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Contractor Spotlight Bringing the Outdoors In

20 May, 2021

A beautiful day sitting on a patio taking in nature can be the medicine for just about anything. The only thing better is to have access to that feeling year round. That was one of the driving goals behind this kitchen remodel and add-on. The owners of this historic farmhouse, located in Ashland, Va. (commonly called the center of the universe), were looking for a more modern layout for the kitchen while holding on to its historic charm. The house was built in 1730 and has a rich history in the horse community. It’s even been said that Secretariat once trained on the racetrack.

The original kitchen was dark, with very few windows and limited storage space. Renu Renovations worked with the homeowners on a beautiful new design that would turn the patio just outside the kitchen into an indoor extension and sunroom. The new addition would bring much needed space and tons of windows to open up the room and display the nature outside.

Custom cabinets were built to replace the old ones, and millwork was custom cut to match the historic paneling in the rest of the house. Once all the carpentry was done, it was time to paint. The cabinets were all shop finished and then installed, but this still left tons of freshly installed millwork surrounding the windows inside and out. Cora Lucente, owner and operator of the newly named Renu Interiors was on the job.

“It was one of my biggest jobs done by hand. There was so much beautiful millwork and detail around all the windows. I learned during this job incredible patience and a true appreciation of old school painters.”

To start, nail holes were filled with Crawford’s Putty and everything was caulked. Next, everything was primed with Zinsser Cover Stain to seal knots and keep them from bleeding. Then all was hand sanded with 220 grit to knock down the edges and give it a little tooth. Finally, Benjamin Moore Aura in semigloss was chosen as the topcoat. “It was perfect because the Aura is rated for both interior and exterior,” said Lucente. Everything was given two coats by hand with Wooster Silver Tip brushes of various sizes.

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