Michele wanted to update her kitchen without a full gut. The cabinet boxes were sound, the layout worked, but the finishes were dated. We refinished cabinet doors, installed new brushed-nickel hardware, replaced the backsplash with classic 3×6 subway tile, and refreshed the trim with satin enamel. The result: a brand-new look without the cost — or the downtime — of a full reno. We started by pulling the doors and drawers and labeling them so reinstall would land where they came off. The doors got sanded down to bond coat, primed with adhesion-grade primer, and sprayed with two coats of furniture-grade enamel in a satin finish. While the doors cured off-site, we demolished the old backsplash, prepped the wall, and laid 3×6 subway tile with 1/16-inch spacing and bright white grout. Hardware swaps came next — new brushed-nickel pulls and knobs in a consistent pattern. Trim got two coats of the same satin enamel. Three days, no displacement, kitchen back in use.
What we did
Cabinet refinish. Doors and drawer fronts pulled and labeled. Sanded to bond, primed with adhesion-grade primer, sprayed two coats of satin enamel off-site so the kitchen stayed usable. Boxes scuffed and rolled in the same finish on-site.
Subway tile backsplash. Old tile demoed, wall prepped, 3×6 ceramic subway tile set with 1/16-inch spacing in a classic running bond. Bright white sanded grout. Caulked at the counter and edges.
Hardware. Brushed-nickel pulls and knobs in a consistent pattern across all doors and drawers. Old hardware holes filled and re-drilled where the new layout called for it.
Trim refresh. Baseboards and casing cleaned, sanded, and re-coated with the same satin enamel for a finish that matched the doors.
The result
A kitchen that reads brand-new without a full gut. Three days of work, no kitchen-displacement, and a finish that holds up to daily wear. This is the right move when the bones of a kitchen are sound but the surfaces are dated.
