Kitchen Tune-Up, the Frugal Kitchen Fixer Upper

Want to remodel your kitchen but think you’d better wait until the financial crisis eases a bit? Then how about a kitchen “tune up”?

Steve and Megan Morelock’s Kitchen Tune-Up can fix up your kitchen a little or a lot – they offer unique refurbishing and skillfull matching which can make the old look new again.

“I enjoy doing tune-ups,” Steve Morelock says. “It’s very satisfying…Sometimes you can transform a kitchen in one day. You know, it’s very gratifying.”

What’s really different about Kitchen Tune-Up is that even if you’re on a budget, the pair have tricks up their sleeve which can lead to a beautiful, new-looking kitchen. Or, if you want to go all-out, they can do a complete remodel.

Kitchen Tune-Up’s appeal is that their willingness to work with you and your budget, while most kitchen builders may not want to “waste time” on small remodel jobs. Their name says it all; these people can tune up your kitchen to maximize what you already have, in an economy where frugal is the new luxury.
In case you’re wondering how you can tune-up your kitchen, here are some of Morelock’s recommendations.

One process involves refurbishing existing wood cabinets. The end result is that they look as close to being brand new as possible when completed.

A example of a kitchen before…
“We try to blend the problem areas with the existing finish on the cabinets, so it’s a lot less drastic of a process,” Morelock says. “It’s usually a one-day process for two people, and the first thing we do is completely clean your cabinets, and believe it or not, most people don’t take the time to (do it).”
In addition to this kind of a service, Kitchen Tune-Up offers re-facing, custom cabinets, bathroom vanities,

…and after a Kitchen Tune-Up
along with home entertainment centers and closets. They also have a broad selection of popular countertops that includes Livingstone, Corian, Caesarstone and Silestone.

If you’re happy with the layout of your existing kitchen, but would like to add pullout drawers, spice cabinets, and rollout trash drawers, Kitchen Tune-Up can make it happen. The company offers in-house designers that can transform your vision into reality, which literally means they can change your kitchen and bath as simply or as dramatically as you like.

Talking about how the company started, Morelock said that it was developed by a cabinet maker who kept getting calls about not necessarily wanting new cabinets made, but they would call and say their cabinets are “looking a little tired.” People would call him and say, “(Their cabinets) may have a little water damage around the sinks like everybody else’s, and color fading, scuffs, things like that.”
It quickly became clear that there is a market for revamping kitchens. The company was founded after developing products and processes for what came to be known as a “tune-up.”

About 12 years ago, Kitchen Tune-Up began to offer re-facing, and re-dooring, which is quite popular. Re-dooring is basically painting the base frames, and putting new doors on. This saves money and is less expensive than a reface. Interestingly, a lot of times it actually looks better because when you reface, you’re putting on a veneer and/or a Formica-type product on the base frames.
Kitchen Tune-Up also installs new cabinets. They can also do a combination where cabinets are added and then do a re-face to match the new cabinets. Apart from the kitchen, they do bathrooms, countertops, and flooring custom-tailored to your needs.

Morelock says, “Because I do have a contractor that works with me, we can, you know, blow out walls, and we do plumbing and electrical and all that, but we can do everything in between as well. We’re not in there trying to sell you new cabinets. We’re perfectly happy going in and doing the tune-up.”

At the moment, many homeowners have shelved any thoughts about moving and this opens up new concepts in the world of kitchen redecorating.
This is an exciting time for home improvement firms, since a lot of people have decided to remain in a place that they’ve been living for a while. Almost everyone wants a change that is affordable, and what better way to do that than perk up your kitchen.

In fact, living in the same space for a few years can let you know exactly what is wrong with it and how it can be improved. And this is where Kitchen Tune-Up can put their skills to the test.

Morelock continues, “I think I’m finding that people kind of want to open up their houses as much as they can, and sometimes you can do small things. Taking out the wall or the peninsula cabinets… Just leaving the countertop but taking the peninsula to open up between the family room and the kitchen.”

After all, let’s face it: the kitchen is the heart of the house. It’s where the kids have the breakfast cereal before they head off to school and where you have your morning coffee. It’s pretty much the source of warmth and nourishment and wonderful holiday smells and tastes. What room in your house could more deserve a tune-up?

Kitchen TuneUp
Steve and Megan Morelock (626) 533-4402
Visit: www.kitchentuneup.com