Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets At The Cabin: Guest Remodel

The steps below follow the order of the work for this kitchens project.

Melissa at Veranda Interiors has been busy refinishing kitchen cabinets at her cabin and creating a nice bright look with white.


Our cabin was built in 1977 and when we took possession of it we discovered that essentially nothing has been done to it, including cleaning. We wanted to start with a fresh slate to help with the smell and dirt, but we had to keep modest-cost in mind. Since we are planing on introducing this cabin to a bulldozer in about 5 years we wanted it to have a WOW factor on a modest-cost. 

Here are a couple of the ‘before’ images. Lovely oak raised panel cabinets, carpet for the flooring, Gothic styles cabinet hardware, and don’t forget the stained, burnt, and scratched laminate countertops. We decided to lacquer the cabinets, inside and out…after all, it really was the only way to get me to use them. I went with Pratt & Lambert Dover White 33-6 for the cabinet color, a bright white that is a great contrast to the exterior elements that we see out the windows.   And here are the ‘afters’. I am very happy with the outcome and all of Rob’s hard work. It did take a few trips back and forth from our home in the Great White North to the cabin in the muggy humid mid-west…but if you ask me, it was well worth it!

The tile backsplash is a direct white subway tile by Daltile, we ordered it from Lowes and paired it with a limestone looking laminate to keep it light and airy. Since the carpet was not staying we replaced it with a laminate flooring that I found on eBay, this is used throughout the home and I love the color since it is good at masking little feet marks.

All of the cabinet hardware was ordered off of eBay as well. If you are ready for a hunt you can find some great pieces with wonderful style!

We used a white American Standard top-mount sink with the Kohler Fairfax faucet in chrome that I featured HERE.    We didn’t go top of the line for the appliances but I did want to keep style and finish in mind. So we went with all stainless steel that will work well for our current needs. The one item that I wasn’t going to be without in a kitchen was my Bosch dishwasher, we have had it in our past 3 homes and I love it, seriously love it.

To add a bit of color and life to the kitchen I have placed a few items around it that I have found. Including the dishes from Anthropologie that I talked about HERE and some photos that I cherish.

      Total cost of this renovation was just over $4,000, most of that being spent on the appliances. I am sure we can find a purpose for the fridge & dishwasher in the next cabin. If not, off to the Habitat for Humanity Re-store. When doing a renovation please look into this service, it will make your heart all warm & fuzzy.    Nice job refinishing kitchen cabinets in this cabin! White is hot don’t you think?