Of course I’m pleased and thrilled – and shocked – that it all actually went together without a hitch. But what I’m especially happy about is that it doesn’t take up nearly as much of my limited floor space as I feared. Knowing intellectually that something’s gonna be all right isn’t the same as confirming that it is. I had terrible visions of having to sidle sideways between the kitchen counter and the bathroom, but it’s actually still quite a comfortable space.
Now! Of course there’s still a lot of carpentry to do, but pretty quick I need to make a decision. What color? Whatever color I decide to paint the kitchen cabinets will also go for the other exposed wood, such as the loft railings and ladder.
Do you have to paint them? I love the wood.Why not clear coat it all? Zookeeper
My thought too, stain and varnish.
That would work… but if you decide to paint I’d consider a fairly light color. It will make the room brighter and more cheerful in dark, cold weather.
Just use something very washable. I have to repaint the non log walls in my house and it’s astonishing how much dirt and grime have accumulated in only 10 years.
I still might stain and varnish it, it would go well with the siding. and I would like to do that with the rest of the woodwork. But my experiences with staining plywood have not been happy ones, esthetically speaking.
PINK, all the way!
If you decide to stain/clear-coat, consider using what is generally referred to as a “glaze stain”, or a “translucent stain” – Olympia makes some good ones; some include the sealer, which makes covering the finished job with clearcoat that much easier.
Best clearcoat for kitchen woodwork is usually one of the Waterlox products – they won’t “yellow” or otherwise darken with time nearly as much as more-traditional spar varnishes/furniture varnishes. Don’t clearcoat with lacquer; it’s not water-resistant.
Painting the inside of cabinets and drawers with a white/off-white semi-gloss acrylic enamel is a good idea – it increases visibility of contents, and is relatively easy to keep reasonably clean.
Use floor tile or sheet-covering remnants/cutoffs to cover the inside bottoms of cabinets – easier to clean up the occasional spills, added protection against water drips, helps keep can/bottle bottoms from leaving ugly rings or rust stains in your cabinets.
Very nice work on the cabinets – looking forward to seeing the finished counter tops in place.
Have you thought about a back-splash? Tile would look nice…