In this post I will attempt to unravel the mystery of where to drill for cabinet hardware. Fact of the matter is, there is no "right" way considering there are so many variables. Cabinet hardware comes in enough varieties and styles to make your head spin. Cabinet doors are equally diverse, further making the "single method" even more elusive. Mix in a little "personal preference" with that and all of a sudden you have the same dumbfounded look on your face as I did when I began this project.

During my research, I came across a guide that told me to measure up (or down if on a lower cabinet) 2.5" and over 1.5" and drill the hole for the knob. Had I done that I would be purchasing new cabinet doors, or filling a bunch of ugly holes in the face of my cabinets. This method would have worked fine if I had flat faced cabinets, but most of us have recessed panels making it a little more difficult. The point of this is that everyone's cabinets are different and following this guide could leave you in a situation similar to what I just described. There is just no substitution for good ol' fashioned thinkin'.

That being said, let's start with a simple cabinet knob. I took a ruler (a tape measure is a little too bulky and inaccurate for this job) and measured the width of the door's stile and divided that in half to find the center line (A) then I moved the knob around on this line until I found the location height-wise that I liked which happened to be on the same line as the top of the rail (B). You might be inclined to make the height the same as your horizontal measurement, but I wouldn't recommend this unless it is a square door. In art-school we learned about an artistic principle called "visual weight" which by varying the height you can create visual weight and interest. That is the reason most cabinet makers install knobs this way, weather they know of this principle or just think it looks pretty, just know that there is a reason. Take our cabinet door design for example (C) it is a typical craftsman design, having longer panels at the bottom creates visual weight, therefore I want to mirror the effect by placing the knob so that it's placement accentuates the visual weight of the door. For the lower cabinets I just moved the same measurements to the top of the door (D).



Here is a good tip: Put a piece of painter's tape on the door and mark the location on the tape. This serves two purposes, first it allows you to mark a measurement on a door that may be painted or stained too dark to otherwise see your mark. Second it keeps the drill bit from slipping when you drill the hole.

After that I double-checked my measurements (a VERY important step) then drilled the holes. When drilling remember not to "force" the drill, doing so may result in splintering on the backside of the door, just let the drill do the work.

Then I screwed in the hardware and that was it.

Check back for the next post on how to install Bin Pulls.

Tags: Cabinets, Cabinet Knobs, How-to, Kitchen

Last night was our wine party the we've been preparing for over the last couple of weeks. Our tour this month was Zinfandels, none of which came in a box. We sampled 5 different Zins and two blends. Along with that we served up some Penguin Ed's ribs with my homemade BBQ sauce, and I grilled up some of my famous stuffed jalapeños. We also served up three varieties of really stinky cheese from the Brick House Kitchen. But, the most important part was that we got to show off our house to our friends, who anxiously ask us when're they going to get to see it. There was lots of praise on a job well done as well as disbelief that either my wife or I could do what we've done. "You mean YOU tiled THAT floor?"
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to finish everything that we wanted to, such as painting the cabinet doors and installing the backsplash. But, that was ok because no one even noticed.

Tags: Kitchen, Wine, Stinky Cheese

For the past two nights, getting to bed before midnight has been impossible. Painting kitchen cabinets is a slow, tedious process. I mean, it is possible to slap some paint up and move on but to get the perfect finish it takes patience and...well, time. We put two coats of primer with a lot of sanding in between followed by 2 coats of oil based gloss, and now we have the base cabinets double coated. But the doors have taken even longer, we only have one coat on those. The drawers... we are just going to have to paint the insides after the Wine Party. As I'm sure most party guests won't go snooping in the drawers, I hope.



Here is a todo list of things that we have to do before Sunday at 2:00.

• Finish painting cabinets
• Install cabinethardware
• Install tile backsplash
• Install some sort of kitchen window covering
• Install kitchen stove
• install vent hood
• clean I mean REALLY clean

And that is just the Kitchen list!

Tags: Kitchen, Cabinets

We are getting closer to finishing for our Wine Party deadline. Since most of these parties center around the kitchen, we've decided it is there that we will concentrate our efforts. Yesterday I finished up the under-cabinet lights. A job that our electrician should have done for us, but our frustration with him has forced us to cut our losses. So we paid the husband of one of Kristin's coworkers to come and consult and help out. Working together we managed to install the lights in a couple hours. Note in the photo is the most important tool for dealing with electricians, the all-important glass of Scotch.

Tags: Cabinets, Kitchen

Rental House Roulette, yep here is yet another atrocity. The renters wanted their cleaning deposit back, but considering the mess (pictured below) that they left on the curb... I'm not sure that their deposit will even cover the cost to get this mess hauled off. Let's just say the neighbors were so happy to see them go that they didn't mind the mess, or so they said when we apologized for it. Note in the picture, the mailbox flag is missing... maybe they wanted a memento.

Tags: Renters

Today I received the dining room sconces that we ordered from Restoration Hardware, after dinner and a bottle of wine I decided to hook them up. The sconces we ordered were from the RH Dillon series, which I am disappointed to say that the chandelier is discontinued. I think that Rejuvenation has a reasonable facsimile of the chandelier, except with the solid gold price tag. Either way the glass will be interchangeable. As far as other lighting goes we are looking at the Kichler under-cabinet Xenon lighting which I priced on ebay today at around $400. Not sure this is the route to go for us, anyone got any good ideas for xenon lighting?

Tags: DIning Room, Lighting

I was beginning to think our cabinets were going to share the fate of my first car and remain primer color forever (Just joking, no really). After about 3 months or so of living with primer colored cabinets we finally broke down and started painting the cabinets.

So far they have 2 coats of primer sanded between coats and will be finished with 2 to 3 coats of Alkyd based Gloss in the Sherwin Williams color "Ryegrass", also sanded between coats.

The main time-consumer on this project has been letting the paint dry between sandings. With any latex based paint you can let them dry in a matter of hours, before sanding. the alkyd paint is taking upwards of a day and a half to dry, at least so the paint doesn't "gum" up on the sanding block. But I keep thinking of how everyone tells me that it'll be worth it.
Also above is a picture of the hardware I ordered from Vandykes for the drawers. There was a matching knob that we ordered as well. Basically we ordered the brushed nickel hardware for the stained wood side of the kitchen and the antique bronze for the green cabinet side of the kitchen. I think it will really bring the whole eclectic look together. We'll see...

Tags: Kitchen, Cabinets

Well after a lengthy hiatus from working on the house, we have begun work once again. This time it is fueled with the desire to have the house ready for an October wine party. We are the last couple to host the monthly party in our group, the simple reason being that we haven't finished the house. Fearing that we may get booted from the wine club for not hosting, we must have it presentable in the next couple weeks.

First up. Finishing the bathroom floor. Which I'm happy to say I did this weekend.

Tags: Bathroom, Tile, Hex Tile