the room and are slowly building a new room. Each step is stupidly exciting, as we get new function or a more complete kitchen. You know what’s really great about cabinets? The storage they offer.

What’s better than storage? Hidden storage. Such a novel idea.

Because these doors are simple and quick to build, we decided to make an interim set for the dish cabinet.

Eventually, we can build glass frames. That didn’t stop me from arranging the interior as though it is open. A fake succulent fills an open area.

Soft close hinges are the coolest thing since sliced bread. The smarties at Blum sure know what they’re doing. To prevent the doors from hitting the cabinetry, they make tiny metal pieces that clip into the hinge, limiting the opening to 86 degrees. Hiding junk above the fridge, like the food dehydrator, is fantastic.

It’s amazing how much bigger, brighter, and more finished the kitchen feels with that addition. Also, sneak peek of the walnut island drawer fronts.

After holding up the silver handles, and not liking the look, I began a search for simple pulls. Nothing that draws too much attention. Then I remembered I had these glass bubble knobs. Totally perfect. Basic, functional, but almost blend in with the cabinets.

Fewer and fewer items are on the to do list, most minor. Some trim. Finish the cabinet under the sink. Install a vent hood. Strengthen my forearm muscles while smoothing out the uneven old pantry wall.

Once I finish skim coating, we can straighten out the cabinet configuration. Then, we just might have a finished kitchen. Light at the end of the tunnel. And just in time to start summer work on the exterior of the house.

Marble Back Splash

Published on March 6, 2015March 11, 2015 by Our Humble Abode20 Comments

As I mentioned on Wednesday, the backsplash tile is installed. Just last night we finished it up with grout. But, here’s the uneven, ugly step before.

To get started setting tile, I opened and sorted the packages by color. All tiles are 4 inch by 12 inch Carrara marble from Home Depot. Indeed I am the crazy person sorting white tile by color. I’ll explain more in a minute.

Install went smoothly, but took a lot of cutting. Ben rocked it out in six hours though.

For detailed tile jobs, Ben prefers to use pre-mixed mastic to avoid making several batches.

Unfortunately, it also took forever to dry completely. Obviously that is an exaggeration, but waiting four days was a test of my patience. Pulling out the spacers took only a few minutes and then I cleaned the mastic off the surface.

Yesterday, Ben took a couple of hours to grout everything.

When sorting the tiles, I created 4 different groups. Group one was bright white with little veining, the second white with veining. The third group was pale gray, the fourth gray with heavy coloring.

With such color variation, we made a point to pull from each group to avoid blocks of similar colors.

Also, we chose to keep the trim on the windows, cutting tiles to fit around.

Same goes for the baseboard.

The only difference is for the crown, because the profile is thinner. We’ll add a thin spacer behind, then secure the crown, slightly overlapping the tile.

Weekend plans include replacing switches and outlets, building cabinet doors, painting window trim, and working on the office cabinetry. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Simple Drawer Fronts

Published on February 25, 2015February 25, 2015 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Although the kitchen is slowing down, we haven’t stopped working. In fact, I’ve been painting and sanding. Sanding and painting the last several days. Even though this is mostly decorative, we’ve taken another small step toward the finish line. Notice anything new here?

I’ll give you a hint:

Drawer fronts! And handles! Toe kick covers are curing, hopefully to be installed this afternoon.

This section of the kitchen was part of the pool house addition a few years after the house was built. I’m assuming it was level with the house, but the house already had some time to settle. So the last five or six feet are roughly 3/4 of an inch off level. We’ll cut the toe kick covers to follow the floor and cabinet gap for a seamless edge.

Speaking of seamless, even the sides of the drawers look sleek.

Using 1 1/4 inch long screws, Ben screwed through the drawer, into the front to secure it.

In other shocking and exciting news (sarcasm) the upper cabinet is almost ready to get loaded up with dishes.

Once loaded up with dishes, the shelves will hold a lot of weight. Ben, over-builder of everything, worried a peg and shallow hole system wouldn’t be strong enough. Instead, we chose to recess adjustable tracks by adding 1/4 inch material to the insides of the cabinet leaving a tight gap.

Then I screwed in the strip. Once the shelves are painted and dry, in the dishes go.

Building cabinet doors is next on the list. Glass fronts for pretty dish display, solid panels for the other two uppers. To further jazz up the glass cabinet, I painted the inside the same light gray as the living room. It’ll contrast against our white dishes. As the last kitchen step, I’m going to paint the room to match the adjoining living area. A way to unify the spaces. Time to get cracking on the cabinet doors, walnut fronts, and the drawer below the sink.

Slow Going

Published on February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

Kitchen progress is steadily, but slowly chugging along. Much like the Little Engine That Could, I’m just chanting I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Ben pieced the maple desk top is pieced together, but 1/3 of the way through sanding, our belt sander broke. As we wait for the part to arrive, we’ve switched gears and made some progress on the cabinets. Most of the perimeter drawer fronts are cut, painted, and curing before install.

As much as I love shaker cabinets, I wanted something different. A less detailed design to keep the island the attention grabber. Flat panels with a 45 degree edge, painted white should do the trick.

The island now has 2.2 sides of this solid 3/4 inch thick walnut gorgeousness:

Going through our planning, the island was the warmth the room was lacking. I’ve already filled small cracks, sanded smooth with 220 grit paper, and applied one coat of teak oil. We followed the same process on the bathroom vanity and love the results.

Teak oil hardens in the wood, protecting and enhancing the beautiful grain. Just as the bathroom looked flat and boring before sealing, (see above) the island did, too. Another benefit is that if the wood looks dry, or we have to sand out a scratch, a coat of oil refreshes the wood like new. No full sanding or refinishing required.

Attaching the wood to the sides was simple. Walnut is attached from inside the cabinet to hide all fasteners.

From certain, limited angles, if you squint, the island looks almost finished.

Until walking around the front to see the drawers lack fronts. The toe kick is still exposed and we need at least one more light sanding and a coat of teak oil. Hence the blotches at the top near the counter.

If we decide oil isn’t the best finish, we can always go over it with polyurethane. Next up we’ll build the island drawer fronts and install the perimeter faces. Who knows, maybe we’ll even get started on the tile backsplash. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.