My Projects

The China Cabinet(September-November 1998)

After the kitchen remodel, more space was still needed. Taking a little used area of the dinning area and turning it in to a wall length china cabinet was our next project. Using pre-made oak kitchen cabinets and modifying them to form the china cabinet seemed the best way to go. The door and drawer fronts were changed to match the current kitchen design. One cabinet was cut into two separate ones. A wine rack was added as the project progressed. lighting was added for effect and hand made trim gave it a finished look.

	Beginning the electrical retro. Outlets were added on the back wall and above the Hutch to add accent lighting to the upper cabinets.
	Electrical completed, the base cabinets were put in place and secured to the wall.
	The pre-made oak cabinets give the basic shape. The counter top was made from 3/4" oak veneer plywood with a 3/4" under layer of Novaply to double the thickness. An Oak front was added to give a finished look to the top.
	Five pre-made cabinets form the hutch portion of the china cabinet...
	...and three base cabinets form the base.
	Another change was made after the Hutch was assembled and a 30"x15" cabinet was cut in half and placed on each side to add more space and balance the look.
	In the shop the 30"x15" cabinet was cut in half using the table saw. The outer sides and bottom were finished with 1/4" oak plywood.
	The form is nearly complete, only a wine rack is yet to be added to the Hutch.
	With the wine rack in place, the design was finished with accent lighting in the upper and side cabinets.
	A white wash was first applied to the cabinets, then 2 coats of clear water based varnish. A top coat of tinted satin varnish was applied to blend the different shades of red oak that was used in the cabinets, top and filler strips.
	The inside of the cabinets were painted and wallpaper was applied to the back and bottoms. Glass was added to the upper cabinet doors and glass shelves were used in the 2 larger side cabinets.
	A decorative trim was added at the top to give depth and finish.

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