Monday, January 16, 2012

Kitchen Before and After + Dishwasher Cabinet

The eye adjusts to light and dark, and, often, when the eye becomes familiar with something, it no longer notices it.  This is how clutter breeds unnoticed and yet right out in the open.  Probably this is what happens to hoarders.  It's certainly happened in my own home. 

Example: there's a pile of coupons that I haven't clipped yet, that have been sitting on there on the end-table.  After the first day or so, I didn't notice them.  Then we had company this week and in the process of cleaning the living room, *bam* it became noticeable again.  As though a cloaking device had been turned off.   How long has that pile even been there?

This is what happened in the kitchen too.  When we bought the house, the kitchen looked like this


Before!

Then we repainted it, bought a dishwasher, and D built a cabinet for it out of plywood. 

Painted!

He fashioned a black-and-white tile counter to go on top.

A chunk has chipped off already.  What kind of glue should I use on tile?


And we promptly forgot about the naked boards. And thus it has remained for the last three months.  Aesthetically scandalous, I know. 

It was mentally filed as just one of those things we'd get around to eventually, surely.  Not a priority.  However, while emptying the dishwasher this weekend I thought I noticed some darkening of the wood.  Maybe the beginning of water damage or mold, maybe not, but the wood needs to be protected from the moisture and spattering water from the dishwasher.  So that's what I did Sunday morning after my sister-in-law left, and before our friends came over for football, okonomiyaki, and Cranium. 

Bobby helped
I found a can of paint in the basement that looked white-ish and said "kitchen and bathroom"  so I figured it would work with either what the wall tiles were painted with or what the cupboards were painted with. 

After + dog

This is the result.
Blends right in.  It looks like it was all painted at the same time to me, and I couldn't ask for better than that.

One less thing to do.  

*Update 1/17/12:  "Materials used were plywood for the side and non-treated lumber for the main fixture.  2x4s on the sides to mount and top to fix the counter in place.  The whole thing supports my weight.  ...  Regular lumber can handle the heat and humidity just fine."  from D

3 comments:

Megan said...

kitchen cabinet
design looks good and neat.
what kind of wood can be used to look good and long lasting?

O-Town HD said...

@ Megan: If you're going to paint it anyway I'd stick with whatever is on sale, as long as we're talking lumber and not particle board.

Maple and birch are the most often used in kitchen cabinetry according to a few kitchen cabinet and lumber websites. This website says that pine is cheapest but is the softest too: http://www.home-improvement-and-financing.com/kitchen-cabinet-and-counter.html. Remember that treated wood isn't always safe for indoor use as it can give off vapors.

Anonymous said...

I like the paint job - sometimes it's the little things! Also, I would like to note that the captcha code I will enter to post this comment is "dishno".