I mentioned on Friday that the middle cabinet installed directly above the stove is the wrong size. It's too tall. The over-the-range-microwave we want to purchase will not fit correctly with the current cabinet height. And to top it all off, a new cabinet will cost about about $300.
I hinted that I just recently thought of a work-around for the cabinet/microwave problem that will save us the money of buying a new cabinet. Joey was on board with the solution and decided to get to work right away (cuz we want to get this kitchen FINISHED!).
Well, when I got home from work on Friday afternoon, I found that the kitchen was not quite how I'd left it that morning...
...there's a missing cabinet! Yay!
So, here's the basic plan:
1. Remove wrong-size cabinet
2. Line the back wall with leftover beadboard from our 1/2 bath remodel
3. Create 2 built-in shelves in place of the cabinet and above where the microwave will hang
4. Paint shelves and wall cabinet color to blend in like one built-in piece
5. Purchase and Install new microwave.
6. Decorate open shelving (the fun part)!
As you can see from the picture above, Step 1 and 2 were already completed by the time I got home from work (go Joey)! Joey also added a smooth board to the top of the space to act as a "ceiling" under the crown molding.
Let me just tell you how much I love the open-shelving concept here! It makes the whole space feel more open. It will allow for additional decorative accents in the kitchen (of which there was little space for previously). And I won't miss the cabinet space as I already more than I can fill. So, it's a win-win!
Over the weekend, Joey did a little more work to prep to prepare the walls for the shelves to be installed. He had to add 2 strips of wood to the back of the wall for the shelves to sit on.
First, he nailed the wood strips to the wall using his nail gun. Then he went back and drilled holes into the wood in between the nails.
Third, he used cabinet hanger screws and screwed those into the drilled holes...
This thing ain't fallin' down! It's screwed in tight!
A few other tidbits of the process...
Joey had to move an electrical outlet from the middle cabinet to the side cabinet. The cord from the microwave will be hidden underneath the first shelf and plug into the outlet hidden here. Here's a picture of the electrical box. He did get the outlet finished (I just forgot to take a picture).
Joey also filled the nail holes on the sides of the cabinets where the middle cabinet was originally screwed into them.
Lastly, he got the first coat of paint on the back wall and "ceiling". It will probably need 3 coats total.
What's next? Finish building the 2 shelves. Then paint and install the 2 shelves. Last - hang the new microwave ... which we purchased this weekend (*grin*).
Yay for progress! More to come this week (hopefully)!
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