To make a very long and probably not interesting story short, I’m faced with helping my parents gut the family home and refixture it. Everything - and I do mean everything - is too old (1940’s) to be retro, and not nice enough to qualify as collectible antiques. To replace everything that needs replacing at retail prices would be outrageously expensive, so I’m hoping that on many of the larger items, such as the absolutely pathetic kitchen cabinets, we can find good quality used or surplus fixtures to save some money. I realize in many cases it’s the installation cost that kills, but every bit we save can be used someplace else. We’re also quite handy and have many nifty tools at our disposal.
I know of a few charity-based stores like the Habitat for Humanity ReStores and ReUseIt, and plan to check out any that are remotely local to me (NW Chicago suburbs) If you have a favorite you’d like to direct me to, I’d be pathetically grateful. Are there are other, perhaps more creative, venues I should seek out?
I’d also love to hear from anyone who has performed similar projects involving surplus or recycled building materials, and might have any “If only I knew then…” advice to share. Deep in my heart, I know I’m going to need my head examined for getting involved in this undertaking, but I’d like to avoid as many pitfalls as possible. :smack:
Selkie, this is kind of what my husband does for a living (home remodeling) and he said buying used might not work - he said that it can be next to impossible and sometimes more expensive to do. It’s hard to go new to old sometimes, but going old to old can be sometimes way worse. He’s giving some locations some thought, though (we’re NW Suburbs too - Palatine) - I’ll let you know if he thinks of any. In fact, I’ll print this out and give it to him tonight and let you know what he says, too.
Thanks for taking this to him. Believe me, I can use any help I can get! If he has any recommendations for a product to remove ancient, absolutely stubborn beyond belief wallpaper glue that resists even a wallpaper steamer, well, that would be good too!
Used cabinets can be almost impossible to work with, unless you find a house in your neighborhood with the same kitchen layout to scavenge them from.
Today, you walk into Home Depot with a set of measurements and you walk out with a pile of individual cabinets that you screw together and make a kitchen. Old cabinets were more often than not done as several cabinets in one chunk, and re-working these will eat you alive in labor.
How are the cabinets structurally? If the bodies are in good shape, and you’re satisfied with the layout, look at refacing them. Failing that… If there’s a Lowes nearby, check out their unfinished oak cabinets. They’re pre-assembled, and even cheaper than Home Depot’s U-Build-Em “Mills Pride” line.