Park Slope, Brooklyn · 2024
Park Slope Brownstone — Painted Shaker Kitchen Renovation
A full gut renovation of a parlor-floor brownstone kitchen in Park Slope: 28 linear feet of painted hard-maple shaker cabinets, soapstone counters, and a custom hood surround that hides the original chimney chase.
Project at a glance
- Linear feet
- 28 lf (16 base + 12 wall + 8 ft pantry)
- Cabinet budget
- $11,900 (≈$425/lf blended)
- Total project
- $72,000 incl. counters, appliances, tile
- Lead time
- 6 weeks build, 8 days install
- Materials
- Hard maple shaker, Benjamin Moore White Dove, brushed brass hardware
- Counter
- Soapstone slab, eased edge
- Building type
- 1890s brownstone, parlor floor
The brief
A young family bought the parlor and garden floors of an 1890s Park Slope brownstone and wanted a kitchen that read period-appropriate without being precious. Layout was open-plan to dining; the original chimney chase had to stay (load-bearing) and needed to look intentional, not awkward.
What we built
28 linear feet of hard-maple shaker cabinets sprayed in Benjamin Moore White Dove (matched and sprayed by our vetted millwork supplier, not field-painted). Hard maple was chosen specifically for paint — its tight, even grain stays smooth under multiple coats and resists telegraphing through. We boxed the chimney chase with a custom plaster-finish hood surround that ties it visually into the upper cabinets. Hardware is unlacquered brushed brass that will patina with use.
Cost breakdown
Cabinetry (paint-grade maple, sprayed by our supplier): $11,900. Soapstone counters + custom hood surround: $13,800. Appliance package (Wolf range, Sub-Zero fridge, Miele DW): $19,500. Plumbing/electrical incl. gas line move: $9,400. Demo + framing + plaster: $7,800. Subway tile backsplash + zellige accent: $4,200. Project management + DOB filing: $5,400. Total delivered: $72,000.
Timeline
DOB filing (gas line relocation): 4 weeks. Cabinet build: 6 weeks (overlapped with rough-in). Demo + framing: 2 weeks. Cabinet install: 8 days. Counter template + fab + install: 16 days (soapstone is sourced from a smaller pool of fabricators). Backsplash + punch list: 6 days. Total from contract to functional kitchen: 11 weeks.
Why hard maple over poplar for paint-grade
Poplar is 30% cheaper and easier to mill, but it dents — and on a parlor-floor kitchen with two kids, edge dings show within a year. Hard maple at 1450 on the Janka scale takes the abuse, holds paint without grain raise, and is what we recommend for any painted shaker that will see real family use.