Cabinets - Day Two

 
I love how the cabinets turned. They were my biggest worry. I originally want to paint them but oak cabinets have a strong wood grain and it would have been cheaper to reface them with new pre-painted doors and drawers. Both painting and refacing was much more expensive than refinishing and beyond the budget I had set. I didn't want to stain them as they could only be stained darker not lighter. So the solution was to not stain only refinish. The new finish is actually lacquer, not varnish.

(Picture doesn't do the color or finish any justice.) 

They have a nice low shine finish that is really silky smooth to touch. The color is a little bit darker but not much...they almost look like a maple or cherry instead of oak (more red less orange/yellow). Best part is they should be easier to clean.

 

Countertop, appliances, handles and knobs, and new dining room chandelier are installed tomorrow, then my work begins - getting rid of the dust that is now covering the whole house and putting everything back in place. No more pictures until I do the big reveal.

 

I did get a little bit of quilting done. This mat is made of pieces and parts leftover from another quilt so I decided to use it for practice quilting.

 

I used Natalia Bonner's Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting as my inspiration. Clams, swirls, triple circles, ovals, figure 8's, Christmas candy loops...and...

I don't know what mine is because it definitely doesn't look like Natalia's Open Vein.  Oh well, it was all good practice.



Now on to a non-practice wall hanging.