Great Way to Get Some Kitchen Design Ideas this Easter!

If you or your family celebrate Easter, then get ready – because it's this weekend. Every once in a while a holiday comes around that is known for its wonderfully-made, home-cooked dinners, and Easter is one of those holidays. As friends and family members flood your home this weekend, pay special attention to just how busy your kitchen gets; not just with cooking, but with socializing. Your kitchen is sure to be the focal point of a social event, and if you have been wanting to have your kitchen remodeled, now is a great time to keep your eyes open for kitchen design ideas.

Our kitchen remodeling contractors are more than happy to work with you every step of the way to make sure that your dream kitchen becomes a reality. However, the process begins a few steps before that. First you have to know what you want!

This Easter holiday, pay attention to what aspects of your kitchen are inconvenient for you. Is your cabinet placement ideal? Could you really benefit from having an island or a butcher's block? What about a counter and chairs? The best kitchen design ideas will probably come from real life experience. Would you like people to crowd around a different area of your kitchen so you can be free to cook? Think about these things this holiday so you can accurately describe your concerns and preferences to our kitchen remodeling contractors.

It may be difficult, but I would even suggest keeping a list of your kitchen design ideas throughout the day. If you are anything like the members of my family, there is zero downtime in the kitchen and if you are trying to pay attention and remember each detail for the kitchen remodeling contractors, chances are you will forget without taking the time to write down a few ideas.

Have a safe and happy Easter and call Signature WoodCrafters for your kitchen remodeling project!

Cabinet ReCraft: Herndon, VA

Kitchen ReCraft: Herndon, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This was a kitchen recraft job that Signature WoodCrafters completed in Herndon, VA. The homeowners elected to go with our recrafting process versus our kitchen replacement process because they wanted to have their kitchen in use throughout the entire installation process.  So they kept their existing layout, revamped the look of the cabinets with our recrafting product, added new countertops, backsplash, and flooring.

Because of the bulkhead above, the homeowners decided that instead of adding the traditional crown moulding that most kitchens opt for, they would add lite rail moulding to the bottom of the cabinets, providing that little extra special detail to the new look of the kitchen. The end result is stunning.

BEFORE:



AFTER:





This picture really captures the detail in the lite rail moulding...beautiful...

Kitchen Remodel: Arlington, VA

Kitchen Remodel: Arlington, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This is an excellent example of an out-dated, problematic kitchen and the creative solutions our design team came up with to give it both an updated, beautiful new look and much greater functionality.The original design of the kitchen was a typical condo unit with laminate countertops and cabinetry. Storage space was lacking & inefficient, and the sink faced a wall.

To remedy these problems, our designer, Erin Watson, moved the sink to a new location on the free-standing part of the counter, allowing for the addition of more cabinet space on the wall where the sink used to be. Part of the counter next to the entry door was shortened, making room for a new floor-to-ceiling pantry. The cabinets were also re-configured around the refrigerator to increase usable storage space, and one of the floor cabinets next to the new sink was replaced by a stack of large drawers.

The homeowners selected a raised-panel door style in Mocha Maple and Blue Pearl granite countertops.

Kitchen Remodel/Recraft: Warrenton, VA

Before Picture of Kitchen: Warrenton, VA, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

This kitchen was a standard 14-yr old builder grade kitchen from 1994. The cabinets were a gold flat panel oak and the oak wood veneers on the side of the exposed ends had faded from exposure to the natural sunlight, which is very typical in such an old kitchen. The laminate countertop was also the same countertop that had been in the house for 14 years, and while it had held up extremely well for all that time, it was time for a new, updated look.

The kitchen after being recrafted by Signature WoodCrafters. The cabinet boxes were kept in place, but the existing face frames, doors, and drawers were replaced with custom-manufactured Natural Maple Raised Panel doors. The exposed ends, which used to be covered in wood veneers, were replaced with finished door panels. Crown moulding and a valance were added to give a polished, continuous look to the top of the cabinets. The old white laminate countertop was replaced with a Baltic Brown granite countertop. The end result is a stunning difference.

Before

After

Cabinet ReCrafting/Refacing: Fairfax, VA

This video explains the how-to of how Signature WoodCrafters installs its solid hardwood refacing/recrafting product. Enjoy the show!

Kitchen ReCraft/Refacing: Rockville, MD

Kitchen ReCraft: Rockville, MD, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

One of the things that I love about our Recrafting product is the moment of final transformation of a kitchen. When you see a kitchen go from looking drab to unbelievably gorgeous, you feel an acute sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that you have played a small part in bringing beauty into a person's life.

This kitchen that we recently recrafted in Rockville, MD was worked on by our designer Devonne Yankey, who helped the homeowners go from the original 20 yr. old cabinetry to a Franklin Shaker Natural Maple door complete with glass doors and contemporary mullions. The homeowners had already updated the look of their kitchen by installing new granite countertops and were looking for a way to complete the transformation. They contacted us, and well, you can see the final results up above!

Our recrafting product is best suited for homeowners that have already made an investment in their kitchen, be it their countertops or floors. Recrafting allows the installers to not cause any damage or disruption to the countertops or floors because our product is custom-manufactured to fit the existing face frames of the original cabinetry. By not disrupting the countertops or flooring, you get the same custom cabinetry that you would get from a full kitchen replacement, without causing any possible damage to the investment that you have already made.

Costs of ReCrafting

A lot of people have the misconception that Cabinet ReCrafting (Signature's own solid hardwood refacing product line for cabinetry) is cheaper than a cabinet replacement. This assumption is actually pretty false. Recrafting/refacing can actually cost just as much as a full cabinet replacement because the cost of most cabinetry is in the new doors and drawer fronts installed on the existing cabinet frame. There is a great article that talks about refacing and the appropriate costs to have in mind when considering this project. Check out the article on cabinet refacing over at Furniture Reviews by Rissla for more information and expectations on the true costs of refacing!

New Beginnings

Signature WoodCrafters recently took on a new intern for the summer, Alicia Beck. Check out Alicia's thoughts about the working world versus college and all that she's learned so far!

Transitions and New Beginnings:

Happy Friday everyone! My name is Alicia and I began interning with Signature WoodCrafters last month after graduating from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in May. Go Hokies! I just wanted to share a little of my experiences so far while working here. We all have been there. The day approaches when we say to ourselves, “What’s the next step in our lives?” It’s a scary thought after all those years of school, and now it’s time to take that step and join the ranks of the working class and the long joyous rush hour traffic that northern Virginia likes to bring us (anyone else become a fan of books on CD?). I majored in Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management: Housing Option where I was part of an accredited program of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. There I learned many things, from hours and hours dedicated to drafting homes and different kitchen layouts to the new technology that different appliances now have. When I left college, I knew that I wanted to be involved with remodeling and luckily, the wonderful company of Signature Woodcrafters decided they wanted me to join their team. So began my new journey in the world of remodeling.

Knowing different terms is vital within the remodeling business. As you probably know, Signature’s major remodeling areas are kitchens, baths, built-ins and stairs and a vast array of terms comes with those areas. Bullnose, Over-the-Post, Post-to-Post, Loose Parts, and Pre- Assembled are just a few terms that I learned and that’s just stairs! No worries here though. The employees here are extremely helpful and I soon found myself saying “I can do this!” I have even found myself looking in my own home at the stair configuration and kitchen layout and saying to myself what they would be classified as. I learned a lot about the ReCrafting process here and in my opinion it’s a great thing they’re doing. Taking ¼” solid wood instead of just a thin veneer gets the homeowner that great quality that they may be looking for. Also the designers are fantastic. Talking about knowing your stuff, these people are on the top of their game. The best part is seeing the before and after pictures. Amazing! Well that’s just a few of my observations that I wanted to share with everyone. Have a fantastic weekend

To Remodel or Not Remodel - that is the question

If you click on the Title of this post, it will take you to an informative article on the benefits of remodeling in a slow market. It seems that 70.9 percent of the investment that you make in your kitchen is recouped when it comes time to sell (if you even want to sell after redoing the kitchen). Our Kitchen ReCrafting product line is perfect for a beautiful update, at a low price. The quality that you receive for the money that you spend is bar-none. Take a look at our portfolio page on our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com, to see what I mean!

New Enhancements to our website

We made a few changes to our Kitchen ReCrafting page on our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com. Check it out from this link!

Also, if you still don't quite get what ReCrafting is, think of it as a high-end cabinet refacing or kitchen refacing product - except our product runs laps around our competitors in terms of the quality of our ReCrafting product - for the same price!

The transformations have been pretty incredible and you should check out some of the slide shows on our Sample Projects page on our website. I will post some more later on! Stay tuned!

We'll also be posting more relevant and informational blurbs shortly - and if anyone has any ideas for posts, please pass them on!

Watch This Video!

Take a look at this video we made about our Cabinet ReCrafting product.

Some Kitchen Remodeling Tips

Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen? Take a look at this article about a few tips before you start your remodeling project, and then visit www.signaturewoodcrafters.com to learn all about ReCrafting your kitchen!

by Leroy Calstard

Does your kitchen need a change? Are you ready to update the room where family and friends tend to spend the most time? Then go ahead and do it! A kitchen renovation is a great way to give your home an entirely new look and even...
Tips for Planning Your Kitchen Remodeling Project - http://wallys-workshop.com

Transforming a Renaissance Home Kitchen

ReCrafting? What is that?

The hallmark product of Signature WoodCrafters is our exclusive ReCrafting technique for both Kitchens and Stairs.

This technique allows the homeowner to experience beautifully crafted products within their home for a fraction of the cost of complete replacements, remodels, or tear-outs. And not only is it a fraction of the cost, but it also takes less time to install than any of those home-improvement options.

Stair ReCrafting is a process that places solid hardwood treads and risers over the current sub-structure of your staircase. You can also replace the railings if you want, and it is actually recommended that if you have an open or curved staircase with the balusters sitting on top of the stair tread, that you do replace the railings.

Kitchen ReCrafting is comparable to the more common known techinque of kitchen refacing. Most homeowners that are happy with the layout of their kitchen, but want to update the look of their kitchen often choose to reface their kitchen. Refacing typically consists of changing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts with brand new doors and drawer fronts and applying a laminate tape veneer on all exposed face frames, both exterior and interior.

Where ReCrafting differs from refacing, is that we do not apply a cheap laminate veneer that will chip and fade over time. We use solid 1/4" hardwood moldings on your exterior face frame, while also replacing your cabinet doors drawers with solid hardwood doors and drawer fronts. For the same amount of money that you would consider spending on having your kitchen refaced, Signature WoodCrafters can provide you with a much superior product. A ReCrafted kitchen will typically take 1 to 2 days for installation, unless you include a countertop replacement, at which the lead time increases to 3-5 business days.

For more information on the benefits of ReCrafting, visit our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com!