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brandywismer

Reusing instead of throwing away in kitchen/laundry mini renovation

Brandy Wismer
last year
last modified: last year

Our kitchen island was too big with only 23" clearance around it. The stove was right in front of oven and fridge with no work area beside it. The island was two unworkable levels. Our ugly pink backsplash that didn't match anything. In our laundry, we had no counter and plastic sink with poor storage. Instead of starting over we reused tall cabinets from the island for the laundry room upper cabinets. Reused the quartz island countertop for the new countertop in the laundry room. Reused the cute handpainted tiles from the original backsplash for the laundry room with matching travertine backsplash and travertine on the floor. Contrasted with a black quartz countertop for the kitchen island which is so much more functional. The workers were able to turn the existing base cabinets and pop up draft in the island to make a long thin island which fits the space so much better. Two rooms now improved, nothing in the landfill! Thanks Moutaineer Kitchens in Martinsburg West Virginia for being open to renovation with a twist, using the old and adding the new with quality work and professionalism.Mountaineer Kitchens



Stove was right in front of both the oven/microwave and refridgerator. Two tiered limited work space and landing zone for cooking. Was able to reuse the quartz countertops in the laundry room.



Hated this pink tile, but loved the little handpainted tile accent which we reused in laundry.



After reconfiguring we have so much more room!



Contrasted the old countertops with a black quartz top. Stove top turned is so much easier to cook with with better walk around space. The bar stools are from the old island so will be cutting them down.


New Travertine backsplash and outlet covers.



Reused the quartz countertop from the old island, the handpainted tiles and the upper cabinets here were part of the island! The new sink has a cutting board insert which is great.


Taking apart the island and reusing it! So much better then adding to a landfill!


Before laundry room, plastic sink, limited storage, old vinyl tile!

Comments (18)

  • einportlandor
    last year

    That is so smart! Love what you did in both rooms.

    Brandy Wismer thanked einportlandor
  • Lorraine Leroux
    last year

    LOVE IT ALL!!!!!!


    Brandy Wismer thanked Lorraine Leroux
  • socks
    last year

    Excellent of reworking the area and reusing! That laundry room is fabulous.

    Brandy Wismer thanked socks
  • Moore4
    last year

    Bravo!!!

    Brandy Wismer thanked Moore4
  • Rho Dodendron
    last year

    Good work! Enjoy.

    Brandy Wismer thanked Rho Dodendron
  • sholt576
    last year

    So Great! The black color improves the look of everything so much, not to mention the single level (what were they thinking?) and better stove location. And your new laundry space! Love that you saved the painted tiles, too. So much improvement! Congrats

    Brandy Wismer thanked sholt576
  • KW PNW Z8
    last year

    Kitchen improvement is truly great - but, that laundry room transformation is just WOW!

    Brandy Wismer thanked KW PNW Z8
  • User
    last year

    I love this upcycling and thoughtful renovation. Great job

    Brandy Wismer thanked User
  • spagano
    last year

    Wonderful idea!


    Brandy Wismer thanked spagano
  • ameliaww
    last year

    Good work!! Love it!

    Brandy Wismer thanked ameliaww
  • kculbers
    last year

    Wonderful!! Looks great and more functional fir you!! I love recycling.

    Brandy Wismer thanked kculbers
  • User
    last year

    Brava for reusing! Both reworked spaces look great.

    Brandy Wismer thanked User
  • Brandy Wismer
    Original Author
    last year

    You are correct on contractors not wan to reuse. mine was clear with me the countertop might crack, floor tile be a problem, etc. He actually was the one to suggest reusing the countertop, taking it to the fabricator to recut for sink and new counter. his guys even carefully moved and reused three floor tiles to make the new smaller footprint look seamless. we hadn counted on having enough tile for laundry backsplash, but they made it work with just a couple of partial tiles left over! they were wonderful to work with and came in exactly in budget from the original projections.

  • armjim
    last year

    I appreciate you caring enough about the landfills and waste to do this. Beautiful.

    Brandy Wismer thanked armjim
  • Candace
    last year

    So many cabinets unnecessarily end up in the landfill - YAY that yours did not! Those home Reno shows on HGTV KILL me when they take a sledgehammer to cabinets that ok, maybe won’t work for you, but they’d sure work for SOMEONE! Nice job on all!

    Brandy Wismer thanked Candace
  • PRO
    FrameMyMirror
    last year

    Wow great idea! It looks amazing!

    Brandy Wismer thanked FrameMyMirror
  • chispa
    last year

    When we remodeled the kitchen in our last house I didn't reuse or recycle anything in the house, but let my contractor decide what to do with them. They did not go into a dumpster. He was very careful removing cabinets, appliances and counters, so I am sure he reused some and donated some to Habitat Restore.

    Brandy Wismer thanked chispa