A few weeks ago I did an honest of review of our kitchen and master bathroom 3 years later (Part 1, 2, 3, 4).
I was overwhelmed by the discussion and comments that the posts generated.
Overwhelmed, but not surprised.
A lot of thought, money, time and energy goes in to a kitchen and bathroom. When elements work it’s great, when they don’t it’s a huge pi$$ off.
One of my biggest disappointments has been our custom cabinets.
The panels on the ends are separating, the white paint is flaking off by the day and I have quite a few gouges in the inset frames.
Well, well, well…a sweet angel read this post and immediately showed her husband who specializes in inset cabinetry. I made an appointment and he came out (he was even on time and came the same day he said he would…quite a feat for someone in the industry). He told me how he could repair our cabinets as well as how he could refinish and repaint them so they looked better than new. The samples of painted cabinets were amazing. They looked and even felt different to the touch than what I had.
I received quite an education about painted cabinets. Used to be that everyone was in to the glazed looked. Now EVERYONE wants painted cabinets. Problem is many cabinetry companies won’t even do painted cabinets because they’re so hard to get right and be durable. Ryan has spent years perfecting his formula and technique. In fact, you could even run his samples through the dishwasher and they would still come out looking like they did before they went in.
SOLD!
Today he came out and took all my kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors and drawer fronts away to his shop.
They will all be completely sanded down and get a new coat of his special formula paint.
Woot, woot! Oh yeah! Woot, woot! Oh yeah!
Unfortunately, I have to live exposed for the next week.
We went from this:
To this:
Need a little motivational jump start to do some spring cleaning and de-cluttering?
Take the doors off your cabinets…that’ll spring you in to action real fast (and make you realize you’re a full fledged hoarder).
Holy cow, someone get me a professional organizer quick!
Main bath:
I have yet to share a “3 years later” review on this bathroom yet but it’s gonna a doozy riddled with an essay full of issues and problems.
Believe me, you’re gonna love reading my rant on that.
I’m even changing the cabinet color. Oh yes, this place will look drastically different when Ryan and I are done with it.
Master bath…
So there ya have it.
Don’t come over for the next week…my house will be in shambles and I’ll be busy donating half of everything in my cabinets. Hopefully.
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
Every time I think how nice white painted cabinets would look in my kitchen, I remind myself that getting a good, long-lasting finish is SUPER DIFFICULT, and many of the people who took plenty of time and energy painting theirs are disappointed with how it holds up–only then it’s too late! Mine are pale birds-eye maple, and nothing is wrong except the shellac finish has turned yellow (nobody warned me!) and has started to flake off along the edges (because the wood is so darn hard!). They look like old plywood. Would I love it if they were white? YES! But I know the paint wouldn’t stick forever either (on a DIY budget) so I live with them. I do plan to paint my oak bathroom cabinets–I think the success rate for painted oak is much higher…
Gah, super frustrating. I’m convinced the only way to do is right is to have the right formula or hire a professional who knows what they’re doing. Sorry to hear about the yellowing finish. Dang!
Do you think he’d share his secret formula?? I’m not in or anywhere close to your area and my kitchen cabinets are in major need of a repaint…
Hmm, I don’t know. (I do know that he went all the way to Chicago once for a kitchen job…may be worth a call).
How would one get in touch with this cabinet miracle worker? Definitely could use his expertise soon! Thanks so much again for posting all of these reviews!
You can call him at 801.458.5886. Ryan Reeder :).
Will you be repainting the frames yourself or is he doing that as well? I can’t believe all that crap happened in only three years, that’s some bull! Can’t wait to see them 🙂
Bull indeed. He’ll be fixing all the gouges and repainting the frames as well. Christmas in May for us!!!
I don’t know if you were joking, but if you want a certified professional organizer, I’d recommend Jamie Tabish of Organize by Design http://www.organizebydesign.com/specialneeds.html
If you want to go the free route, I’m working towards becoming a certified professional organizer, and I’d love to help. Especially since this looks like a simple project and you’re already so organized as it is 🙂
Egads! You are brave showing what’s hiding behind closed doors. I’ll never forget when the remodelers got ahead of schedule and began to take down our old kitchen cabinets while I was away at work. Imagine how horrified I was when I went into the bathroom to find they cleaned it out too! One bathroom with 3 daughters…suffice it to say it wasn’t easy facing them after that.
Totally get ya! We decided to do our master bathroom at the last minute so I was taking things out of drawers and throwing it on the counter so we could remove doors. I’m sure he’s seen it all but I still hated putting all my toiletries in plain view for someone to see. Felt a little awkward after that. 🙂
We just bought a new house that needs updated white wood cabinet doors and drawers and I am terrified of finding someone to do the job right since the ones on there now look terrible. Not sure what questions I should ask, and we don’t have lots of folks to choose from since we live in a more rural area. Any suggestions? Thanks so much!!
That’s a really good question. Let me ponder that and even prepare a post. 🙂
I can’t believe the cupboards are falling apart like that! We have been in our house for 9 years now and have no issues with the sides of the cupboards. That is just sad. Any chance of going back to the original builder and getting him to pay for repairs? BUT I am glad you found someone to fix them!
The cabinets are pretty good except for the darn side panels and the paint job. I’ve called the cabinet maker over 100 times and am certain he has my calls blocked at this point. I heard he had some personal issues as well which took him away from work so I’ve just bagged it at this point. Really happy to have them being fixed up right. Live and learn.