This home in the Eaglebrook subdivision of Geneva was built in 2000. The original builders cabinets were made by Merrilat and were a reddish-stained maple that was popular 20 years ago. As part of the cabinet refacing process that I do on all my refacing projects, I removed the doors, drawers and crown molding and covered the existing cabinet boxes with solid, factory-finished maple. The material I use is real wood – a full 3/16″ thick – not a thin veneer that is prone to bubble or blister. The factory finished maple-frame Shaker style doors were then installed with Blum concealed soft-close hinges.
I replaced all the drawer boxes on full-extension slides and actually converted the base cabinet under the cooktop into the large drawers shown. It’s a great place to store pots and pans and so much easier to access than rummaging through a lower cabinet.
I installed glass in the corner cabinet and used a simple crown molding style that complemented the clean, simple lines of the Shaker style doors and drawer fronts.
Although the original kitchen was all the same reddish maple, the customer wanted to accent the island in a different color. Again, all the components are factory finished – this color is called “Sundown”. By refacing instead of replacing they were able to save the existing countertops and backsplash and save quite a bit of money. The finished product brought the kitchen up to date and whether they choose to stay or eventually sell , the project will pay dividends not only in resale value, but also in their enjoyment of their home while they live there.
