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Tricks to Transform Oak Kitchen Cabinets

Hi Friends,

How are you? I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend! Thank you to all who came out to shop small this Saturday. Those of you who support us are a gift – stopping by FunCycled to shop, to say thank you, and to reminisce on projects past. If you had only seen the morning we had when a “quick” project at the store at 9am turned into one disaster after another with kids in tow for over 3 hours. One kid was sick, sleeping on my coat behind the counter, our dog ran out of the store and almost got hit by a car, and I felt not so great myself. I looked around at all the chaos happening on one of the biggest sales days of the year for us and I actually found it so symbolic of this thing called small business. It’s working on the sick days, it’s bringing the whole family – even the dog, and it’s finding a way to succeed! I didn’t get annoyed actually; I just thought how will we make this work?. That’s one of many things that owning a small business teaches you; how not to freak out. You learn that it only makes things worse. Embrace the challenge and kick its butt… and that’s what happened Saturday. You all were gracious as my husband was drilling a barn door in the middle of the check out area, you were kind to my kids, you were encouraging to me, and you sent business our way to help us live our dream. Because even on the tough days, we are so very thankful to be doing this every day. We love watching things go from broken to beautiful, we love creating, and we love helping you love your home so it feels welcome to everyone who walks in. Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

For this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I wanted to share another kitchen project that we recently wrapped up. This is a set of kitchen cabinets are all oak!

This is probably the most common kitchen style that I see and this one had quite the transformation with a coat of paint and a new backsplash. Here’s a couple of tips for redoing oak cabinets.

1) Don’t sand too deeply into the wood when you’re prepping it because it will make the already deep grain stand out more. Just lightly scuff it with 150 grit sand paper.

2) Don’t go with a gloss sheen; go with satin. Gloss makes the grain stand out even more.

3) Paint them – trust us, it looks better and increases the value of your home. I know it’s ok, it’s ok. Just let us paint them.

For this kitchen, we painted the main cabinets Manchester Tan HC-81 and the island Dry Sage 2142-40 by Benjamin Moore. We also changed out all of the hardware and that helped significantly with this transformation. Ready for the afters?

What a transformation, right? If you’d like us to create this transformation for your kitchen, use our Contact Us form or check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and were you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

Also, check out our store for new furniture available this week:

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Shaker Style Kitchen Makeover

Hi Friends,

How are you? I hope all of you are enjoying this season and trying to balance the busy so you can still enjoy the season. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about being thankful with no gifts or money or things… just people and grateful hearts.

For this week’s post I don’t have the best pictures, but I wanted to show you a huge kitchen transformation where John built all new doors for the kitchen instead of redoing the original cabinet doors

Here’s the kitchen before:

It’s ready for an update, right?

We took the doors off and brought them home, measured and custom built new doors to the size of the existing doors. You need special router bits for this projects and it’s time consuming so we say, leave this to the pro if possible!

I know, I know… our garage was a disaster but it was a busy week! :)

Then we painted all the cabinets Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace and added new hardware. The kitchen isn’t done yet because they are getting new trim on the bottom and a new floor but I had to show you the cabinets:

It doesn’t even look like the same kitchen, does it?? If you’d like us to create this transformation for your kitchen, use our Contact Us form or check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and were you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

Also, check out our store for new furniture available this week:

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Black Mid Century Modern Hutch

Hi Friends!

How are you? We had a wonderful week with a quick family trip to Colonial Williamsburg. The kids are learning about early America in history right now so they ate it all up! Here are just a few of the pictures from Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg:

We have also been busy with a home staging project this week and a kitchen job! The home staging went so well!! Heather joined our team and it’s so wonderful having another designer to work with! She and I worked together to stage a 3,400 square foot empty house in one day! It made me feel like we had our own TV show! Here’s a quick before and after of one of the rooms in the house:  

You came for a furniture makeover and look at all the extras you were able to enjoy! :) Here’s this week’s furniture makeover:

We painted the hutch with Benjamin Moore’s Black color, stained the doors with a  dark walnut stain, and then sprayed it with a protective clear coat. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post.

Ready for the after?
   This piece was done as a custom order but we have other furniture available online and in our store now! Check out other new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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7 Steps to Redoing Your Kitchen

Hi Friends,

If you’ve followed us on Facebook or Instagram during the last few weeks, you’ve seen that we have been renovating our kitchen. We’ve been painting our clients kitchen cabinets for 5 years and even helped with some tiling, customizing with shiplap and other accent work. The question that I get asked the most related to kitchen projects is this: In what order should I redo my kitchen?

This isn’t always a cut and dry answer because often budget gets in the way and people have to do projects in phases. If you’d like the most dramatic change up front, I always say start with the kitchen cabinets because it will have the most impact to transform your room fast and fairly inexpensively compared to the other projects. If your budget allows you to do everything at once, here’s the steps we recommend:

1) Start with new flooring (if need be) – this is a messy job and can easily scratch the cabinets if you have to sand the current floor or lay new flooring so it make sense to start there.

2) Remove the old backsplash – this is another messy job and it will most likely need to be removed if you are replacing your countertop.

3) Remove the counter and get a template made for your new counter; if you’re installing a apron front sink or undercount sink you may need to adjust the cabinet doors and build a new support inside the cabinets for the new sink. This is an important thing to decide before painting the cabinets.

4). Install your new backsplash – this can be a messy job depending on what color grout you pick so often it’s nice to have that installed before we paint the kitchen cabinets for you. Backsplash can definitely be installed after without a problem if that’s easier for you, too.

5) Have your kitchen cabinets painted – this will not only brighten up your kitchen, update your house dramatically, but it also ups the value of your home. Pro Tip – ordering new hardware when you’re having the cabinets painted is a smart idea. You can change the size or style to whatever you’d like and new hardware is worth the investment!

6) Install new lighting and accessories. I like install lighting last because sometimes after I see all of the colors and textures come together, I want a different light and/or accessories.

7) Appliances – they can be purchased at any point in the process (unless the size of the appliance would change the layout of the room or cabinets.

Here’s a kitchen that we redid in July! We painted the cabinets Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore, added new gold hardware, installed subway tile, Klassic Stone installed this beautiful black forest honed granite counter, and we covered the ceiling joist with rough cut wood to make it a focal point instead of an eye sore. Another great idea for an awkwardly empty spot in your kitchen? Add a shelf for more display and storage.

  

Would you like help transforming your kitchen? Use our Contact Us form to request a quote. We would need a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers are in the kitchen, and your location. Then we can send over an estimate for you!

I’ll be sharing more kitchen info over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned friends!

In the mean time, check out other new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

 

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Beige China Cabinet Makeover

Hi Friends,

How was your week? I hope all is well and you enjoyed the warm, upstate New York fall weather! I loved every minute!

This week’s transformation adds some of my favorite fabric to an adorable china cabinet. Here it is before:

We went went with Benjamin Moore’s Stardust, lightly distressed it and then added adorable fabric to the back. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post.

Ready for the after?

Gray/Beige Hutch

Best. News. Ever!! This piece is available online and in our store now! Check out other new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Gray Buffet with Copper Hardware

Hi Friends,

How’s your week going? We had a great weekend – relaxing a bit and celebrating my birthday! We have been going full throttle so it was really nice to unplug this weekend and enjoy some family time! We went to The Hildene, the home of Abraham Lincoln’s son, and enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage blanketing the Vermont mountains. Here are just a few pictures from that!

For this week’s furniture makeover, I wanted to show you a buffet makeover that I love. Mostly because it’s a great color, but also because of the copper hardware. I’ve really  been loving copper lately and think it’s a trend that will stick around for a while! Here it is before:
Marissa wanted a neutral that would go with gray or brown so we went went with Benjamin Moore’s Stardust, lightly distressed it, and glazed it with Valspar’s Antiquing glaze. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post.

Ready for the after?

This piece was a custom order, but please check out other new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Transitional Master Bedroom Makeover

  • Hi Friends,

How was your week? I know some of you are ready for the fall weather in upstate NY and autumn is my favorite season, but I have really enjoyed all of the warmth and sunshine over the last two weeks. I could live like this all year round. Not to mention, it makes work go much smoother! Everything dries faster and the paint doesn’t drip like in the cool, wet weather. We even had the chance to go apple picking over the weekend and loved every minute!

For this week’s makeover, I thought I’d share another design job! Here’s the room before:

Nadine wanted a fresh, new look while keeping the furniture and headboard in her room. I loved the lines of her furniture and she was ok with painting them so we redid those and you can read about how we did that on the Simply White Dresser Makeover post. Just so you have a quick look at how my interior design works, after the initial consult, I came up with a design board with products for her to order and colors that I would like to see in the space. Here’s a look at her design board:

We tweaked the design a bit, but the after pictures will show all of the elements that we brought into the space. Unfortunately, I’m not sharing where you can get all of the items because that’s why you should hire me to do the foot work for you. ;)

Here are the after pictures!
 

If you love today’s makeover, reach out to us using our Contact Us form to ask us to help you reinvent your space! You can also check out new furniture for sale on our website here! If you’d like to purchase it, please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I’ve also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

 

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.