The four existing drawer fronts are painted with colour-match as a temporary solution until the two missing drawer fronts are delivered, so all four can be replaced at the same time.
Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Free Press
The tired wood-grain finish of the old cabinets was updated to a muted grey, solid shaker-style finish.
The importance of ensuring everything will be on hand upon arriving at a remote jobsite cannot be overstated. Prior to departing for a boat-access only cottage kitchen facelift project, the list of required tools, necessary materials and fasteners was triple-checked. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until my arrival that we noticed a few elements of the newly fashioned cupboard fronts had been overlooked, and were missing. The project quickly took on a new approach.
The cottage owners had gotten tired of their old woodgrain cabinet doors and drawers. Despite their disdain, the layout of their existing cupboards was familiar and functional, and would remain the same. In lieu of incurring the tremendous cost of total cupboards replacement, and upon my suggestion, the cottage owners opted to simply replace the doors and drawer fronts of their existing cupboards, drastically reducing the costs of both cabinet elements, and the time to perform the installation.
Beyond the doors and drawer fronts, any other visible side of an existing cabinet would be concealed using a “plant-on”, which is simply a finished panel that matches the new doors and drawer fronts mounted along any existing visible side of a cabinet. For example, the end cabinets on either side of the bank of uppers each receive a plant-on, as well as the end cabinets of the banks of lower cabs. The tall panel along the far side of the fridge was replaced completely, as was the front panel of the peninsula island that faces the living room. The only full cabinet replacement was the microwave cupboard and shelf, due to the sheer number of old finish sides that needed to be concealed.
Having removed the old doors and drawer fronts, and subsequently dropping them off at the cabinet maker’s shop, these elements were easy to replicate with the old elements on hand. As for the various plant-ons, the cottage owner had painstakingly obtained the appropriate measurements of each, which could be then verified for accuracy by extrapolating exact measurements using the other elements on hand. Unfortunately, while temporarily dismantling the peninsula island to replace the panel that faces outward from the lower cupboards upon which the lower tier of the countertop is mounted, that panel had not been manufactured.
After a brief discussion with the cottage owner on site, we both ascertained that due to the hidden nature of this particular panel, it would be timely to simply paint it on site with a colour-matched primer, and two coats of satin-finish cabinet paint. As such, the cottage owner, with a sample of new cabinet element in hand, sped off to the boat launch, and made his way to the nearest local hardware store to grab some paint, as well as rollers for this unplanned task. While on his errand, I segregated my tasks by installing the doors along the upper and lower cupboards, awaiting his arrival so I could paint the hidden panel, and reassemble the lower tier of the island countertop.
Amidst my multi-tasking, another issue presented itself upon the installation of the new drawer fronts. When the cottage owner had dropped off the elements of cabinets, two of the drawers were left at the cottage for use. And although the instructions were clearly marked on the explanation email that accompanied these elements shortly after drop-off, only one of each drawer size had been ordered when two of each were needed. This left me two drawer fronts short. A quick discussion with the cabinet-maker revealed that the fastest ETA to have those missing drawer fronts manufactured and delivered would be three-to-four weeks. No matter, I needed them THAT day, in that this location was remote and inconvenient.
The order was placed, and these drawer fronts would eventually all be replaced as planned. In the meantime, however, I thought it best to give the illusion of facelift completion until those new fronts arrived. Once the cottage owner had returned from his adventure to obtain the colour-match primer and paint, I explained to him the other issue that had arisen after his departure. Luckily, he was on board with my temporary solution. As I prepped that hidden plant-on for primer and paint, the four existing drawer fronts were included with that process. As the coats dried, I busied myself with the final tasks of mounting the various plant-on panels. Slowly by surely, the old finish eventually disappeared from view as the new “look” of the cottage kitchen began to evolve. And with the final coat of paint on the drawer fronts, the existing handles were then mounted throughout. The colour-match paint was so close to the finish of the new cabinet faces, it truly is hard to distinguish what had been painted on site.
Fielding issues takes a certain amount of patience and calm. When situations arise, it becomes necessary to work the problem. And although it could have been just as easy to leave the old drawer fronts “as is” until the missing fronts arrived, and simply swapped them all out at that time, this temporary solution allows the cottage owners to enjoy the new look of their kitchen, without having to be reminded at a glance that an supply issue had occurred. This scenario means I’ll have to squeeze in yet another “work” day out at the cabin (sarcasm) – oh, the things I do for my clients.
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