Steph Says I Should Title My Posts

As I'm nearing the end of the veneering process, I thought I'd share a bit of detail. The total cost for the 7 sheets of veneer was just over a thousand bucks. That's not the detail I wanted to share. The point is, I decided early not to reface the back sides of the drawer fronts and doors as that would have nearly doubled the cost, not to mention adding labor and extra weight. I wasn't sure how this approach would turn out, but it's working out well so far.

Back side of an IKEA drawer front after refacing with veneer

I had to use care when trimming the veneer, but I managed to keep the Nexus Black-Brown finish intact. It actually looks pretty cool.

BTW, all the veneer and special tools came from VeneerSupplies.com. Joe is awesome and his site is full of woody good wisdom. I knew absolutely nothing about veneer before this project, and his site and a few others have provided a priceless education.

So, I'm down to only three panels left to veneer. Two are small pieces that will need to be custom cut to fill spaces above the built-in oven and microwave, so I won't veneer them until after the cabinets and appliances are installed and the exact dimensions are known. The third panel is a large custom end panel for the island, and I haven't purchased the wood for this yet.

So, I'm ready to start applying Danish oil, and then varnish. I'm going with Watco Dark Walnut Danish oil, but haven't chosen the varnish yet - some kind of oil-based poly. I've tested the Danish oil on some scraps of veneer and it's a perfect medium chocolate brown. Still need to make sure it doesn't do anything weird when it comes in contact with the existing Nexus finish. Fingers crossed.

Danish oil test sample - Steph likes it, and so do I

The Danish oil will take some time to do right though. If you believe certain experts, Danish oil actually requires a bit more time and effort than what's written on the can. Probably start this weekend and hopefully finish by end of next weekend. Danish oil takes several days to dry before you can start the top coat, plus it's humid and hot here, so that's not gonna help at all.

Eureka!

I love these moments. Is it sad that my best inspirations come through accidents and the resolution of problems rather than pure vision? Oh well, you work with what you got.

I thought a bit more about raising the island countertop and realized I can make it a design element. Why try to hide or blend the spacer between the drawers and countertop when I can use it to create a "floating" countertop. This is just what this kitchen needed to make it less ordinary.



boring.



Not boring!

Without the floating spacer, the countertop would just sit right above the drawer (top photo). Now, since I'm raising the countertop, I can use a simple black material and recess it a little bit to create that floating look (bottom photo). Cool.

I'm gonna do the same thing for the main counter against the wall so everything matches. I just have to be careful I don't raise it too much. Not only are high counters a problem, but the hanging wall cabinets are already just barely high enough to maintain the desired 17" space between countertop and bottom of the cabinet.