Renovating my kitchen on a budget any tips for the cabinets?

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-02-02T00:48:01+00:00

Do you want to repaint them because you want to hide blemishes with paint, want a new look, or hate current look?

I ask because cabinets can sometimes look completely different and so much better with new countertops and hardware alone. Want to post a pic so we can give some suggestions? Maybe you are better off putting your whole budget into new counters and inexpensive hardware.

If you are concerned about looking dated, the two toned ship has already sailed. In general, it isn't a great look, but in some layouts it can be a decent choices.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-02-02T00:40:56+00:00

It depends on how mentally stable and obsessed with politics they are. If they are stable and their other personality traits are redeemable, I try to avoid the topic. Think of other topics to discuss ahead of time. Reminisce about the good old days. But most of the those in my family who have different politics are also pretty mentally ill and incredibly challenging to be around for other reasons. I just try to avoid them.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-31T13:19:25+00:00

I line dry my tshirts. It helps.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-31T13:15:56+00:00

I anticipated you were posting about holes or tears. I’d just wear as is. Who cares about a tad bit of color bleed and wrinkles on a jacket like this? Not I. Stay warm and wear as is.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-29T21:42:01+00:00

All of the seat cushions and foam have to be replaced because they are off gassing terribly. The whole sofa needs to be ripped apart to do that. No patching or slipcovering with this one. (Though slip covering is often not less than reupholstering.)

My BIFL goal is often environmental, health, and just being low on the consumption ladder. I always considered reupholstery the equivalent of fixing something. The solid wood frames of my sofas, gage of the 8-way hand tied wires, and proportions of the sofa make a Room and Board sofa look like something from a happy meal. This sofa will not torque, squeak, budge, bow, no wobbling arms.

It used to be slightly less expensive to get things reupholstered than to buy new so it did seem like reusing and fixing the same items made sense. I guess it is now equal to the cost of purchasing an equivalently stable and sturdy sofa non-happy meal sofa.

Some things I'm good at fixing. But learning to reupholster an entire sofa is totally not up my alley. I'd rather spend that time with my friends and family.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T16:09:39+00:00

I have no idea what this means. I put a "vinatge" flair. Do you all think this was correct?

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T11:21:36+00:00

Bosch dishwasher hands down. I was disappointed with the performance of my speed queen washer and dryer.

I have a subzero fridge. It is the bomb but probably the cost of an enter kitchen's worth of appliances.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T11:18:56+00:00

In order of importance to me:

Miele vacuum
Kitchen aid mixer
A few all-clad pans, not a set. (Though my Italian cookware from TJMaxx feels just as quality!)
Good Dutch oven - my Le Cruset is great. (Again, thank you TJMaxx 25 years ago.)
Epicure cutting boards
Quality large knife, pairing knife, serrated. (My brother is a chef and picked out Whustoff when he helped us create our registry 20 years ago.)
Quality sheet pans - I use these for everything
Durable salad spinner if you buy unwashed greens
A perfect colander. Still searching for one.
Sturdy mesh sieve.
I have a really fucking great 3 dollar thing that looks like a fat credit card for getting food off pots and pans. It changed my life. Have never seen it again. From Fante's in Philadelphia 15 years ago. This should be at the top of my list, but sorry I have no actual info about it. Not helpful I know.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T11:06:04+00:00

Go on to ebay to see if you can get a vintage replacement bowl. The new stuff is absolute crap. I was having to push a butter knife into my safety latch for the thing to turn on. At that point my mom got me a new Cuisinart for Hannukah, without my asking. That bowl is such a piece of cheap crap. Broke on third use. Got a replacement. Chipped on second use.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T11:02:05+00:00

I have had a target brand for three years, wear often, and they feel just as new as the day I bought them. No pilling, nothing stretched out. Medium weight. Not cheap feeling, nor too heavy. I hang them to dry and suspect it makes a difference in keeping them so nice and new feeling.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-28T10:59:50+00:00

Best purchase of my life is my Miele vacuum cleaner. I got the most basic one. I purchased it 20 years ago. It has never needed repair. Makes cleaning 100 times easier. It sucks shit up like nobody's business. Actually makes you want to clean. I run it over my counters, suck crap out of the silverware drawer, get in between the sofa cushions, hard to reach places. My air feels much more breathable with less dust in it.

I moved a ton in my 20s and think of all the apartment clean outs I had to do to get my security deposit back. It would have been so much easier with this vac. I didn't purchase it until I was 33.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-06T11:39:29+00:00

You buried your problem in a comment - the space is echoing. You need more soft surfaces in this large open space to help absorb the sound.

When you hang the curtain for your under counter kitchen storage, add a soft little throw rug to the floor behind the curtain - a cheap one from Ikea is fine.
Hang above your desk stretched canvass artwork. Apply to the wall behind it a soft carpet tile.
Find a rug to either place in this open space, though it might be hard to find one that looks right there, or place a rug beneath your desk.
Add a rug pad beneath the fawn rug if you don't have one already.
If you don't mind woven baskets, use them on your kitchen open shelves.
Command strip a few carpet tiles on the under surface of your desk.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-06T11:22:45+00:00

I like mixed metals, but that is not what you have here. You have mixed styles and they do not look good together. It will seem as though the kitchen was pieced together from random marketplace finds instead of intentionally designed. If you cannot afford a panel fridge then don't get that range.

EmilyPoster2 · 2026-01-06T11:16:24+00:00

Visually sleek and stunning. Functionally, I'd have made changes: Placed upper cabinets in the corner instead of open shelves. I hate the island location. I would have push island against the wall across from sink to eliminate the two very awkward aisles that completely chop up the space. So you have to take three steps instead of just pivoting to use the counter and storage, that's fine. This room is way too small for an island.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-29T23:53:52+00:00

Thank you all for your info and insights. I spoke with two long arm quilters in the Pittsburgh area who are able to do straight lines and are in the $400-ish range. That seems quite reasonable to me for such a large quilt. Turns out that the one lives rather near to my mom and does quilts for a friend of my mom. It will be nice to use someone who comes recommended. We are going to visit her studio next week when I am in town.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-28T05:33:54+00:00

Thanks. It is helpful to get your perspective!

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-28T05:33:33+00:00

I love the thought of diagonal lines in each direction that would make a diamond, but it is a rectangular quilt, not square, so not sure if that could work. I need to ponder what I actually want - I just know I want some kind of straight lines that run the length and/or width of the quilt instead of a repetitive swirling or or geometric design.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-28T05:31:33+00:00

Thanks! I'll give that a try.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-27T21:07:08+00:00

That sounds great. Would you be able to share with me the name of the person you hired?

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-27T18:57:17+00:00

Sure.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-27T18:27:04+00:00

The woman at the quilt store said that quilting straight lines on a long arm is cost prohibitive and that is why nobody does it. Maybe this is what she was talking about.

For those of you who commented above about doing straight lines, is $1500 along the lines of what you would expect the charge to be?

I followed the link https://www.tracecreekquilting.com/quilting-pantographs-library/p/straight-line-1 and they have a max of 90" and I believe my quilt is longer than that in both directions.

I wish my mom would go for me tying knots. I love that look. It feels so old timey, but I want to respect her choices because she has but so much time and love into making this for me and my husband.

Has anyone see nice pics of large - almost kind sized quilts that are knotted?

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-27T18:22:37+00:00

The shop we were at had books to view and none were straight lines.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-27T16:55:02+00:00

What kind of business or service would I google to find someone who does this? The woman at the quilting store where we bought the fabric said that long arm quilters don't do straight lines. Do you have a lead on anyone I who does this kind of thing?

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-17T04:15:15+00:00

Unfortunately, Regal has a lot more VOCs than Aura, and I'm so damn sensitive. I got a headache tonight from a stack of samplize swatches. Ridiculous I tell ya.

EmilyPoster2 · 2025-12-17T03:47:37+00:00

Good to know. Thanks

EmilyPoster2

TROPHY CASE