Make Kitchen Look New With Refinished Cabinets

Q: My kitchen is so outdated that when my daughter and I went to the museum with her school class and saw the "kitchens of the past" exhibit, she turned to me and said "Look, Dad, they have our kitchen here!" She was excited to see our kitchen in a museum, but I was ashamed.

I would like to completely remodel my kitchen but I know this will be a major project and I can't afford it. What can we do to help out our kitchen and still stay in a small budget? - Bob, Tennessee

A: I hope you're just joking about the museum story, because the old displays of kitchens that I have seen in museums show exposed electrical wires, steel bathtubs and unvented wood-fired stoves. If that's the case, I would suggest a wrecking ball to solve your problem.

Assuming that your kitchen is just a little outdated, here's what I would look into to update it on a budget:

First, look into refacing your cabinets. Most kitchen cabinets are simply wooden boxes with doors. Cabinet refacing companies strip down the cabinets, update the frames with laminates and install new doors. The finished product looks like new, but it's much less expensive than ripping out the old cabinets and installing new ones.

Another thing you can do is to change the old kitchen faucet to a modern high-quality kitchen faucet. In many cases older kitchens have cast iron sinks and once the old faucet is removed, the sink can be professionally cleaned or refinished. Then by simply installing a nice new faucet the entire look of the kitchen can be changed.

Finally, I have heard of companies that can recondition older looking appliances. As long as your present appliances run OK, these companies can come in and give them a face lift to make them look newer through changing panels and/or painting them.

Not everyone can afford a total remodel job, and while little tricks like these won't make your kitchen look like it's from the future, it will take it out of the museum category.

Q: I'm a builder in Ohio with a question for you. A homeowner has recently hired me to finish his basement, and while prepping the job we have discovered that the basement floor has radiant heat. The original plans called for a bathroom with a shower there.

Now I'm getting second thoughts about opening up the floor because of the radiant heat lines in the concrete. Any suggestions? - Butch, Ohio

A: Butch, I know radiant heat well. The best way to avoid causing trouble with the system is to avoid cutting into the floor at all costs, especially if the radiant loop is embedded in concrete.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but I am telling you my experience has taught me to avoid breaking up the concrete and possibly damaging the radiant piping. You may be opening up a big can of worms.

Suggest to the homeowner that if there is enough ceiling height you can build the bathroom up on a platform and run the drains on top of the concrete. Or, if the ceiling height is low, eliminate the shower and use a special toilet and sink with it's own holding tank and platform.

Either way you can still have a bathroom and avoid cutting into the concrete floor. Once your customer realizes they may save thousands of dollars on concrete and heating work, they should agree with your decision.

MASTER CONTRACTOR/PLUMBER ED DEL GRANDE IS THE AUTHOR OF ED DEL GRANDE'S HOUSE CALL AND IS THE HOST OF TELEVISION SHOWS ON SCRIPPS NETWORKS AND HGTVPRO.COM. SEE EDDELGRANDE.COM OR WRITE EDDELGRANDE@HGTVPRO.COM.

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