A period of fabrication at the shop…

A diversion from the hard decisions of the kitchen, what to do with the master vanity?

Vanity and Matching Mirror Frame

Media Display Center

Media display centers are good way to organize postings and general information sheets.  All the openings are back loaded with a rigid backing and a non-glare covering.  To access the panels, simply lift the entire light weight board off its double hanger and change the information sheet.

The center green portion is a felt covered tack board.  Use push pins or staples to post the display.

The two extra large units on top are used for the company logo and motto.  This display was custom designed and produced for American Cargo Logistics, based in Jacksonville, Florida.

The framing was constructed from maple with a cabinet grade finish.

This board also provided space for the electronic time clock, mounted into one of the posting openings.

These boards are custom designed and UPS shippable by MCKen.

Project Background

Erin and Joel have a cute little house in a lovely development. It’s approximately 7 years old and sits on a nice sized lot.  They have been blessed with two children and now are feeling very crowded in this home.  Making the decision to put the house on the market has not been an easy one in the present economy and while the home has been maintained very well, it is not much different than several others in the developement which are also for sale.They have been hard at work to put some “WOW” factor into their home by repainting, curb appeal touches, hardwood flooring in the dining room/hall and have decided to upgrade the kitchen from a modest amount of   entry level thermofoil cabinets to  custom wood cabinets,  re-configering the space to maximize the amount of cabinets and then to finish off with solid surface counter-tops.  The appliances will stay the same with exception of the new microwave oven above the stove.

Erin and Joel tackled ripping up the old vinyl flooring and installed ceramic tile.  Never having done anything like this before, they watched some videos, made numerous calls to MastercraftsmenKen (aka Daddy) and over the course of a weekend, did an outstanding job.

We hope you will follow and enjoy the story of this kitchen redo.

The Baker’s Unit

This is what we refer to as the refrigerator wall.  The pantry will be torn out and    the and the refrigerator will be moved to the corner.  This will allow for 8′ of counter/base cabinets.  Erin will have 4 nice sized drawers instead of two.  The upper cabinets will be removed and new ones will be installed to fill in the space.  The cabinet above the refrigerator will be as deep as the appliance, and the cabinets will go to the ceiling.   Even though she is loosing the pantry ( with non adjustable shelves and wasted space) she will end up with more efficient usable space for all the things she stored in the pantry.

These are the drawer fronts and cabinet doors for the baker’s unit base.  The custom color is called Cinnamon on maple.  Also shown is the first half of the 8′ bank of base cabinets.  All the bases are lined with a plastic  laminated liner for easy clean-up.

What is a good starting point for a new kitchen once the overall concept has been drawn?

My answer…the breakfront facing the living room.

This kitchen has  solid maple details with maple plywood fillers.  The question…what finish will make this one pop?

Starting with a background; “pecan” penetrating stain color and seal.

Follow up with an “oak” micro spray grade color over.

Two coats of pre-cat clear…GLOSS!

The WOW- factor to less than perfect materials.

This completes the breakfront and all needed components.

The next group;  “The Bakers Unit”.

The owner is adding 1m sf to this older small town home. Like always, the kitchen is getting a makeover to upgrade the increased demand on this central utility.   The problem…what to do with the 5 year old cabinets that are not perfect but the owner just doesn’t want to discard them and start over?

The existing cabinets are custom made, solid maple wood, raised panel are nicely done; except… the finish is a little rough and shows  some swirl scratches in the finish.

The designer on this project has carefully used every existing cabinet into the new layout. The relocation of these existing cabinets will prove out to be a substantial savings to the owners.  Yet to be decided is how to incorporate  the additional details that were added, and the new island.

One solution would be is to use a contrasting color to the original.  Two tone kitchens are in the trend but what to do about the rough finish on the original cabinets?

To be continued…

Finally Finished!

What made this project so difficult and enjoyable all at the same time is that all the woodwork is applied over the existing tile.  The design plan was to tone down the existing tile work and at the same time give the room more traditional woodwork and more function with minimum disruption to the owners home.   The only tear out was the old vanity and the the two entry doors.

The challenge… A ll the pieces were designed, finished in my shop and field installed with the minimum of anchors and nails to fill.  No on site cutting except some fitting cuts that I did outside.   Did I mention earlier, the room; I mean every corner and surface was 3/8″ in 48″ out.  It was almost like the masons and framers guessed at plum and level.  One thing I can say for sure is that it was consistently off.  How the tile man did his job I will never know; but it looked good enough not to have to tear it all out.

The owners were so pleased with the final results that they actually took the time to send me a real thank you note!   That make it worth all the effort.  What do you think… problem solved?

Thank you from MCKen…

This is an all drawer vanity.  The one it is replacing had none. A nice upgrade…yes!

This vanity features a white laminated  all wood box and top.  The bowl is a standard china drop in style.

The drawer fronts are a five piece, painted wood to match the laminate.

The top front edge is slightly curved outward giving the unit a dresser styling.

May I mention; this method of construction also keeps this unit very economical and very light weight.

MCKen

This project is compete…

There is room for “stuff” on the mantle without blocking the TV.  The screen is secure in it’s own recess and  it should be safe from excess heat from the fireplace.  The wood matches the existing cabinetry and overall I am pleased with the final presentation.

The most important parts of a mantle seem to be the carvings. To locate ready made carved components that are the right size, the right wood, and of course the right carving profile characteristics is a major task. Once I found them and adjusted the area where they were going to be mounted, it was time to start making saw dust.

The process I prefer is to do all the fabrication and finishing off site in my shop. It affords me to use of all my machinery and finishing equipment. The down side is that all parts have to be pre-finished and done right with no margin for error. The details that have to be flexible or adjustable have to be engineered into the design. When all is done properly, the installation can be done quickly and efficiently with very little tools on site and little disturbance to the owners house. I think you know how it goes other wise.

This one went very well! It looked even better all decorated and lite up. No photo…

Putting any idea on paper is the first step in finding a solution to the many problems that need to be solved with a project that has so many limitations. The legs of the surround could only be about 4″ wide and have to wrap an outside corner touching the two side cabinets. This would limit how much detail that could be used. A claw and ball foot would be great here but maybe a little much for the other details in the room.  A fluted leg with a carving at the base could work but just didn’t seem to be enough detail.

The space above the fire box is also a little complicated. To maintain a minimal heat set back on the granite, and with minimal details to create a mantle, it would require more space than was available.  Then to make it tougher, the screen projected out 8″ making it impossible to display anything on the mantle.

The first thing that must be decided is to whether or not to move the screen up and if it would look better to recess it into it’s own niche.  Recessing the screen also protects it from the heat of the fireplace.  Since there were so many niches already, a “frame less” niche could be appropriate with the screen flush to the front. Just fortunately, we had a vent less fire box and the space above it was void of anything mechanical.

It was obvious the finish of the new mantle would have to match the two side cabinets. The coloring is a soft light brown with a darker brown glaze on maple wood. This color matching process can be a lot of trial and error to reproduce since cabinet manufacturers are not willing to give up their secret recipes.