Got Old Kitchen Cabinets?
If you live in the city of Austin proper, you probably do. Lots and lots of the housing stock was built in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. And lots of others were built way before that, like the older house in the photos here.
This house in North East Austin is being updated by a local investor and should be on the market by the end of July. The kitchen had a functional layout, but the old counters were in sorry shape. When the general contractor pulled off the old laminated countertops, the top edges of the cabinets had some residual glue that resisted removal.
Sometimes the top edges where the laminate was attached can just be sanded and painted, but sometimes they need something else. In this case, after much discussion about the options, the owner/investor decided he wanted countertops with a deep, built-up edge.
These edges frequently go on higher-end homes in other areas, especially on kitchen islands. We don’t normally see them on houses in this price range (near $200,000), so whomever buys this property is going to get some extra nice countertops.
The granite in this kitchen is Fiorito, a granite that has a complex collection of flecks of corals, browns and blacks mixed with some creamier areas. The granite is 3cm thick, and with the built-up edge on the front (and the end and side of the peninsula), it is almost 2 3/4-inches thick.
You can see from the series of photos that it took a lot of manpower to put these in. We had five guys at the property to lift the biggest section of countertop safely into position. The sink hole (for a 60/40 undermount sink) was braced by the metal bar secured with clamps.
One of the last tasks on the general contractor’s list is to paint these cabinets in a light, creamy tan. The new paint and the new counters will give these old kitchen cabinets an updated look and will make a big difference in how quickly this house sells.
Old Kitchen Cabinets Remodeled with Fiorito Granite
